Thermal acclimation of leaf and root respiration: an investigation comparing inherently fast- and slow-growing plant species

We investigated the extent to which leaf and root respiration (R) differ in their response to short‐ and long‐term changes in temperature in several contrasting plant species (herbs, grasses, shrubs and trees) that differ in inherent relative growth rate (RGR, increase in mass per unit starting mass and time). Two experiments were conducted using hydroponically grown plants. In the long‐term (LT) acclimation experiment, 16 species were grown at constant 18, 23 and 28 °C. In the short‐term (ST) acclimation experiment, 9 of those species were grown at 25/20 °C (day/night) and then shifted to a 15/10 °C for 7 days. Short‐term Q₁₀ values (proportional change in R per 10 °C) and the degree of acclimation to longer‐term changes in temperature were compared. The effect of growth temperature on root and leaf soluble sugar and nitrogen concentrations was examined. Light‐saturated photosynthesis (A_sat) was also measured in the LT acclimation experiment. Our results show that Q₁₀ values and the degree of acclimation are highly variable amongst species and that roots exhibit lower Q₁₀ values than leaves over the 15–25 °C measurement temperature range. Differences in RGR or concentrations of soluble sugars/nitrogen could not account for the inter‐specific differences in the Q₁₀ or degree of acclimation. There were no systematic differences in the ability of roots and leaves to acclimate when plants developed under contrasting temperatures (LT acclimation). However, acclimation was greater in both leaves and roots that developed at the growth temperature (LT acclimation) than in pre‐existing leaves and roots shifted from one temperature to another (ST acclimation). The balance between leaf R and A_sat was maintained in plants grown at different temperatures, regardless of their inherent relative growth rate. We conclude that there is tight coupling between the respiratory acclimation and the temperature under which leaves and roots developed and that acclimation plays an important role in determining the relationship between respiration and photosynthesis.     

Clinical variability and expression of the NBN c.657del5 allele in Nijmegen Breakage Syndrome

Patients affected by the autosomal recessive Nijmegen Breakage Syndrome (NBS [MIM 251260]) have possibly the highest risk for developing a malignancy of all the chromosomal instability syndromes. This reflects the profound disturbance to genomic integrity and cellular homeostasis that is caused by the mutation of the essential mammalian gene, NBN. Whilst null-mutation of Nbn is lethal in the mouse, NBS patients survive due to the fact that the common human founder mutation, found in over 90% of patients, is in fact hypomorphic and leads, by alternative translation, to varying amounts of a partially functional carboxy-terminal protein fragment, p70-nibrin. The expression level of p70-nibrin correlates with cancer incidence amongst patients. Using real-time PCR we have now found that the variation in p70-nibrin expression cannot be attributed to differences in mRNA quantity and that nonsense-mediated mRNA decay is not responsible for the observed variation. We discuss an alternative explanation for p70-nibrin expression variation.     

两种室内生物测定方法评价杀虫剂对绿盲蝽的相对毒力

随着Bt棉在我国的广泛种植, 绿盲蝽Lygocoris lucorum Meyer-Dür的危害日益加重。化学防治作为棉田盲蝽综合治理的重要策略, 仍是其主要的防治手段。本研究主要用闪烁管药膜法和点滴法两种测定方法评价了传统杀虫剂、新型杀虫剂等30种杀虫剂对绿盲蝽成虫的急性触杀毒力, 其中多种杀虫剂是首次使用两种生测方法同时进行毒力测定。结果表明：有机氯类、有机磷类、氨基甲酸酯类和拟除虫菊酯类等传统杀虫剂对绿盲蝽成虫具有较高的触杀活性。8种对绿盲蝽成虫具有较高毒力的药剂, 其中5种为传统杀虫剂, 分别为马拉硫磷、毒死蜱、联苯菊酯、灭多威和硫丹。新型吡咯类杀虫剂对绿盲蝽表现出较高毒力, 以氟虫腈的毒力最高, 两种生测方法测定的LC₅₀分别为0.13 μg·mL^-1 和 0.15 μg·mL^-1。而昆虫生长调节剂、抗生素类及植物源杀虫剂对绿盲蝽成虫没有明显的触杀活性。     

京白梨花药开裂异常的解剖学研究

比较研究了京白梨(Pyrus ussuriensis Maxim.)、鸭梨、雪花梨花药开裂特性、环境条件对花药开裂的影响以及花药开裂异常的解剖学结构,结果表明:(1)京白梨花药开裂率明显低于鸭梨和雪花梨,使其产生花粉的量较少,从而导致传粉能力较弱.(2)京白梨、鸭梨、雪花梨在环境温度为25℃,相对湿度在 60%～80%时最适宜花药开裂,但京白梨花药开裂率始终低于鸭梨和雪花梨.(3)在京白梨花药发育后期不能形成开裂腔是引起花药不开裂的主要原因,而导致开裂腔不能形成的原因可能与单核期的绒毡层细胞不退化和药室内壁细胞不进行'U'字型加厚有关.     

Arbuscular mycorrhizal impacts on competitive interactions between Acacia etbaica and Boswellia papyrifera seedlings under drought stress

Aims Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi can have a substantial effect on the water and nutrient uptake by plants and the competition between plants in harsh environments where resource availability comes in pulses. In this study we focus on interspecific competition between Acaia etbaica and Boswellia papyrifera that have distinctive resource acquisition strategies. We compared the extent of interspecific competition with that of intraspecific competition.Methods In a greenhouse study we examined the influence of Arbuscular Mycorrhiza (AM) and pulsed water availability on competitive interactions between seedlings of the rapidly growing species A. etbaica and the slowly growing species B. papyrifera. A factorial experimental design was used. The factors were AM, two water levels and five species combinationsImportant findings Seedlings of both species benefitted from AM when grown alone, and the positive growth response to pulsed water availability in B. papyrifera seedlings was in contrast with the negative growth response for A. etbaica seedlings. AM also affected the competitive performance of both species. B. papyrifera was not affected by intraspecific competition, whereas A. etbaica was negatively affected compared to the seedlings grown alone. This effect was stronger in the presence of AM. In interspecific competition, A. etbaica outcompeted B. papyrifera. Mycorrhiza and pulsed water availability did not affect the outcome of interspecific competition, and the aggressivity index of A. etbaica remained unchanged. The extent to which AM influences plant competition in a drought-stressed environment may depend on belowground functional traits of the species. AM and pulsed water availability could modify the balance between intraspecific and interspecific competition. By affecting the balance between intraspecific and interspecific competition, both factors could impact the establishment and survival of seedlings.     

Geographic range size, seedling ecophysiology and phenotypic plasticity in Australian Acacia species

Aim The degree to which eco‐physiological traits critical to seedling establishment are related to differences in geographic range size among species is not well understood. Here, we first tested the idea that seedling eco‐physiological attributes associated with establishment differ between narrowly distributed and geographically widespread plant species. Secondly, we tested the notion that species occupying wide geographic ranges have greater phenotypic plasticity in response to the environment than contrasted species with more restricted distributions. Location Eastern Australia. Methods We compared five pairs of geographically restricted and widespread Acacia species grown under glasshouse conditions for differences in seedling relative growth rate and associated allocational, morphological and physiological traits. We then examined whether widespread species displayed greater phenotypic plasticity in these traits than narrowly distributed species in response to changes in soil water availability. Results Neither relative growth rate nor any measure of biomass accumulation or allocation differed significantly between seedlings of narrowly distributed and widespread species. In addition, the plasticity of biomass allocation was not greater in widespread species. However, the leaflets of widespread species had higher photosynthetic capacity and greater plasticity of water use efficiency than the leaflets of narrowly distributed species. Main conclusions We demonstrated fundamental differences in the physiology and plasticity of leaflets of widespread and narrowly distributed species. The greater plasticity of these seedling leaflet traits may allow widespread Acacia species to utilize a wider range of environmental conditions in relation to soil moisture than restricted Acacia species. However, we did not find corresponding differences in mean or plasticity of seedling growth and allocational traits. In general, we suggest that relationships between rarity and species traits are both context and taxon specific.     

不同进化类型大肠杆菌的适合度频率依赖性

进化实验中使用竞争实验测量两个物种或基因型的相对适合度时, 通常假定两者的适合度差异是恒定的。然而竞争双方的相互作用可能导致适合度差异受到初始相对频率的影响。本研究通过测量两种进化株系的大肠杆菌(Escherichia coli)在不同初始相对频率下的相对适合度, 分析了初始相对频率对相对适合度的影响。结果发现高氮进化株系相对低氮进化株系的相对适合度随其初始相对频率的减小而增加, 表现出显著的负频率依赖。两种株系在培养高氮株系的滤出液中均没有显著的生长, 在培养低氮株系的滤出液中均有生长, 但高氮株系的细胞加倍次数是低氮株系的3倍, 说明导致适合度出现负频率依赖的原因可能是低氮株系的竞争能力较低, 不能完全利用培养基中的资源; 也可能是低氮株系的代谢产物能被高氮株系利用, 产生互养作用。不同的相互作用可能导致不同的初始相对频率与相对适合度间的关系, 因此, 为了更准确地衡量适合度, 进化实验中需要考虑初始相对频率对相对适合度的影响。     

四种荒漠草原植物的生长对不同氮添加水平的响应

大气氮(N)沉降增加加速了生态系统N循环, 从而会对生态系统的结构和功能产生巨大的影响, 尤其是一些受N限制的生态系统.研究N添加对荒漠草原植物生长的影响, 可为深入理解N沉降增加对我国北方草原群落结构的影响提供基础数据.该文基于2011年在宁夏荒漠草原设置的N沉降增加的野外模拟试验, 研究了两年N添加下4个常见物种(牛枝子(Lespedeza potaninii),老瓜头(Cynanchum komarovii),针茅(Stipa capillata)和冰草(Agropyron cristatum))不同时期种群生物量和6-8月份相对生长速率的变化特征.并通过分析物种生长与植物(群落和叶片水平)和土壤碳(C),N,磷(P)生态化学计量学特征的关系, 探讨C:N:P化学计量比对植物生长养分限制的指示作用.结果显示N添加促进了4个物种的生长, 但具有明显的种间差异性, 且这种差异也存在于相同生活型的不同物种间.总体而言, 4个物种种群生物量与叶片N浓度,叶片N:P,群落N库,土壤全N含量和土壤N:P存在明显的线性关系, 与植物和土壤C:N和C:P的相关关系相对较弱.几个物种相对生长速率与植物和土壤N:P也呈现一定程度的正相关关系, 但与其他指标相关性较弱.以上结果表明, 短期N沉降增加提高了植物的相对生长速率, 促进了植物生长, 且更有利于针茅和老瓜头的生物量积累, 从而可能会逐渐改变荒漠草原群落结构.植物N:P和土壤N:P对荒漠草原物种生长具有较强的指示作用: 随着土壤N受限性逐渐缓解, 土壤N含量和N:P相继升高, 可供植物摄取的N增多, 因而有利于植物生长和群落N库积累.     

气温和空气相对湿度对森林地表细小死可燃物平衡含水率和时滞的影响

以落叶松(Larix gmelinii)叶片、白桦(Betula platyphylla)叶片、落叶松-白桦叶片混合物为例, 初步研究了气温和空气相对湿度对地表细小死可燃物平衡含水率和时滞的影响, 对这3种可燃物在不同气温、不同空气相对湿度条件下(共20个温湿度组合)失水过程中的含水率进行了测定。通过统计软件建立了相应条件下3种类型可燃物含水率时间动态方程, 并利用此方程估算了3种可燃物平衡含水率和时滞, 同时用估算值分别建立了3种可燃物的平衡含水率-气温模型、平衡含水率-湿度模型、时滞-气温模型、时滞-湿度模型等4种模型。并用已知的4个可燃物平衡含水率模型拟合了该研究得到的平衡含水率数据, 其中, 用Van Wanger模型得到的平均绝对误差和均方根误差均不超过0.01, 拟合效果最好; Nelson模型的拟合效果最差。对气温和空气相对湿度对3种可燃物平衡含水率和时滞的影响的研究结果表明: 气温和空气相对湿度对3种可燃物的平衡含水率和时滞有显著影响, 气温与平衡含水率和时滞呈负相关关系, 而空气相对湿度与二者均呈正相关关系。其中, 时滞-湿度模型高估了可燃物的时滞。该研究具有一定的局限性与不确定性, 在未来的工作中, 应选择在更宽的可燃物类型范围内, 结合更全面的影响因子进行研究。     

iTRAQ联用串联质谱鉴定食管鳞状细胞癌差异表达蛋白质及蛋白质相互作用网络

基于质谱的蛋白质组学结果不仅具有重复性差和覆盖率低等缺陷,并且针对数十至百个差异表达蛋白质分子的分析非常具有挑战性,而蛋白质与蛋白质相互作用网络（protein-protein interaction network, PPIN）分析能够在一定程度上弥补上述不足,使各种组学研究结果具有一致性和可比性。本研究应用同位素标记相对和绝对定量（iTRAQ）联用串联质谱技术鉴定了与食管鳞状细胞癌（esophageal squamous cell carcinoma,ESCC）相关的差异表达蛋白质244个（ESCC中,升高和降低的蛋白质分别为119个和125个）,基因本体论（gene ontology, GO）富集与肿瘤十大特征相关的17个GO条目|以该17个条目包含的117个蛋白质为种子蛋白搜索STRING（http: //www.string-db.org）数据库,构建包含96个存在相互作用的PPIN和21个离散蛋白质。用CytoHubba算法确定34个中心节点蛋白质和36个瓶颈蛋白质,非重复49个中心节点和/或瓶颈蛋白质中含7个目前已报道的癌基因表达蛋白（PPP2R1A、CTNNB1、ENO1、EZR、TPM4、COL1A1、TPM3）,确定与该7个癌蛋白直接相互作用的4个蛋白质（FN1、ITGB1、TAGLN和YWHAZ）可能为参与食管癌变的关键蛋白质,并应用Western印迹实验验证了 FN1、ITGB1、TAGLN和YWHAZ等4个关键蛋白质在ESCC中具有显著的表达差异,表明PPIN分析是确定具有重要生物学意义分子的有效途经之一。