荒漠结皮层藓类植物死亡对表层土壤水分蒸发和入渗的影响

水分是荒漠植物生长最主要的限制因子,藓类结皮作为荒漠土壤表层重要覆被物,对土壤水分蒸发入渗具有重要影响。研究表明,在全球气候变化背景下,不确定的降水格局变化导致结皮层藓类植物出现集群死亡现象,但这一过程对荒漠地表土壤水分蒸发与入渗过程的影响及其机理尚不清楚。以古尔班通古特沙漠齿肋赤藓结皮为研究对象,利用便携式渗透计和蒸发仪,研究了结皮层藓类植物死亡对土壤水分蒸发与入渗的影响。结果表明,与裸沙相比,藓类结皮的存在显著抑制了水分入渗,而藓类植物死亡的结皮层抑制作用最大,其初渗速率、稳渗速率和累积入渗量分别是活藓类结皮的39.89%、85.91%及64.48%,仅为裸沙的5.96%、13.13%及20.42%。在水分蒸发初期,裸沙的水分蒸发速率明显高于活藓类结皮和藓类植物死亡的结皮层,但藓类植物死亡的结皮层维持相对稳定的蒸发速率的时间长于裸沙和活藓类结皮,这也导致最终累计蒸发量以藓类植物死亡的结皮层最高、裸沙最低。可见,荒漠生物土壤结皮中藓类植物死亡会明显减少土壤水分入渗、增大水分蒸发,进一步影响荒漠表层土壤水分格局,从而影响生物土壤结皮与维管植物的水分利用关系。     

齿肋赤藓早期光诱导蛋白ELIPs的生物信息学分析

从齿肋赤藓转录组数据库出发,共得到39条注释的早期光诱导蛋白Sc ELIPs unigene,其中2条(Sc ELIP1与Sc ELIP2)具有完整ORF。利用多种生物信息学分析工具,对这2条Sc ELIPs序列的同源性、理化性质、保守域、信号肽、疏水性、亚细胞定位、二级结构、跨膜结构、三维结构、活性位点等方面进行分析。结果表明:2条Sc ELIPs序列的ORF全长分别为711 bp和624 bp,分别编码236和207个氨基酸,二者都具有完整的Chloroa_b-bind功能域,定位于叶绿体类囊体膜,含有3个跨膜α螺旋,第1、3螺旋通过Glu和Arg残基形成双重对称结构,且具有至少4个叶绿素结合活性位点。通过对得到的2条Sc ELIPs进行氨基酸序列比对及基因树分析,得出Sc ELIP1与小立碗藓、山墙藓及盐生杜氏藻聚为一支,而Sc ELIP2与高等植物聚为一支,表现出ELIP从低等到高等植物的进化特征。本研究为Sc ELIPs基因后续的克隆和功能研究奠定了基础。     

卷叶薄齿藓和北美赤藓形态特征及其地理新分布

通过对采自贵州省梵净山和内蒙古赛罕乌拉自然保护区的苔藓植物标本进行鉴定,发现了丛藓科的2个新分布种——卷叶薄齿藓(Leptodontium pungens)和北美赤藓(Syntrichia amphidiacea)。卷叶薄齿藓为中国新记录种,首次在中国贵州省梵净山发现,其主要特征为茎无中轴分化,具透明层,常分布于火山和温带高海拔地区。北美赤藓为内蒙古新分布种,发现于内蒙古赛罕乌拉自然保护区,其主要特征为叶腹面近叶尖处生有大量芽胞,成熟芽胞棕色,多细胞,圆柱状。本研究对卷叶薄齿藓和北美赤藓的形态特征和地理分布进行了具体描述,并提供了图版和分种检索表。     

荒漠藓类植物齿肋赤藓对4年积雪深度变化的生理生化响应

冬季降雪作为古尔班通古特沙漠最主要的降水形式,在荒漠生物土壤结皮的稳定和发育发挥重要作用。全球的持续变暖和极端气候事件的频繁发生导致荒漠冬季的积雪格局发生重大变化。荒漠藓类植物作为荒漠重要地被类型生物土壤结皮的重要组成成分,在生理生化层面将如何响应长期的积雪深度变化还不清楚。因此,通过野外设置去除积雪(-S)、自然积雪(S)、2倍积雪(2S)和3倍积雪(3S) 4个积雪梯度,探讨经历4年积雪深度变化下齿肋赤藓(Syntrichia caninervis)的生理生化特征。结果表明,积雪深度变化显著影响了齿肋赤藓的植株含水量、最大光化学量子产量(F_v/F_m)、实际光化学效率(Y(II))、渗透调节物质含量和抗氧化酶活性。与去除积雪处理相比,随着积雪深度的增加,齿肋赤藓的植株含水量、F_v/F_m和Y(II)呈现增加趋势,而植株内的游离脯氨酸、可溶性蛋白、可溶性糖、丙二醛(MDA)含量和超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)、过氧化物酶(POD)及过氧化氢酶(CAT)活性呈现降低趋势。相关性分析显示,齿肋赤藓的F_...     

Differential fragment regeneration in Syntrichia caninervis Mitt. from the Gurbantunggut Desert of China

Fragments of the desert moss Syntrichia caninervis Mitt. were grown on the surface of moistened sand to assess their regeneration capacity. The plant material was collected in two different years (2014 and 2015) and divided into five fragment classifications (stem apices, green leaves, yellow-green leaves, brown leaves and stems). All fragments of the stem apices, green leaves and stems regenerated within 10 days of culture while some fragments of yellow-green leaves (two 2014 fragments and one 2015 fragment) and brown leaves (three 2014 fragments and three 2015 fragments) died. Fragments of stem, stem apices and green leaves regenerated more quickly, produced longer protonemata and more shoots as compared to fragments of yellow-green and brown leaves. These differences were statistically significant but there was no difference in regeneration between the fragments from 2014 and 2015. Differential regeneration and proliferation of different plant fragments has important implications for the clonal propagation of S. caninervis in the Gurbantunggut Desert.     

Filling the interspace—restoring arid land mosses: source populations,organic matter,and overwintering govern success

Biological soil crusts contribute to ecosystem functions and occupy space that could be available to invasive annual grasses. Given disturbances in the semiarid shrub steppe communities, we embarked on a set of studies to investigate restoration potential of mosses in sagebrush steppe ecosystems. We examined establishment and growth of two moss species common to the Great Basin, USA: Bryum argenteum and Syntrichia ruralis from two environmental settings (warm dry vs. cool moist). Moss fragments were inoculated into a third warm dry setting, on bare soil in spring and fall, both with and without a jute net and with and without spring irrigation. Moss cover was monitored in spring seasons of three consecutive years. Both moss species increased in cover over the winter. When Bryum received spring irrigation that was out of sync with natural precipitation patterns, moss cover increased and then crashed, taking two seasons to recover. Syntrichia did not respond to the irrigation treatment. The addition of jute net increased moss cover under all conditions, except Syntrichia following fall inoculation, which required a second winter to increase in cover. The warm dry population of Bryum combined with jute achieved on average 60% cover compared to the cool moist population that achieved only 28% cover by the end of the study. Differences were less pronounced for Syntrichia where moss from the warm dry population with jute achieved on average 51% cover compared to the cool moist population that achieved 43% cover by the end of the study. Restoration of arid land mosses may quickly protect soils from erosion while occupying sites before invasive plants. We show that higher moss cover will be achieved quickly with the addition of organic matter and when moss fragments originate from sites with a climate that is similar to that of the restoration site.     

叶片毛尖对齿肋赤藓结皮凝结水形成及蒸发的影响

凝结水(隐匿降水)和降水是荒漠地区两种不同形式的水分来源,对荒漠生态系统极为重要。叶片毛尖(leaf hair points, LHPs)是很多荒漠藓类的重要外部形态结构特征,但它在藓类植物利用凝结水和降水中的作用尚不清楚。齿肋赤藓(Syntrichia caninervis)是古尔班通古特沙漠藓类结皮的优势种,其叶片顶端具有较长的白色毛尖。本文采用自制微渗计(h=3.5 cm, d=5.7 cm)研究了正常有毛尖和人工去除毛尖的齿肋赤藓结皮的凝结水特征及其在3种模拟降水梯度(1 mm, 3 mm, 6 mm)下的短期蒸发特征,结果表明：(1) 在凝结阶段,有毛尖结皮每时段的凝结水量均大于无毛尖结皮,但日出后有毛尖结皮凝结水下降速度稍快;有毛尖结皮的日凝结水量均大于无毛尖结皮,且前者的总凝结水量比后者多10.26%,即毛尖能增加10.26%的凝结水量。(2) 3种模拟降水梯度下,有毛尖结皮在各时段的累积蒸发率始终小于无毛尖结皮,以蒸发前期阶段最为明显,表明毛尖能显著减少和延缓结皮内的水分蒸发、延长植株水合时间,而且降水量越大减缓效果越明显。毛尖对这2种不同形式水分利用的差异是因为利用方式不同：对凝结水的利用主要归因于毛尖增大了结皮表面粗糙度,而减少对降水的蒸发主要是毛尖能反射阳光、形成内部毛细管及减小植株间隙的缘故。因此,毛尖的存在有利于齿肋赤藓结皮对凝结水和降水的利用,增强了藓类结皮对干旱环境的适应能力。     

Evidence of drought-induced stress on biotic crust moss in the Mojave Desert

Widespread bleaching (chlorosis) of patches of the dominant desert moss Syntrichia caninervis was observed across the northern Mojave Desert in the winter of 2002–03 following an extended period of drought interrupted by small rain events. These rain events were more frequent during the warmer months just prior to the appearance of chlorosis. We hypothesized that the patches were experiencing physiological stress due to partial hydration/rapid dehydration cycling during the warmer months. Compared to unbleached (green) shoots, chlorotic shoots exhibited significantly reduced photochemical performance, photosynthetic pigments, regenerational potential, sex expression, and lower rates of growth and productivity. However, age-specific analyses revealed older leaves from chlorotic shoots did not show the typical decline in vigour, suggesting that stress may primarily affect younger tissues. It is concluded that this chlorosis phenomenon is indicative of physiological stress presently occurring in the Mojave Desert, and is likely due to exposure to a higher than normal frequency of light rain events (< 3.5 mm), which serve to partially hydrate moss patches that then rapidly desiccate .     

荒漠齿肋赤藓(Syntrichia caninervis)非结构性碳水化合物含量对植株脱水的响应

苔藓结皮作为生物土壤结皮演替的最高阶段和生物量的最主要贡献者,具有很强的环境适应性,对维持荒漠地表稳定和改善微环境具有重要作用。非结构性碳水化合物是植物重要的组成部分,能够抵御环境胁迫对植物造成的损伤。目前,荒漠藓类植物非结构碳水化合物对干旱的响应机制尚不清楚。选取古尔班通古特沙漠南缘和腹地苔藓结皮中优势藓类植物齿肋赤藓(Syntrichia caninervis)为研究对象,对其在复水后脱水过程中非结构性碳水化合物含量变化特征进行了分析。结果表明:植株含水量在脱水24 h内下降趋势显著,此后趋于稳定。可溶性总糖、蔗糖、果糖、淀粉含量在脱水1h内显著下降。可溶性总糖、蔗糖、果糖、淀粉含量在脱水2—16 h没有显著的变化。但16—24 h可溶性总糖、蔗糖、果糖、淀粉含量出现显著增加,脱水24—48 h,腹地齿肋赤藓可溶性总糖、蔗糖、果糖、淀粉含量缓慢下降到复水前水平,而南缘可溶性总糖、蔗糖、果糖含量低于复水前水平。复水前不同地区齿肋赤藓非结构性碳水化合物含量存在显著性差异,脱水结束后两个地区齿肋赤藓非结构碳水化合物含量无显著差异。结果说明齿肋赤藓在不同地区其非结构性碳水化合物含量不同,在同一脱复水过程中不同地区齿肋赤藓非结构性碳水化合物含量表现出不同的变化趋势,主要原因是可溶性糖含量对脱水过程中水分胁迫的响应不同。齿肋赤藓脱水过程中非结构性碳水化合物的研究,有助于抗旱非维管植物在干旱环境中从降雨湿润进入干旱过程的适应策略研究。     

Production of greenhouse‐grown biocrust mosses and associated cyanobacteria to rehabilitate dryland soil function

Mosses are an often‐overlooked component of dryland ecosystems, yet they are common members of biological soil crust communities (biocrusts) and provide key ecosystem services, including soil stabilization, water retention, carbon fixation, and housing of N₂ fixing cyanobacteria. Mosses are able to survive long dry periods, respond rapidly to precipitation, and reproduce vegetatively. With these qualities, dryland mosses have the potential to be an excellent dryland restoration material. Unfortunately, dryland mosses are often slow growing in nature, and ex situ cultivation methods are needed to enhance their utility. Our goal was to determine how to rapidly produce, vegetatively, Syntrichia caninervis and S. ruralis, common and abundant moss species in drylands of North America and elsewhere, in a greenhouse. We manipulated the length of hydration on a weekly schedule (5, 4, 3, or 2 days continuous hydration per week), crossed with fertilization (once at the beginning, monthly, biweekly, or not at all). Moss biomass increased sixfold for both species in 4 months, an increase that would require years under dryland field conditions. Both moss species preferred short hydration and monthly fertilizer. Remarkably, we also unintentionally cultured a variety of other important biocrust organisms, including cyanobacteria and lichens. In only 6 months, we produced functionally mature biocrusts, as evidenced by high productivity and ecosystem‐relevant levels of N₂ fixation. Our results suggest that biocrust mosses might be the ideal candidate for biocrust cultivation for restoration purposes. With optimization, these methods are the first step in developing a moss‐based biocrust rehabilitation technology.