Pollination of Aristolochia pallida Willd. (Aristolochiaceae) in the Mediterranean

A first study of the pollination biology of a Mediterranean Aristolochia species in its natural habitat is presented. In all, 183 flowers of Aristolochia pallida Willd. were investigated, which in total contained 73 arthropods, dominated by two groups of Diptera, black fungus gnats (Sciaridae representing 37%) and scuttle flies (Phoridae representing 19%), respectively. However, only Phoridae are regarded as potential pollinators, since pollen has been found exclusively on the body of these insects. All Phoridae belong to the genus Megaselia and are recognised as three morpho-species. The measurements of flower and insect dimensions suggest that size is an important constraint for successful pollination: (a) the insects must have a definitive size for being able to enter the flower and (b) must be able to get in touch with the pollen. Only very few insect groups found in A. pallida fulfil these size requirements. However, size alone is not a sufficient filter as too many fly species of the same size might be trapped but not function as pollinators. Instead, specific attraction is required as otherwise pollen is lost. Since all trapped Phoridae are males, a chemical attraction (pheromones) is proposed as an additional constraint. Since the flowers are protogynous, the record of Megaselia loaded with pollen found in a flower during its female stage proves that this insect must have had visited at least one different flower during its male stage before. Further on, this observation provides strong evidence that the flowers are cross-pollinated. All these factors indicate a highly specialised pollination of A. pallida by Megaselia species.     

植物提取物和药剂对蔬菜蚜虫种群的联合控制作用

研究白蝴蝶(Syngonium podophyllum)乙醇提取物、苍耳(Xanthium sibiricum)乙醇提取物、机油乳剂和0.3%印楝素乳油对桃蚜(Myzus persicae)和萝卜蚜(Lipaphis erysimi)的控制效果.室内四因子(1/2实施)二次正交回归旋转组合设计测试对有翅蚜的忌避作用,结果表明,对有翅桃蚜的主要忌避作用物为苍耳乙醇提取物,当苍耳提取物与白蝴蝶乙醇提取物混用,以及机油乳剂和印楝素混用时,对桃蚜有翅蚜的忌避效果提高;而对萝卜蚜有翅蚜的忌避作用主要受苍耳提取物和白蝴蝶提取物的影响.这些干扰作用均是非线性的.田间试验结果,单独使用白蝴蝶提取物对有翅成蚜有较强的驱避作用;对萝卜蚜自然种群的干扰控制作用以4种植物提取物和药剂混配效果最好,达95.7%;对桃蚜自然种群干扰控制效果最好的则是白蝴蝶提取物,控制效果达87%;同时,白蝴蝶提取物与印楝素乳油混配以及苍耳提取物与印楝素乳油混配,对两种蚜虫的控制效果均达80%以上.     

逆境相关植物锌指蛋白的研究进展

锌是植物必需的营养元素,锌指蛋白因其具有指状结构特征且能结合Zn2 而得名,植物锌指蛋白包含特有的QALGGH保守结构,可能涉及调控植物特有的生物学功能。人们已经从拟南芥(Arabidopsis thaliana)、矮牵牛(Petunia hybrida Vilm)、水稻(Oryza sativa)、大豆(Glycine max)、棉花(Gossypium hirsutum)等植物中克隆了许多编码锌指蛋白的基因,并对其结构及功能进行了研究。利用转基因技术,将一些与逆境胁迫相关的锌指蛋白基因在目标植物中过量表达后,能对植物起到增强抗逆性的作用,说明锌指蛋白在增强植物逆境抗性方面有着广阔的应用前景。     

稀土元素在药用植物细胞和组织培养中的应用

介绍了稀土元素对药用植物细胞、组织的生长及次生代谢产物合成的作用,探讨了稀土的作用机理.大量的实验证明,稀土在药用植物细胞和组织培养中具有广泛的应用前景.     

叶序角的最优性分析

提出了互生叶序的叶序角和最优叶序角2πω^2。的概念,并对2πω^2的最优性进行了讨论,得到了用2πω^2在圆周上作插分得到任意n个分点并将圆周分为n个角时,最小角与最大角之比或为ω,或为ω^2,即至少是ω^2,还得到了用任意一个角α去分割圆周,其最小角与最大角之比的最小值不会大于ω^2,从而初步证明了最优叶序角对植物生长的最优性。     

近70年黄土高原3种植物叶片气孔特征参数比较

以黄土高原地区3种典型植物辽东栎(Quercus liaotungensis Koidz.)、虎榛子(Ostryopsis davidiana Decne.)和酸枣[Ziziphusjujuba Mill.var.spinosa(Bunge)Hu ex H.F.Chow]标本为材料,利用数码图像显微处理系统,研究了从20世纪30年代至2002年近70 a中植物叶片气孔长度、宽度、面积与密度的变化状况及其相关性.结果表明,气候变化对3种植物气孔性状并无一致的影响.辽东栎叶片气孔长度、宽度、面积和密度变化总体上均呈上升趋势,升高率分别为11.62%、3.17%、18.01%和1.32%.酸枣叶片气孔长度、宽度和面积呈上升趋势,升高率分别为21.90%、13.60%和35.61%;而气孔密度下降,降低率为-27.86%.虎榛子叶片气孔长度、面积和密度均呈下降趋势,降低率分别为-7.91%、-1.43%和-9.73%;而气孔宽度升高率为2.56%.酸枣叶片气孔4个特征参数的变化率均明显大于辽东栎和虎榛子,虎榛子叶片气孔性状的3个参数(除密度外)变化率最小.3种植物叶片气孔长度的变幅均大于气孔宽度,证实气孔宽度是相对比较稳定的性状.     

Comparison of three seed trap types in a chalk grassland: toward a standardised protocol

In a chalk grassland in north-western France, vegetation and seed rain were studied along two transects. We compared the efficiency of three types of seed traps (funnel traps, sticky traps, pots exposed in the field) to estimate the annual seed rain and to reveal various processes involved in plant community regeneration. Data were analysed to compare seed density, species richness and composition across seed traps and vegetation. Geostatistical analyses (semivariograms. were used to detect possible autocorrelation and to examine patterns of spatial variation in seed rain and vegetation. The results show that (1) funnel traps are most efficient (56 species, 8079 seeds.m^–2). (2) Each type of seed traps brings different information about the processes involved in seed dispersal and seedling establishment. Sticky traps help to understand import and export of seeds in a community through anemochory. Funnel traps may provide a measure of the auto-regeneration capacity of the vegetation through its local seed production. Pot traps integrate various processes involved between seed dispersal and seedling emergence. (3.) The exposition to environmental conditions generates marked spatial patterns in species richness measured in pots and in vegetation, selecting species able to survive. Pot traps indicate that numerous species producing seeds in standing vegetation are unable to establish in the field through seedling recruitment. Our study emphasizes the need of using different types of seed traps and spatial sampling configurations to assess the regenerative potential of standing vegetation and the various mechanisms involved in seed dispersal. A standardised protocol for seed rain sampling was finally developed.     

Purification and characterization of UDPG:ginsenoside Rd glucosyltransferase from suspended cells of Panax notoginseng

Heterogeneity of ginsenosides is an interesting and important issue because those structure-similar secondary metabolites have different or even totally opposite pharmacological activities. In this work, a new enzyme UDP-glucose:ginsenoside Rd glucosyltransferase (UGRdGT), which catalyzes the formation of ginsenoside Rb₁ from ginsenoside Rd [Biotechnol. Bioeng. 89: 444–52, 2005], was purified approximately 145-fold from suspended cells of Panax notoginseng with an overall yield of 0.2%. Purification to apparent homogeneity, as judged by SDS-PAGE, was successfully achieved by using sequential ammonium sulphate precipitation, anion-exchange chromatography and native PAGE. The enzyme had a molecular mass of 36 kDa, and its activity was optimal at pH 8.5 and 35 °C. The enzyme activity was enhanced by Mn²⁺, Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺, but strongly inhibited by Zn²⁺, Hg²⁺, Co²⁺, Fe²⁺ and Cu²⁺. The apparent K_m value for UDP-glucose and ginsenoside Rd was 0.32 and 0.14 mM, respectively. The biotransformation yield from ginsenoside Rd to Rb₁ by UGRdGT in 50 mM Tris–HCl buffer at pH 8.5 and 35 °C was over 80%. This work provides a basis for further molecular study on the ginsenoside Rb₁ biosynthesis by P. notoginseng cells and it is also useful for potential application to in vitro biotransformation from ginsenoside Rd to Rb₁.     

药用植物细胞生物反应器技术的研究进展

利用植物细胞生物反应器技术生产植物有用代谢产物,近些年来取得了很大发展,但植物细胞悬浮培养的工业化应用仍受到来自生物及工程技术上的限制。针对植物细胞生物反应器技术的特点及其研究进展,提出在综合考虑生物学和工艺学两方面的基础上,选育药用植物稳定高产的优良细胞系是提高植物细胞生物反应器技术可行性的关键。     

广东省国家I级重点保护野生植物资源现状及保护策略

在查找史料的基础上,根据国家重点保护植物名录(第一批),确定了在广东有分布的仙湖苏铁、银杏、南方红豆杉、合柱金莲木、伯乐树、报春苣苔、水松、异形玉叶金花和台湾苏铁9种国家I级重点保护植物作为调查对象,在全省开展了较为全面的调查。结果只找到了前6种,植株数量合计为123468株。除仙湖苏铁和报春苣苔分布地点没有变化外,其他7种的分布地点丧失率在20%-100%之间。除南方红豆杉基本上属于正常种群外,其余8种分属于野外绝迹、濒临绝迹或濒危类物种,其资源状况堪忧。在对其资源现状进行详细分析的基础上,提出了相应的保护管理策略和发展措施。