季节性冻融期间亚高山森林凋落物的质量变化

凋落物质量是影响凋落物分解的重要生物因子,其在季节性冻融期间的变化可能对亚高山森林生态系统过程产生显著的影响。因此,采用凋落物分解袋法,研究了岷江冷杉(Abies faxoniana)和白桦(Betula platyphylla)凋落物质量在一个季节性冻融期间(2006年10月至2007年4月)的变化。季节性冻融期间,岷江冷杉和白桦凋落物的木质素(L)和纤维素的降解率为全年降解的70%-75%,岷江冷杉和白桦凋落物的C/N、L/N和纤维素/N均显著增加,而纤维素/P均有所降低。岷江冷杉凋落物的C/P和L/P有所增加,但白桦凋落物的C/P和L/P有所降低。可见,季节性冻融期间,亚高山森林凋落物的质量发生了较为显著的变化,其显著影响了亚高山凋落物分解过程。     

季节性冻融对岷江冷杉和白桦凋落物酶活性的影响

为了了解季节性冻融对亚高山森林生态系统过程的影响,2006年10月—2007年10月,采用凋落物分解袋法,研究了冻融和非冻融处理下岷江冷杉和白桦凋落物的酶活性动态.结果表明：凋落物的酶活性均具有明显的月变化,但活性高峰与酶类有关;季节性冻融显著影响了冷杉和白桦凋落物分解过程中的转化酶、纤维素酶、脲酶和脱氢酶活性(P＜0.05).冻融处理使冷杉凋落物分解过程中的转化酶、纤维素酶和脲酶活性在生长季节内分别增加了66.1%、14.8%和76.3%,但脱氢酶活性降低了18.4%;冻融处理使白桦凋落物分解过程中的转化酶活性增加了39.4%,但脲酶、纤维素酶和脱氢酶活性分别降低了18.2%、28.7%和15.6%.冻融处理对两种凋落物的过氧化物酶和多酚氧化酶活性影响不显著.说明季节性冻融对亚高山森林凋落物分解过程具有不同程度的影响,其影响程度与凋落物种类和分解阶段有关.     

神农架巴山冷杉天然林凋落量及养分特征

研究了湖北神农架巴山冷杉 (Abies fargesii) 天然林凋落物量、凋落物N、P、K、Ca、Mg的含量及其归还量。结果表明:巴山冷杉天然林的年凋落量为5702.99kg·hm-2;巴山冷杉林的凋落 物组成比较丰富, 主要有落叶、落枝、球花、球果和其他5部分, 其中以落叶为多, 占总凋落量的46.00%;凋落量的月变化模式呈双峰型, 分别在2006年10~11月和2007年4~5月达到峰值;凋落物养分含量的大小顺序为:N>K>Ca>P>Mg;N、P、 K、Ca、Mg的年归还量分别为:39.1063、4.5346、13.4367、5.4965和0.0911kg·hm-2;就凋落物各组分的养分年归 还量而言, 落叶的养分归还量远远大于其余组分的养分归还量, 占总归还量的52.65%。因此, 不论凋落量还是养分归还量, 巴山冷杉林凋落物中的落叶都占绝对优势。     

小兴安岭十种典型森林群落凋落物生物量及其动态变化

在小兴安岭地区选取10种典型森林群落分别设置样地,研究该地区不同群落类型凋落物的年产量、月动态变化以及组成特征.结果表明:10种群落类型中年均凋落物量大小依次为椴树红松林(4.08t· hm-2·a-1)＞蒙古栎红松林(3.83 t·hm-2·a-1)＞云冷杉红松林(3.55 t·hm-2·a-1)＞云冷杉林(3.44t· hm-2·a-1)＞枫桦红松林(3.43t·hm-2· a-1)＞山杨次生林(3.26 t·hm-2·a-1)＞白桦次生林(3.04 t·hm-2·a-1)＞枫桦次生林(2.96 t·hm-2·a-1)＞杂木林(2.95 t·hm-2·a-1)＞白桦落叶松林(2.91 t·hm-2·a-1).凋落物各组分中均以落叶为主,约占凋落总量的60％以上,枝仅占凋落量的5.7％-9.4％.凋落物月动态模式主要有两种:单峰型的有蒙古栎红松林、椴树红松林、枫桦红松林、枫桦次生林、山杨次生林、白桦次生林、杂木林,高峰期在8-10月份;双峰型的有云冷杉红松林、云冷杉林、白桦落叶松次生林,前两种群落的凋落高峰期在4月和9月,后者高峰期在8月和10月.不同群落类型年凋落量差异显著,原始红松林凋落量高于天然次生林,且凋落高峰出现时问以及各组分所占比例与群落类型有关,同时也与树种生物学特性有关.     

川西亚高山森林凋落物不同分解阶段碳氮磷化学计量特征及种间差异

为了了解亚高山森林凋落物在不同分解阶段的化学计量特征,采用空间代替时间的方法,以自然状态下凋落物的3个层次--新鲜凋落物层（L）、发酵层（F）、腐殖质层（H））模拟凋落物分解的不同阶段,对川西亚高山不同林分类型（岷江冷杉天然林、粗枝云杉人工林、白桦天然林、杜鹃矮曲林）凋落物的碳氮磷（C、N、P）及可溶性碳氮磷（DOC、SN、SP）含量进行研究。结果表明：林分类型及分解阶段将显著影响凋落物分解过程中的碳氮磷含量及其化学计量比。亚高山森林凋落物可溶性有机碳、水溶性磷含量均随着分解过程的不断进行而降低,分解初期快速淋溶,而分解中后期释放变缓。4种林分比较而言,水溶性碳氮磷含量表现为：白桦 > 杜鹃 > 冷杉 > 云杉,阔叶树种凋落物的可溶性碳氮磷普遍高于针叶树种,尤其在分解初期。针叶树种凋落物SN在分解过程中呈现释放模式,而阔叶树种SN呈现先富集后释放模式。凋落物C含量随着分解的不断进行而降低,冷杉、白桦及杜鹃N含量呈现先富集后释放的趋势,分解阶段对云杉与白桦各层P含量影响不显著,但冷杉却呈现先降低后升高的现象,而杜鹃则是在分解后期P含量显著降低。从总体来看,亚高山森林凋落物C/P和N/P均显著小于全球平均水平,凋落物C/N、C/P、N/P、DOC/C、SN/N、SP/P均随着分解的不断进行呈现降低的趋势。分解初期白桦和杜鹃DOC/C显著降低,而冷杉则在分解后期显著降低。冷杉N/P先升高后降低,杜鹃N/P随着分解的不断进行呈现升高趋势。这些研究结果为深入理解亚高山森林生态系统的凋落物分解进程和养分循环提供了依据。     

中亚热带四种森林凋落物及碳氮贮量比较

在湖南省长沙县大山冲省级森林公园内,选择立地条件基本一致的4种森林类型为研究对象,于2011年12月(凋落物高峰期)对森林凋落物现存量及其碳、氮贮量进行调查.结果表明:4种森林凋落物现存量大小依次为青冈-石栎林(12.04±3.60)t·hm-2＞马尾松-石栎林(11.65±2.15) t·hm-2＞南酸枣林(9.12±2.30)t·hm-2＞杉木林(8.92±1.80)t·hm-2;凋落叶在凋落物未分解层中所占比例最高,凋落果在4种林分中比例最小(＜5％),凋落物各分解亚层现存量规律性不明显;4种森林凋落物C含量的变化范围为177.90 ～ 581.34 g·kg-1,N含量的变化范围为5.18～15.48 g· kg-1,C含量变化随凋落物分解程度的加深而下降,且变化极显著( P＜0.0001);凋落物半分解层和已分解层现存量在总凋落物现存量中所占比例与C/N呈负相关;4种森林凋落物C贮量为3.37 ～ 5.69t·hm-2,N贮量为81.52 ～152.18 kg·hm-2;马尾松-石栎针阔叶混交林由于凋落物分解较慢,凋落物现存量较大,林下凋落物层C、N贮量最高.     

川西亚高山森林凋落物分解初期土壤动物对红桦凋落叶质量损失的贡献

2010年10月26日-2011年4月18日在川西亚高山地区季节性冻融期间,选择典型的红桦-岷江冷杉林,采用凋落物分解袋法调查了不同网孔(0.02、0.125、1和3 mm)凋落物分解袋内的凋落物质量损失,分析微型、中型和大型土壤动物对红桦凋落叶分解的贡献.结果表明:在季节性冻融期间,0.02、0.125、1和3 mm分解袋内的红桦凋落叶质量损失率分别为11.8％、13.2％、15.4％和19.5％,不同体径土壤动物对红桦凋落叶质量损失的贡献率为39.5％;不同孔径凋落物袋内土壤动物的类群和个体相对密度与凋落叶的质量损失率的变化趋势相对一致.在季节性冻融的初期、深冻期和融化期,不同土壤动物对红桦凋落叶质量损失的贡献率为大型土壤动物(22.7％)＞中型土壤动物(11.9％)＞微型土壤动物(7.9％).季节性冻融期间土壤动物活动是影响川西亚高山森林凋落物分解的重要因素之一.     

土壤动物对川西高山/亚高山森林凋落物分解的贡献

采用凋落物分解袋法,研究了土壤动物对川西高山/亚高山森林代表性植物康定柳、方枝柏、红桦和岷江冷杉凋落物在分解第一年(2011年11月-2012年10月)不同关键时期质量损失的贡献.结果表明: 在凋落物第一年的分解过程中, 不同物种凋落物的分解速率大小依次为康定柳＞红桦＞岷江冷杉＞方枝柏,且均为生长季节大于冻融季节.土壤动物对凋落物分解的贡献率(P_fau)为方枝柏(26.7%)＞岷江冷杉(18.8%)＞红桦(15.7%)＞康定柳(13.2%),其中康定柳和方枝柏的P_fau在生长季节大于冻融季节,而红桦和岷江冷杉的P_fau为冻融季节大于生长季节.冻融季节土壤动物的作用与凋落物初始C、P和N/P显著相关,而生长季节则与N、C/N、木质素、木质素/纤维素显著相关.     

川西亚高山森林凋落物不同分解阶段基质质量特征

采用空间代替时间的方法,以川西高山亚高山云杉(Picea asperata)人工林、冷杉(Abies faxoniana)天然林、杜鹃(Rhododendron lapponicum)矮曲林和白桦(Betula platyphylla Suk.)天然林4种典型林分类型下的3个层次[新鲜凋落物层(L)、发酵层(F)、腐殖质层(H)]凋落物为研究对象,分别模拟凋落物分解的前期、中期和后期阶段,对凋落物的基质质量,包括水溶性组分(WSC)及有机溶性组分(OSC)、酸溶性组分(ASE)及酸不溶性组分(AIR)的含量进行分析,以揭示亚高山森林不同分解阶段凋落物的质量特征。结果表明:4种林分类型凋落物的WSC、OSC、ASE含量均随分解的进行不断减少,且分解前期的淋溶释放量高于分解中后期,而AIR含量及表征4种凋落物酸溶性和酸不溶性组分含量相对比例的LCI指数(lignocellulose index)随分解的进行却呈现上升趋势。4种林分凋落物L层的WSC含量及白桦、冷杉、云杉凋落物L层OSC含量均显著高于相应F、H层,而F、H层间差异不显著;而杜鹃凋落物OSC含量则表现为L层F层H层,且各层间均差异显著。林分类型对凋落物分解过程中的WSC、OSC、AIR含量有极显著影响,但对ASE和LCI指数影响却不显著。4个林分比较而言,阔叶林凋落物的WSC、OSC含量高于针叶林,AIR含量低于针叶林,白桦WSC含量在L、F层均最高。研究认为,分解阶段和林分类型对川西亚高山森林凋落物基质质量具有重要影响,但对各组分的影响有所差异。研究结果对深入理解亚高山森林生态系统的物质循环具有重要意义。     

酸雨背景下缙云山典型林分凋落物量和营养元素含量及其释放特征

选取缙云山针阔混交林、常绿阔叶林、楠竹林和灌木林作为研究对象,对4种林分的凋落物储量和营养元素释放量等进行观测,并应用室内模拟酸雨实验对4种林分凋落物进行淋溶模拟。结果表明:缙云山各林分现存凋落物厚度为1.4～4.5 cm,具有明显的分层结构;林分未分解U层、半分解S层和分解D层现存凋落物量分别为1.97～8.59、2.84～10.18和3.58～17.43 t·hm-2,林分年凋落物量为2.17～9.86 t·hm-2·a-1,凋落物总储量为14.21～32.42 t·hm-2,凋落物分解常数为0.15～0.31,林下凋落物分解95%时所需时间针阔混交林和楠竹林均在10年以上,凋落物分解速率比较缓慢;林下凋落物层营养元素含量以Ca、N为主,Fe、K、Mg次之;凋落物总的营养元素释放率表现为常绿阔叶林(0.80)>灌木林(0.72)>针阔混交林(0.50)>楠竹林(-0.17);与叶片相比,凋落物中N、K、Mn 3种营养元素含量明显降低;为探明酸雨影响营养元素循环的作用机理,对模拟酸雨的离子含量与凋落物淋滤液盐基离子含量进行了分析,其相关性大小表现为楠竹林(相关系数0.895)>针阔混交林(0.826)>灌木(0.700)>常绿阔叶林(0.699),楠竹林凋落物营养元素的淋滤受酸雨影响最大,常绿阔叶林受其影响最弱;推测在这一过程中以凋落物的吸附作用为主。     

A Unique Protease Cleavage Site Predicted in the Spike Protein of the Novel Pneumonia Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Potentially Related to Viral Transmissibility

正Dear Editor,In December 2019, a novel human coronavirus caused an epidemic of severe pneumonia(Coronavirus Disease 2019,COVID-19) in Wuhan, Hubei, China(Wu et al. 2020; Zhu et al. 2020). So far, this virus has spread to all areas of China and even to other countries. The epidemic has caused 67,102 confirmed infections with 1526 fatal cases     

Curcuminoids as inhibitors of thioredoxin reductase: A receptor based pharmacophore study with distance mapping of the active site

Curcumin is the yellow pigment of turmeric that interacts irreversibly forming an adduct with thioredoxin reductase (TrxR), an enzyme responsible for redox control of cell and defence against oxidative stress. Docking at both the active sites of TrxR was performed to compare the potency of three naturally occurring curcuminoids, namely curcumin, demethoxy curcumin and bis-demethoxy curcumin. Results show that active sites of TrxR occur at the junction of E and F chains. Volume and area of both cavities is predicted. It has been concluded by distance mapping of the most active conformations that Se atom of catalytic residue SeCYS498, is at a distance of 3.56 from C13 of demethoxy curcumin at the E chain active site, whereas C13 carbon atom forms adduct with Se atom of SeCys 498. We report that at least one methoxy group in curcuminoids is necessary for interation with catalytic residues of thioredoxin. Pharmacophore of both active sites of the TrxR receptor for curcumin and demethoxy curcumin molecules has been drawn and proposed for design and synthesis of most probable potent antiproliferative synthetic drugs.     

Comparative morphology of the carpel in the Liliaceae: Hewardieae, Petrosavieae, and Tricyrteae

The young pistils in the melanthioid tribes, Hewardieae, Petrosavieae and Tricyrteae, are uniformly tricarpellate and syncarpous. They lack raphide idioblasts. All are multiovulate, with bitegmic ovules. The Petrosavieae are marked by the presence of septal glands and incomplete syncarpy. Tepals and stamens adhere to the ovary in the Hewardieae and the Petrosavieae but not in the Tricyrteae. Two vascular bundles occur in the stamens of the Hewartlieae and Tricyrtis latifolia. Ventral bundles in the upper part of the ovary of the Hewardieae are continuous with compound septal bundles and placental bundles in the lower part. Putative ventral bundles occur in the alternate position in the Tricyrteae and putative placental bundles in the opposite. position in the Petrosavieae. The dichtomously branched stigma in each carpel of the Tricyrteae is supplied by a bifurcated dorsal bundle.     

Enterovirus 71 3C proteolytically processes the histone H3 N-terminal tail during infection

Highlights
1. The N-terminal tail of histone H3 is specifically cleaved during EV71 infection.
2. Viral protease 3C is identified as a protease responsible for proteolytically processing the N-terminal H3 tail.
3. Our finding reveals a new epigenetic regulatory mechanism for Enterovirus 71 in virus-host interactions.     

Detection of EBV and HHV6 in the Brain Tissue of Patients with Rasmussen’s Encephalitis

Rasmussen’s encephalitis (RE) is a rare pediatric neurological disorder, and the exact etiology is not clear. Viral infection may be involved in the pathogenesis of RE, but conflicting results have reported. In this study, we evaluated the expression of both Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and human herpes virus (HHV) 6 antigens in brain sections from 30 patients with RE and 16 control individuals by immunohistochemistry. In the RE group, EBV and HHV6 antigens were detected in 56.7% (17/30) and 50% (15/30) of individuals, respectively. In contrast, no detectable EBV and HHV6 antigen expression was found in brain tissues of the control group. The co-expression of EBV and HHV6 was detected in 20.0% (6/30) of individuals. In particular, a 4-year-old boy had a typical clinical course, including a medical history of viral encephalitis, intractable epilepsy, and hemispheric atrophy. The co-expression of EBV and HHV6 was detected in neurons and astrocytes in the brain tissue, accompanied by a high frequency of CD8⁺ T cells. Our results suggest that EBV and HHV6 infection and the activation of CD8⁺ T cells are involved in the pathogenesis of RE.     

Perinatal Vertical Transmission of Chikungunya Virus in Ruili,a Town on the Border between China and Myanmar

正Dear Editor,Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), an arbovirus in the family of Togaviridae, genus Alphavirus, is transmitted by the A.aegyptii or A. albopictus mosquito, and causes disease in humans characterized by fever, rash, and arthralgia (Silva and Dermody 2017; Suhrbier 2019). It was first reported in 1953 in Tanzania, and caused only a few outbreaks and sporadic cases in Africa and Asia in last century. However, in the epidemic in 2004, CHIKV acquired mutations that conferred enhanced transmission by the A. albopictus mosquito(Schuffenecker et al. 2006). Since then, it has successively caused outbreaks in Africa, the Indian Ocean, South East Asia, the South America, and Europe (Zeller et al. 2016).     

Development of a Novel Reverse Transcription Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification Method for Rapid Detection of SARS-CoV-2

In conclusion, the novel visual RT-LAMP assay is a simple, rapid, and sensitive approach for detection of SARS-CoV-2, and it is ready for application in primary care and community hospitals or health care centers, and even patients' own houses in response to the current SARS-CoV-2 epidemic because the assay does not require sophisticated equipment and skilled personnel. Furthermore, it is also ready to be used in fields for screening samples from wild animals and environments to facilitate the identification of potential intermediate hosts that mediate the cross-species transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from bats to humans.