A novel and high-throughput approach to assess photosynthetic thermal tolerance of kelp using chlorophyll α fluorometry

Foundation seaweed species are experiencing widespread declines and localized extinctions due to increased instability of sea surface temperature. Characterizing temperature thresholds are useful for predicting patterns of change and identifying species most vulnerable to extremes. Existing methods for characterizing seaweed thermal tolerance produce diverse metrics and are often time-consuming, making comparisons between species and techniques difficult, hindering insight into global patterns of change. Using three kelp species, we adapted a high-throughput method – previously used in terrestrial plant thermal biology – for use on kelps. This method employs temperature-dependent fluorescence (T–F₀) curves under heating or cooling regimes to determine the critical temperature (T_crit) of photosystem II (PSII), i.e., the breakpoint between slow and fast rise fluorescence response to changing temperature, enabling rapid assays of photosynthetic thermal tolerance using a standardized metric. This method enables characterization of T_crit for up to 48 samples per two-hour assay, demonstrating the capacity of T–F₀ curves for high-throughput assays of thermal tolerance. Temperature-dependent fluorescence curves and their derived metric, T_crit, may offer a timely and powerful new method for the field of phycology, enabling characterization and comparison of photosynthetic thermal tolerance of seaweeds across many populations, species, and biomes.     

一株木质素降解菌高温驯化及酶学性质的测定

【背景】高温引起的微生物活性降低是限制园林绿化废弃物堆肥过程中木质素降解的主要因素。【目的】驯化一株木质素降解菌芽孢杆菌NO.2,提高其在高温下的微生物活性,探究其生长情况及酶学特性。【方法】采用温度梯度方法驯化菌株,以菌株生长曲线、酶活力、木质素降解率为评价指标,探究驯化前后菌株间差异,以及驯化后菌株所产木质素降解酶的酶促反应温度和pH范围。【结果】与原菌株相比,驯化后菌株在60℃培养时最大生物量间差异不显著;漆酶(laccase,Lac)、锰过氧化物酶(manganeseperoxidase,MnP)和木质素过氧化物酶(ligninperoxidase,LiP)酶活力得到进一步提高,分别提高了30.75%、35.98%和29.62%,木质素降解率提高60.52%。酶学性质研究表明,驯化后菌株所产Lac、MnP和LiP在20-60℃、pH 3.0-9.0范围内酶活力均较高,而且具有较好的稳定性,稳定性依次为Lac>LiP>MnP。【结论】温度梯度驯化方法可有效提高微生物对高温环境的适应性,扩大木质素降解酶的酶促反应温度和pH范围,在进一步自主研制专用降解园林废弃物微生物菌...     

Thermal stress exposure of pupal oriental fruit fly has strong and trait-specific consequences in adult flies

Global climate change is projected to increase the incidence of heat waves, their magnitude and duration resulting in insects experiencing increasing environmental stress in both natural and managed ecosystems. While studies on insect thermal tolerance are rapidly increasing, variation across developmental or juvenile stress cross-stage effects within and across generations remain largely unexplored. Yet in holometabolous insects, heat stress at an early developmental stage may influence performance and survival during later stages. Here, we investigated the effects of pupal mild heat stress on the performance of laboratory-reared adult Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) (Diptera: Tephritidae) measured as longevity, critical thermal maximum (CT_max), critical thermal minima (CT_min), heat knockdown time (HKDT) and chill coma recovery time (CCRT). Pupal heat stress significantly influenced performance of B. dorsalis adults resulting in impaired longevity and heat tolerance (CT_max and HKDT) in both sexes with improved and compromised cold tolerance (CT_min and CCRT) in females and males, respectively. These findings highlight the role of juvenile stages in mediating stress responses at adult stages. For B. dorsalis, pupal heat stress largely compromised thermal tolerance implying that the species has limited potential to shift its geographic range in heat prone areas. Significant benefits in cold tolerance in females following heat stress may help in improving survival in the cold in the short-term despite restricted activity to the same traits in males. This study suggests that basal heat tolerance and not short-term compensatory thermal plasticity following heat stress may have aided the recent invasion of B. dorsalis in African landscapes.     

黄瓜幼苗的冷锻炼与低温引起的光抑制

黄瓜幼苗的冷锻炼与低温引起的光抑制李晓萍,陈贻竹,李平,郭俊彦（中国科学院华南植物研究所,广州５１０６５０）关键词：低温引起的光抑制,荧光猝灭,冷锻炼,黄瓜幼苗低温使植物利用光能的能力降低从而引起或加剧光抑制（ｈａｓ等１９８３）。在光抑制中常以叶绿素...     

血循环障碍在高原冻伤中的形态计量观测

本文对高原冻伤中血液循环障碍作形态计量,旨在探讨血循环障碍在冻伤过程中的变化及高原冻伤发病机理中所起的作用。实验选用Ｗｉｓｔａｒ雄性大鼠４０只,随机分为平原冻伤组、急性低氧冻伤组和低氧习服冻伤组。习服组动物于低压舱内模拟海拔６０００ｍ缺氧每日４ｈ,连续两周。其余动物常规饲养。习服期满次日习服组与低氧组一同进入舱内模拟海拔６０００ｍ低氧４ｈ,再行冷冻。冻后继续低氧４ｈ。冻后４８ｈ取材。对各组动物冻后４８ｈ冻肢皮下血管的病变作图象分析。结果发现,平原组血管淤滞、血栓绝对数及其百分比均为最低,习服组最高,低氧组居中。但低氧组与平原组的血栓／淤滞百分比无明显差别。骨骼肌坏死的面积百分比习服组显著高于低氧组与平原组,而后两组间无差别。血栓／淤滞百分比与骨骼肌坏死面积百分比之间的有高度相关关系。冻融是直接引起血管内皮损伤的原发因素,局部血液循环障碍是造成严重的继发损伤的主要原因。     

The role of nitrogen in a simple scheme to scale up photosynthesis from leaf to canopy

A simple analytical scheme, involving the distribution of nitrogen, to scale up photosynthesis from leaf to canopy is proposed. The scheme is based on the assumption that there are two pools of nitrogen in leaves: nitrogen in photosynthetic, degradable structures (N_p) and nitrogen in non-photosynthetic and non-degradable structures (N_s). The rate of photon-saturated photosynthesis, F_m, is assumed to be proportional to N_p and is distributed inside the canopy similarly to photon flux density (PFD). Prior assumptions of an optimum distribution of nitrogen are not a prerequisite. Calculations made with the scheme lead to development of the hypothesis that the canopy can be treated as a ‘big leaf’ on the time scales involved in acclimation of photosynthesis to PFD. Simulations using parameters for tree species with different requirements for PFD show that shade-tolerant species may have denser canopies than sun-demanding species because of smaller amounts of non-photosynthetic structural nitrogen and/or supporting tissue in their leaves.     

Lack of metabolic temperature compensation in the intertidal gastropods,Littorina saxatilis (Olivi) and L. obtusata (L.)

Two intertidal snails, Littorina saxatilis (Olivi, 1972) (upper eulittoral fringe/maritime zone) and Littorina obtusata (Linnaeus, 1758) (lower eulittoral) were collected from a boulder shore on Nobska Point, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in July and acclimated for 15–20 days at 4 ° or 21 °C. Oxygen consumption rate (Vo₂) was determined for 11–15 subsamples of individuals at 4 °, 11 ° and 21 °C with silver/platinum oxygen electrodes. Multiple factor analysis of variance (MFANOVA) of lo₁₀ transformed values of whole animal Vo₂ with log₁₀ dry tissue weight (DTW) as a covariant revealed that increased test temperature induced a significant increase in Vo₂ in both species (P<0.00001). In contrast, MFANOVA revealed that temperature acclimation did not affect Vo₂ in either L. saxatilis (P= 0.35) or L. obtusata (P= 0.095). Thus, neither species displayed a capacity for the typical metabolic temperature compensation marked by an increase in Vo₂ at any one test temperature in individuals acclimated to a lower temperature that is characteristic of most ectothermic animals. Lack of capacity for metabolic temperature acclimation has also been reported in other littorinid snail species, and may be characteristic of the group as a whole. Lack of capacity for respiratory temperature acclimation in these two species and other littorinids may reflect the extensive semi-diurnal temperature variation that they are exposed to in their eulittoral and eulittoral fringe/maritime zone habitats. In these habitats, any metabolic benefits derived from longer-term temperature compensation of metabolic rates are negated by extreme daily temperature fluctuations. Instead, littorinid species appear to have evolved mechanisms for immediate metabolic regulation which, in L. saxatilis and L. obtusata and other littorinids, appear to centre on a unique ability for near instantaneous suppression of metabolic rate and entrance into short-term metabolic diapause at temperatures above 20–35 °C, making typical seasonal respiratory compensation mechanisms characteristic of most ectotherms of little adaptive value to littorinid species.     

Body water content over a range of ambient salinities in the sheepshead minnow

Body water content was determined on groups of Cyprinodon variegatus after sequential acclimation to ambient salinities in the range from fresh water to 100%. A multiple linear regression model applied to the data included body mass ( M ) of individuals and acclimation salinity ( S ) as independent variables, and body water content ( W ) as the dependent variable. The model that described the relationship was W (g) = 0·059 + 0·723 M (g)–0001 S (%). Converting values of body water content to percent of wet body mass produced a range of values from 74·5% in fresh water to 72·0% at 100%, only a 2·5% difference in body water content over this wide range of ambient salinities.