濒危植物永瓣藤叶片功能性状对环境因子的响应

植物叶片功能性状能够响应环境条件的变化，反应了植物对环境的适应策略。当前，针对藤本植物叶片功能性状地理格局及其环境驱动力的研究较少。以国家重点保护植物永瓣藤（Monimopetalum chinense）为研究对象，对其分布区内11个种群的15个叶片功能性状进行测量，并结合气候、土壤因子来解释叶性状变异。比较叶片性状在局域和区域尺度上的种内变异程度，利用多元逐步回归分析环境因子对叶性状的影响。结果表明，在局域尺度上，永瓣藤叶功能性状变异系数介于3.0%-22.5%，其中，叶面积变异程度最大，叶片碳含量变异最小。永瓣藤叶片形状随纬度上升而变得宽且圆。叶片磷含量相对较低，永瓣藤的生长可能受到了磷限制。土壤与气候因子是叶片性状的重要驱动因素，解释了25%-97%的叶片性状变异。在温度和水分充足的情况下，永瓣藤叶片趋向于的慢速生长的保守策略。总体来说，永瓣藤叶片功能性状通过一定的种内变异和性状组合，并与气候、土壤因子相互作用，适应当前的环境条件。     

Turnover of plant lineages shapes herbivore phylogenetic beta diversity along ecological gradients

Understanding drivers of biodiversity patterns is of prime importance in this era of severe environmental crisis. More diverse plant communities have been postulated to represent a larger functional trait‐space, more likely to sustain a diverse assembly of herbivore species. Here, we expand this hypothesis to integrate environmental, functional and phylogenetic variation of plant communities as factors explaining the diversity of lepidopteran assemblages along elevation gradients in the Swiss Western Alps. According to expectations, we found that the association between butterflies and their host plants is highly phylogenetically structured. Multiple regression analyses showed the combined effect of climate, functional traits and phylogenetic diversity in structuring butterfly communities. Furthermore, we provide the first evidence that plant phylogenetic beta diversity is the major driver explaining butterfly phylogenetic beta diversity. Along ecological gradients, the bottom up control of herbivore diversity is thus driven by phylogenetically structured turnover of plant traits as well as environmental variables.     

Systems ecological accounting for wastewater treatment engineering: Method,indicator and application

Wastewater treatment facility is vital for sustainable urban development. In the course of removing contaminants and discharging ready-for-reuse water, wastewater treatment consumes resources and triggers environmental emission during its lifetime. A comprehensive framework to analyze the embodied ecological elements as natural resources and environmental emissions of wastewater treatment is presented in this work. The systems method as a combination of process and input–output analyses is applied and a set of indicators are accordingly devised. Two representative ecological elements, i.e., greenhouse gases emissions and solar emergy of alternative wastewater treatment systems, i.e., a traditional activated sludge wastewater treatment plant and a constructed wetland have been taken into consideration. For each ecological element, five indicators have been calculated and compared to assess the impact on climate change and resources utilizing style of the case systems. The framework raised in this paper is fully supportive for optimal decision-making among different wastewater treatment technologies, and could be transplanted to be applied to systems ecological accounting for other production systems.     

A random fatigue of mechanize titanium abutment studied with Markoff chain and stochastic finite element formulation

To measure fatigue in dental implants and in its components, it is necessary to use a probabilistic analysis since the randomness in the output depends on a number of parameters (such as fatigue properties of titanium and applied loads, unknown beforehand as they depend on mastication habits). The purpose is to apply a probabilistic approximation in order to predict fatigue life, taking into account the randomness of variables. More accuracy on the results has been obtained by taking into account different load blocks with different amplitudes, as happens with bite forces during the day and allowing us to know how effects have different type of bruxism on the piece analysed.     

Variation of Essential Oil Content and Composition,Phenolics, and Yield Related Traits Using Different Pollination Systems in Populations of Thymus Species

The production of self-pollinated plants could be important for improving medicinal plants secondary metabolites. In this study, 11 Thymus populations from eight species were evaluated to determine the effect of self and open pollination on agro-morphological characteristics, total phenolic content (TPC), essential oil (EO) content, and EO components. Inbreeding led to some positive effects of above mentioned traits in most of the studied populations. Total phenolic content ranged from 7.07 to 52.69 mg tannic acid equivalents (TAE) g⁻¹ dry weight (DW) in open pollinated derived populations, while it varied from 1.2 to 55.03 mg TAE g⁻¹ DW in self-pollinated ones. Under open and self-pollination condition, the highest EO content was obtained in T. trautvetteri (3.37 %) and T. pubescens (1.96 %), respectively. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) identified 42 compounds including thymol, carvacrol, linalool, p-cymene, γ-terpinene, terpinen-4-ol, and α-terpineol as the main compounds. In most cases, selfed plants compared to open pollinated ones, revealed higher thymol content. T. daenensis-1 showed a significant increase in thymol content (from 25.22 % to 74.3 %) due to self-pollination. Moreover, self-pollination led to emergence of some new compounds. Carvacrol methyl ether was the constituents of Thymus EO that are being reported in self-pollinated populations. Finally, inbreeding in Thymus might be suggested as a useful tool to increase genetic homogeneity for the selection of superior plants for improving secondary metabolite.     

Effect of Vaccinium ashei reade Leaf Extracts on Lipid Metabolism in Obese OLETF Rats

The effects of a hot water extract and fractional extracts from rabbiteye blueberry (Vaccinium ashei reade) leaves (BBL) on lipid metabolism were studied in obese Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) rats. Feeding the hot water extract and fractional extracts from BBL alleviated hepatic triglyceride accumulation in the rats. Additionally, feeding with the flavonol glycoside (FG) and proanthocyanidin (PA) fractions lowered serum cholesterol levels in the obese rats. The results from measurements of the hepatic enzyme activity indicate that the hypolipidemic effects of the hot water extract and the PA fraction might be attributable to enhanced lipolysis in the liver. The reduced serum levels of C-reactive protein, an inflammatory cytokine, by the chlorogenic acid + rutin fraction and FG fraction might be associated with alleviating the metabolic abnormalities in obese rats. These results indicate that the BBL extracts, and especially FG and PA, exerted hypolipidemic effects on obese OLETF rats and suggest that an infusion of BBL can be useful as a dietary hypolipidemic component.     

Interactions of colonisation density and leaf environments on survival of Trioza eugeniae nymphs

1. Female eugenia psyllids Trioza eugeniae oviposit on the margins of expanding young Syzygium paniculatum leaves. The developing nymphs, feeding within pit‐shaped galls on the leaves, cause the leaves to become curled and deformed. The degree of leaf curling was correlated positively with densities of T. eugeniae nymphs. 2. High relative humidity increased persistence of nymphs on leaves at low insect densities, but persistence did not differ between high or low relative humidity conditions when nymphal densities were high and leaves were greatly curled. 3. Direct insolation increased nymphal mortality. Nymphs on the abaxial leaf surface in the direct sun had lower mortality than similarly exposed nymphs on the adaxial leaf surface. 4. Field populations showed high preference for abaxial leaf surfaces and a stronger preference for shaded adaxial surfaces than for exposed adaxial surfaces. 5. Adverse environmental conditions of direct insolation and low relative humidity may be mitigated by leaf curl associated with moderate populations, however competition at high nymphal density supersedes any potential benefit arising from leaf curling and has a negative effect on nymphal survival.     

Wound phloem in transition to bundle phloem in primary roots ofPisum sativum L.

Summary 48 hours after interrupting the root stele ofPisum, wound phloem initiated (proximally or distally to the wound) to reconnect the vascular stumps was found to contain some nucleate wound-sieve elements. At the elongating end of an incomplete wound-sieve tube these elements exhibit a sequence of ultrastructural changes as known from protophloem-sieve tubes. Elongation occurs by the addition of newly divided (wound-) sieve-element/companion-cell complexes. In order to dedifferentiate and assume a new specialization formerly quiescent stelar or cortical cells require at least one (mostly more) preliminary division. Companion cells are consequently obligatory sister cells to wound-sieve elements.By reconstruction using serial sections it could be shown that wound-sieve tubes elongate bidirectionally, starting in an early activated procambial cell of the stele. The elongation is directed by the existence of plasmodesmata, preferably when lying in primary pit fields, and by the plane of preceding divisions. Thus, the developing wound-sieve tube can deviate from the damaged bundle and radiate into the cortex as soon as the plane of the preceding divisions is favourable. In the opposite direction, elongating wound-sieve tubes run parallel to pre-existing phloem traces, thus broading their base at the bundle for the deviating part of the wound-sieve tube. Frequently an individual wound-sieve tube is supplemented at the bundle by a further wound-sieve tube which is partly running parallel to it. Both sieve tubes are interlinked with sieve plates by three-poled sieve elements.Ultrastructurally, the developmental changes of nucleate wound-sieve elements follow the known pattern. In spite of its contrasting origin and odd shape a mature wound-sieve element eventually has the same contents as regular sieve elements: sieve-element plastids, mitochondria, stacked ER and small amounts of P-protein within an electronlucent cytoplasm.     

A comparative study of the leaves of Cat hay a argyrophylla Chun & Kuang and three species of Keteleeria Carrière

Details of the cuticular, epidermal and anatomical features of the leaves of Cathaya argyrophylla Chun & Kuang, are described and compared with those of three species of Keteleeria (K. davidiana (Bertrand) Beissner, K. fortunei (Murray) Carriere, and K. chien-peii Flous). The study supports the creation of Cathaya Chun & Kuang as a new genus of the Pinaceae.     

The incidence, distribution and expression of Australian grapevine yellows, restricted growth and late season leaf curl diseases in selected Australian vineyards

Surveys were conducted in four Chardonnay vineyards for 3 to 6 years and one Shiraz vineyard for 3 years to determine the yearly percentage of grapevines affected by Australian grapevine yellows disease (AGYd), restricted growth disease (RGd) and late season leaf curl disease (LSLCd). In each of the Chardonnay vineyards in each year, all three diseases were characterised by remission of disease in some grapevines, recurrence of disease in other grapevines and new observations of disease in previously unaffected grapevines. The pattern of temporal incidence of each disease was different between vineyards for the survey period. Although Koch's postulates have not been fulfilled, phytoplasmas are considered to be the most likely cause of AGYd. While some grapevines exhibited a combination of AGYd and RGd or AGYd and LSLCd, both RGd and LSLCd can occur independently of AGYd. Statistical analyses using log-linear models also indicated that RGd and LSLCd were not always associated with AGYd. Thus, it is possible that phytoplasmas are not the cause of RGd or LSLCd and their association is coincidental. Expression of AGYd in Shiraz grapevines occurred later in the season compared to Chardonnay. Very little recurrence of AGYd was observed in the Shiraz grapevines indicating that the variety Shiraz responds differently to phytoplasma infections, assuming that AGYd in Shiraz is a phytoplasma caused disease. RGd and LSLCd were not observed on any grapevines in the Shiraz vineyard.