Dissimilation curves as a simple method for the characterization of growth of plant cell suspension cultures

A simple non-invasive method for the characterization of growth of a plant cell suspension in a single culture flask is given. The dissimilation of sugars by a cell-culture causes a loss of weight of the contents of the culture flask, and can therefore be used to follow the growth in that single culture flask. Because a correction for water evaporation is necessary, accurate results can only be obtained when a stable closure is used (e.g. Silicosen T-type plugs). The dissimilation curves obtained in this way were correlated to the concentration of sugars in the medium, the dry weight and the fresh weight. From these correlations the amount of intracellularly stored carbohydrates could be estimated. Rate constants for CO₂-diffusion were determined for different types of closure. These values allowed the estimation of CO₂ levels inside the culture flasks from the dissimilation curves (CO₂ release curves). The dissimilation curves obtained using this method can easily be related to other types of growth curves. Different growth-phases can be clearly distinguished, e.g. lag-phase, exponential growth-phase and stationary-phase.     

Influence of galls of Phanacis taraxaci on carbon partitioning within common dandelion, Taraxacum officinale

We examined how leaf galls, induced by the cynipid wasp Phanacis taraxaci, influence the partitioning of photoassimilates within the host, the common dandelion, Taraxacum officinale. Galled and ungalled plants were exposed to ¹⁴CO₂ and the labelled photoassimilates accumulating within galls and other parts of the host were measured. During the growth phase of the gall they were physiological sinks for photoassimilates, accumulating 9% to 70% of total carbon produced by the host, depending upon the number of galls per plant. High levels of ¹⁴C assimilation in the leaves of galled plants compared to controls, suggest that galls actively redirect carbon resources from unattacked leaves of their host plant. This represents a significant drain on the carbon resources of the host, which increases with the number and size of galls per plant. Active assimilation of ¹⁴C by the gall is greatest in the growth phase and is several orders of magnitude lower in the maturation phase. This finding is consistent with physiological and anatomical changes that occur during the two phases of gall development and represents a key developmental strategy by cynipids to ensure adequate food resources before larval growth begins.     

Growth and carbon utilization by sprouted propagules of two species of submersed rooted aquatic plants grown in darkness

Hydrilla verticillata (L. f.) Royle tubers from monoecious plants andPotamogeton gramineus L. winter buds were sprouted and allowed to grow in the dark for 120 days. We measured plant length and counted the number of leaves at 2–3 day intervals.Hydrilla grew most rapidly during the first 16–17 days andPotamogeton grew most rapidly during the first 16–25 days. Measurement of propagule carbon content over time indicated that cessation of rapid growth coincided with depletion of tuber carbon by one-half forHydrilla. ForPotamogeton, growth was reduced after 16 to 25 days while the winter bud C half-life was 37 days. Calculations indicated thatHydrilla mobilized 49% andPotamogeton 39% of the initial propagule carbon to support growth. In a second experiment, in which plants were grown in substrate the plants grew taller and produced slightly more leaves per plant.Potamogeton removed from darkness after specified time periods, and allowed to grow for 21 days in a greenhouse recovered from 20–30 days in the dark. Similarly treatedHydrilla plants recovered from up to 80 days in the dark.Potamogeton had mobilized 79% of initial C by the time it was unable to recover from the dark treatment. Combined results for both species indicate that the majority of propagule C was utilized in the first 16 to 30 days following sprouting. In conjunction with an understanding propagule sprouting requirements, this information will be useful in the timing of application for management techniques. The U.S. Government right to retain a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence in and to any copyright is acknowledged. The U.S. Government right to retain a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence in and to any copyright is acknowledged.     

A long-term perspective of dissolved organic carbon transport in Sycamore Creek, Arizona, USA

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) dynamics were examined over five years (1989–1993) in Sycamore Creek, a Sonoran Desert stream, specifically focusing on DOC concentration in surface and hyporheic waters, and rates of export. In 1989 and 1990, the years of lowest stream discharge (0.08 and 0.04 m³ s^–1 annual mean of daily discharge, respectively), DOC was high, averaging 7.37 and 6.22 mgC l^–1 (weighted annual means). In contrast, from 1991 through 1993, a period of increased flow (1.1, 1.2 and 4.3 m³ s^–1), concentration was significantly lower (P<0.001) with annual mean concentrations of 3.54, 3.49 and 3.39 mgC l^–1. Concentration exhibited little spatial variation between two sampling stations located 6 km apart along the mainstem or between surface and hyporheic waters. Annual export of DOC from Sycamore Creek varied 100-fold over the five-year period from a mean rate of only 24 kgC d^–1 in 1990 to 2100 kgC d^–1 in 1993. Ninety percent of DOC was exported by flows greater than 2.8 m³ s^–1, and 50% during flows greater than 27 m³ s^–1; flows of 2.8 and 24 m³ s^–1 occurred only 9 and 1% of the time. The export of organic matter in Sycamore Creek appears to be coupled to El Niño-Southern Oscillation phenomena. The years of highest export, 1991–1993, had El Niño conditions while 1989 and 1990 had medial conditions.     

Ecophysiology and distribution of the endemic leafless spurgeEuphorbia aphylla and the introducedE. tirucalli (Euphorbiaceae,Euphorbia sect.Tirucalli) in the Canary Islands

The leafless spurgeEuphorbia aphylla (Euphorbiaceae), an endemic species restricted to several of the Canary Islands where it inhabits coastal and arid localities, expresses Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM) when it is subjected to summer drought. A flexible CAM is consistent with the general ecology of the species. It is the only member of sect.Tirucalli native to the Canary Islands and is at the north-western edge of the section's biogeographical range. The other members of the section have a paleotropic distribution and are found throughout Africa. Many of them are regarded as obligate CAM plants, includingE. tirucalli which was used as a comparison in ecophysiological experiments examining the response ofE. aphylla to drought and temperature.     

Carbon isotope fractionation in tree ring early and late wood in relation to intra-growing season water balance

We determined the stable carbon isotope composition (δ^1.3C) of cellulose extracted from early and late wood in Douglas fir [Pseudotsuga menziexii (Mirb.) Franco] tree rings. Data were obtained for the period 1962 to 1981, at the start of which the trees were 20 years old. A water balance model was used to calculate daily stand transpiration and water deficit. The model incorporates site factors (soil water availability, slope and aspect) and environmental variables (solar radiation, air temperature and rainfall). There was far greater variability in late wood than in early wood δ^1.3C. In wet years, late wood δ^1.3C was significantly lighter (by as much as 2δ) than early wood δ^1.3C but in dry years this difference was reversed. Differences between spring and summer cumulative transpiration accounted for almost 60δ of the variability in differences between early and late wood δ^1.3C. We found excellent correspondence between summer cumulative transpiration and late wood δ^1.3C, with estimates of transpiration accounting for up to 93% of the variability in δ^1.3C. Correlations between early wood δ^1.3C and spring transpiration were generally poor (r2<0.4), but we were able to identify those exceptional years in which there had been a very dry spring. Our results indicate that, while tree ring δ^1.3C correlates reasonably well with basal area increment, it is a far better indicator of inter- and intra-annual variability in water availability than radial growth.     

The response of isoprene emission rate and photosynthetic rate to photon flux and nitrogen supply in aspen and white oak trees

Isoprene is the primary biogenic hydrocarbon emitted from temperate deciduous forest ecosystems. The effects of varying photon flux density (PFD) and nitrogen growth regimes on rates of isoprene emission and net photosynthesis in potted aspen and white oak trees are reported. In both aspen and oak trees, whether rates were expressed on a leaf area or dry mass basis, (1) growth at higher PFD resulted in significantly higher rates of isoprene emission, than growth at lower PFD, (2) there is a significant positive relationship between isoprene emission rate and leaf nitrogen concentration in both sun and shade trees, and (3) there is a significant positive correlation between isoprene emission rate and photosynthetic rate in both sun and shade trees. The greater capacity for isoprene emission in sun leaves was due to both higher leaf mass per unit area and differences in the biochemical and/or physiological properties that influence isoprene emission. Positive correlations between isoprene emission rate and leaf nitrogen concentration support the existence of mechanisms that link leaf nitrogen status to isoprene synthase activity. Positive correlations between isoprene emission rate and photosynthesis rate support previous hypotheses that isoprene emission plays a role in protecting photosynthetic mechanisms during stress.     

Geochemistry of aquatic humic substances in the Lake Fryxell Basin, Antarctica

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in Lake Fryxell, 10 streams flowing into the lake, and the moat surrounding the lake was studied to determine the influence of sources and biogeochemical processes on its distribution and chemical nature. Lake Fryxell is an amictic, permanently ice-covered lake in the McMurdo Dry Valleys which contains benthic and planktonic microbial populations, but receives essentially no input of organic material from the ahumic soils of the watershed. Biological activity in the water column does not appear to influence the DOC depth profile, which is similar to the profiles for conservative inorganic constituents. DOC values for the streams varied with biomass in the stream channel, and ranged from 0.2 to 9.7 mg C/L. Fulvic acids in the streams were a lower percentage of the total DOC than in the lake. These samples contain recent carbon and appear to be simpler mixtures of compounds than the lake samples, indicating that they have undergone less humification. The fulvic acids from just above the sediments of the lake have a high sulfur content and are highly aliphatic. The main transformations occurring as these fractions diffuse upward in the water column are 1) loss of sulfur groups through the oxycline and 2) decrease in aliphatic carbon and increase in the heterogeneity of aliphatic moieties. The fraction of modem¹⁴C content of the lake fulvic acids range from a minimum of 0.68 (approximately 3000 years old) at 15m depth to 0.997 (recent material) just under the ice. The major processes controlling the DOC in the lake appear to be: 1) The transport of organic matter by the inflow streams resulting in the addition of recent organic material to the moat and upper waters of the lake; 2) The diffusion of organic matter composed of relict organic material and organic carbon resulting from the degradation of algae and bacteria from the bottom waters or sediments of the lake into overlying glacial melt water, 3) The addition of recent organic matter to the bottom waters of the lake from the moat.     

The origin and recycling of sedimented biogenic debris in a subalphine eutrophic lake (Lake Bled, Slovenia)

The areal distribution of organic C contents, ¹³C values, total N and P and biogenic Si contents in surficial sediments were used to study the distribution, origin and diagenetic transformations of sedimented biogenic debris in the eutrophic subalpine Lake Bled (Slovenia), which for most of the yearhas an anoxic hypolimnion. The influence of an allochthonous input, restricted to the western basin, was clearly traced by higher organic C and total N and P contents, higher ¹³C values, and higher sedimentation rate in comparison to the eastern basin. The low ¹³C values of sedimentary organic matter in the major part of the lake, lower than the ¹³C values of different types of organic matter, suggest that this sedimentary organic matter is most probably the product of a microbial community and not a residue of primary production.The temporal variation of benthic diffusive fluxes of NH₄, Si and PO₄, derived from modelling the pore water profiles, was related to sedimentation of phytoplanktonic blooms, while the PO₄ fluxes were also dependent on changing redox conditions at the sediment-water interface in the period of the winter-spring overtum. The removal of PO₄ in pore waters is probably due to the adsorption of phosphate and precipitation of apatite and vivianite. The budget of C, N and P at the sediment-water interface revealed a high recycling efficiency (>70%), also confirmed by the rather uniform (or only slightly decreasing) vertical profiles of organic C, total N and P in sediment cores and C/N and C/P ratios. The percentage of biogenic Si recycling is low (<10%), suggesting its removal in sediments.