Natural and anthropogenic forcing of aquatic macrophyte development in a shallow Danish lake during the last 7000 years

Aim To investigate the long‐term changes in aquatic vegetation in a lowland, shallow lake, and to assess the relationship between aquatic vegetation and natural and anthropogenic catchment changes. Location Gundsømagle Sø, Zealand, Denmark: a shallow (mean depth 1.2 m), hypereutrophic lake (mean annual total phosphorus (TP) c. 700 μg TP L^?1) located in a predominantly agricultural catchment (88% cultivated land). The lake is presently devoid of macrophytes. Methods One hundred and forty‐seven contiguous samples from a sediment core (taken in 2000) were analysed for macrofossil remains together with loss‐on‐ignition and dry weight. From an earlier sediment core (taken in 1992), 67 samples were analysed for pollen and the two cores were correlated using the ignition residue profiles. Core chronology was determined by ²¹⁰Pb and ¹³⁷Cs dating of the recent lake sediments, while older sediments were dated by pollen‐stratigraphical correlation, as ¹⁴C dating proved problematical. Aquatic macrofossil abundance was used to reconstruct past changes in the lake's plant community and water‐level. The contemporary catchment land‐use change was inferred from sedimentary pollen data, and soil erosion to the lake was deduced from the minerogenic content of the lake sediments. Results The macrofossil record covers the last 7000 years, but aquatic plant remains were scarce prior to c. 1300 bc . After this date the abundance of submerged and emergent macrophyte remains increased dramatically, paralleled by an increase in sediment minerogenic matter and non‐arboreal pollen (NAP). Aquatic plant remains were abundant for more than 3000 years until the mid 1900s. Macrofossils of Linum usitatissimum (L.) (flax) and high pollen percentages of ‘Cannabis type’ (hemp) were recorded in periods between c. 1150 bc and 1800 ad . Main conclusions Our study suggests that, between c. 5000 bc and 1300 bc , the submerged plant community was confined to the littoral zone. From 1300 bc onwards, the submerged macrophyte vegetation expanded rapidly across the lake bed, presumably as a response to lake shallowing caused by a combination of climatic‐induced water‐level lowering and enhanced erosional infilling of the lake basin due to intensified anthropogenic activities in the catchment. The lake was meso‐eutrophic and had an extensive and diverse aquatic flora for more than 3000 years, until the middle of the twentieth century. In periods between c. 1150 bc and 1800 ad , the lake experienced direct anthropogenic impact from retting of fibre plants (Linum and Cannabis). Over the last 200 years, erosional infilling of the lake basin increased drastically, probably as a result of agricultural intensification. In the twentieth century, the lake was strongly affected by nutrient enrichment from both point sources (sewage from built‐up areas) and diffuse agricultural run‐off which led to hypertrophic conditions and the collapse of the submerged vegetation c. 1950–60. The concept of ‘naturalness’ and the implications for lake conservation are discussed.     

Does biopolymers composition in seeds contribute to the flax resistance against the Fusarium infection?

Over the last decades, the cultivation of fibrous flax declined heavily. There are number of reasons for that fact; one of them is flax susceptibility to the pathogen infection. Damages caused mainly by fungi from genus Fusarium lead to the significant losses when cultivating flax, which in turn discourage farmers to grow flax. Therefore, to launch the new products from flax with attractive properties there is a need to obtain new flax varieties with increased resistance to pathogens. In order to obtain the better quality of flax fiber, we previously generated flax with reduced pectin or lignin level (cell wall polymers). The modifications altered also plants' resistance to the Fusarium infection. Undoubtedly, the plant defense system is complex, however, in this article we aimed to investigate the composition of modified flax seeds and to correlate it with the observed changes in the flax resistance to the pathogen attack. In particular, we evaluated the content and composition of carbohydrates (cell wall polymers: pectin, cellulose, hemicelluloses and mucilage), and phenylpropanoid compounds (lignin, lignans, phenolics). From the obtained results we concluded that the observed changes in the vulnerability to pathogens putatively correlate with the antioxidant potential of phenylpropanoids accumulated in seeds, seco‐isolariciresinol and coumaric acid diglycosides in particular, and with pectin level as a carbon source for pathogens. Surprisingly, relatively less important for the resistance was the physical barrier, including lignin and cellulose amount and cellulose structure. Certainly, the hypothesis should be verified on a larger number of genotypes. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 30:992–1004, 2014     

上海地区水鸟群落结构和动态分布特征

为了解上海地区水鸟的栖息状况和种群动态变化,2006—2010年在全市选取9个主要区域开展了全市水鸟同步调查。5年来共记录到水鸟9目17科133种796738只次,其中鸻形目53种,雁形目28种,鹳形目17种,鸥形目16种。按居留类型来分,留鸟、夏候鸟、冬候鸟和旅鸟种类分别占总种类的3.0%、9.0%、43.6%和44.4%。以雁鸭类为主体的冬候鸟迁徙时间一般为9月—次年4月;以鸻鹬类为主体的旅鸟一般为3—5月完成北迁,南迁时间为8—10月。上海市全年水鸟数量较多的区域依次是崇明东滩鸟类自然保护区、南汇东滩和九段沙湿地自然保护区,淀山湖、崇明北湖、宝钢水库和三甲港数量最少。对各调查区域内水鸟的聚类分析和主要类群的生境偏好分析说明,雁鸭类倾向于浅滩生境和开阔水面生境,鸻鹬类倾向于沿海面积较大的浅滩光滩,而滩涂的围垦和人为干扰都会产生负面影响。在此基础上提出了水鸟栖息地管理的一些建议。     

A new species of Linum (Linaceae) from west Anatolia, Turkey

A new species, Linum vuralianum Yılmaz & Kaynak, is described and illustrated from west Anatolia, Turkey. It is closest to L. flavum L., but differs by its annual or biennial life form, the presence of rosette leaves at anthesis, and the absence of staminodes. The World Conservation Union (IUCN) threat category and observations on the population are noted. The geographical distribution of the new species and its related taxon is given.  © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2008, 156 , 459–462.     

Apoplastic Transport of 14C-Photosynthates Measured under Drought and Nitrogen Supply

Using water infiltration of the plant and individual shoots with the subsequent intercellular liquid extraction by the pressure chamber, dynamics of the movement ¹⁴C-photosynthates from cell to apoplast, and ¹⁴C distribution among photosynthetic products in mesophyll cells and apoplast were studied. The relative quantity of ¹⁴C-photosynthetes in leaf apoplast depended on growing conditions; drought increased, and nitrate supply decreased it. When the middle leaves absorbed ¹⁴CO₂, photosynthates moving down in stem phloem appeared in intercellular space, where they were transported up by transpiration stream. ¹⁴C-photosynthates entering to the apex and young leaves were utilized a accumulated, and photosynthates transported to the mature leaves were reloaded into the phloem and reexported. Thus, photosynthates circulated through the plant and were redistributed to the plant organs according to their transpiration. In leaf apoplast photosynthetic sucrose was partly hydrolyzed to glucose and fructose. This increased under high nitrogen supply. The result indicate that apoplast sucrose hydrolysis is the basic cause of the reduction of photosynthate flux from leaves when the nitrate concentration in soil increases.     

Analysis of retted and non retted flax fibres by chemical and enzymatic means

Flax fibres (Linum usitatissimum L.) were subjected to chemical and enzymatic analysis in order to determine the compositional changes brought about by the retting process and also to determine the accessibility of the fibre polymers to enzymatic treatment. Chemical analysis involved subjecting both retted and non retted fibres to a series of sequential chemical extractions with 1% ammonium oxalate, 0.05 M KOH, 1 M KOH and 4 M KOH. Retting was shown to cause minimal weight loss from the fibres but caused significant changes to the pectic polymers present. Retted fibres were shown to have significantly lower amounts of rhamnogalacturonan as well as arabinan and xylan. In addition the average molecular mass of the pectic extracts was considerably lowered. Enzyme treatment of the 1 M KOH extracts with two different enzymes demonstrated that the non retted extract contained a relatively high molecular weight xylan not found in the retted extract. Treatment of the 1 M KOH extracts and the fibres with Endoglucanase V from Trichoderma viride demonstrated that while this enzyme solubilised cellulose as well as xylan and xyloglucan oligomers from the extract, it had limited access to these polymers on the fibre. MALDI-TOF MS analysis of the material solubilised from the extract suggested that the xylan was randomly substituted with 4-O-methyl glucuronic acid moieties. The xyloglucan was shown to be of the XXXG type and was substituted with galactose and fucose units. The enzyme treatments of the fibres demonstrated that the xylan and xyloglucan polymers in the fibres were not accessible to the enzyme but that material which was entrapped by the cellulose could be released by the hydrolysis of this cellulose.     

Regeneration of flax (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Linum usitatissimum</Emphasis> L.) plants from anther culture and somatic tissue with increased resistance to<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Fusarium oxysporum</Emphasis>

The aim of this study was to establish a protocol for the efficient production of flax plants of microspore origin. The results were compared to those obtained for plants regenerated from somatic explants from hypocotyls, cotyledons, leaves, stems and roots. All the plants obtained during the experiments were regenerated from callus that was grown for periods from a few weeks to a few months before the regeneration was achieved. Anther cultures were less effective in plant regeneration than somatic cell cultures. However, regenerants derived from anther cells showed valuable breeding features, including increased resistance to fungal wilt. The age of the donor plants and the season they grew in had a noticeable effect on their anther callusing and subsequent plant regeneration. Low temperature had a negative effect and dark pre-treatment a positive effect on callusing and plant regeneration. Different media were most effective for callus induction, shoot induction and rooting. For callus induction two carbon sources (2.5% sucrose and 2.5% glucose) were most effective; for shoots, only sucrose at lower concentration (2%) was effective. Rooting was most efficient in 1% sucrose and reduced (50%) mineral concentration in the medium. It was found that the length of in vitro cultivation significantly increases the ploidy and affects such features as regenerant morphological characteristics, petal colour, and resistance to Fusarium oxysporum-induced fungal wilt. The established plant regeneration system provides a basis for the creation of transgenic flax.Abbreviations BAP 6-Benzyl-aminopurine - IAA Indole-3-acetic acid - MS Murashige and Skoog medium - NAA -Naphthalene-acetic acidCommunicated by H. Lörz     

Effect of nitrates supplied with the transpiration flow on assimilate translocation

Solutions of nitrates (0.5% KNO₃, 0.2% NH₄NO₃) or urea (0.15%) were fed under the pressure of 10⁴ Pa to 50–60-cm-long detached shoots of common flax (Linum usitatissimum L.). One hour after the start of supplying the solutions, an assimilation clip chamber was fastened to the middle part of the shoot (¹⁴C source area), and ¹⁴CO₂ was blown through in the light for 2.5 min. The analysis of distribution of ¹⁴C among the labeled products of photosynthesis produced by source leaves showed that nitrates reduced the incorporation of the label into sucrose. At the same time, the ratio of labeled sucrose to labeled hexoses decreased, and the incorporation of the label into serine greatly increased. Urea did not produce such effects. The pattern of distribution of ¹⁴C within the plant 3 h after the assimilation of ¹⁴CO₂ points to the suppression of assimilate efflux from the leaves of plants fed with nitrates. In plants supplied with water or urea, 17–20% of labeled carbon was found below the ¹⁴C source area of the shoot, in nitrate type of treatment, only 3–5% was found there. In plants supplied with nitrates, the cortex tissue below the source leaf contained more ¹⁴C in proteins and less in low-molecular substances. In the wood tissue, such a correlation was not observed. When the shoot was supplied with water or urea, the content of ¹⁴C in sucrose in the source leaves in 3 h declined from 55–60% to 38–42%. When the shoot was fed with nitrates, the share of label in sucrose increased from 50 to 62–73%. Autoradiography of the source leaves showed that, in plants supplied with water or urea, the label was predominantly accumulated in large vascular bundles, and in nitrate type of treatment, it was accumulated outside large bundles. Electron microscopy showed that, in nitrate plants, the companion cells of phloem endings were very much vacuolated.     

Microwave-assisted extraction of the main phenolic compounds in flaxseed

A microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) method has been applied for the first time to the extraction of the main lignan, secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG), and the two most concentrated hydroxycinnamic acid glucosides in flaxseed. The effects of microwave power, extraction time and alkaline treatment were investigated. It was shown that a 3 min MAE resulted in an SDG content of 16.1+/-0.4 mg/g, a p-coumaric acid glucoside content of 3.7+/-0.2 mg/g and a ferulic acid glucoside content of 4.1+/-0.2 mg/g. These values were compared with those obtained using conventional extraction methods and the results demonstrated that MAE was more effective in terms of both yield and time consumption.     

Geometrical Configuration of 12,13-Epoxyoctadeca-9,11-dienoic Acid,a Product of the Reaction Catalyzed by Flaxseed Allene Oxide Synthase (CYP74A)

The geometrical configuration of a short-living allene oxide reaction product that arises under the catalysis by flaxseed allene oxide synthase (CYP74A) was studied by NMR spectroscopy. The structure of (9Z, 11E)-12,13-epoxyoctadeca-9,11-dienoic acid was established for it from the results of the nuclear Overhauser effect measurements.