Maladaptation beyond a geographic range limit driven by antagonistic and mutualistic biotic interactions across an abiotic gradient

Species’ geographic range limits often result from maladaptation to the novel environments beyond the range margin. However, we rarely know which aspects of the n‐dimensional environment are driving this maladaptation. Especially of interest is the influence of abiotic versus biotic factors in delimiting species’ distributions. We conducted a 2‐year reciprocal transplant experiment involving manipulations of the biotic environment to explore how spatiotemporal gradients in precipitation, fatal mammalian herbivory, and pollination affected lifetime fitness within and beyond the range of the California annual plant, Clarkia xantiana ssp. xantiana. In the first, drier year of the experiment, fitness outside the range edge was limited mainly by low precipitation, and there was some evidence for local adaptation within the range. In the second, wetter year, we did not observe abiotic limitations to plant fitness outside the range; instead biotic interactions, especially herbivory, limited fitness outside the range. Together, protection from herbivory and supplementation of pollen resulted in three‐ to sevenfold increases in lifetime fitness outside the range margin in the abiotically benign year. Overall, our work demonstrates the importance of biotic interactions, particularly as they interact with the abiotic environment, in determining fitness beyond geographic range boundaries.     

Interacting effects of warming and drought on regeneration and early growth of Acer pseudoplatanus and A. platanoides

Climate change is acting on several aspects of plant life cycles, including the sexual reproductive stage, which is considered amongst the most sensitive life‐cycle phases. In temperate forests, it is expected that climate change will lead to a compositional change in community structure due to changes in the dominance of currently more abundant forest tree species. Increasing our understanding of the effects of climate change on currently secondary tree species recruitment is therefore important to better understand and forecast population and community dynamics in forests. Here, we analyse the interactive effects of rising temperatures and soil moisture reduction on germination, seedling survival and early growth of two important secondary European tree species, Acer pseudoplatanus and A. platanoides. Additionally, we analyse the effect of the temperature experienced by the mother tree during seed production by collecting seeds of both species along a 2200‐km long latitudinal gradient. For most of the responses, A. platanoides showed higher sensitivity to the treatments applied, and especially to its joint manipulation, which for some variables resulted in additive effects while for others only partial compensation. In both species, germination and survival decreased with rising temperatures and/or soil moisture reduction while early growth decreased with declining soil moisture content. We conclude that although A. platanoides germination and survival were more affected after the applied treatments, its initial higher germination and larger seedlings might allow this species to be relatively more successful than A. pseudoplatanus in the face of climate change.     

Why is intracellular ice lethal? A microscopical study showing evidence of programmed cell death in cryo-exposed embryonic axes of recalcitrant seeds of Acer saccharinum

Background and Aims Conservation of the genetic diversity afforded by recalcitrant seeds is achieved by cryopreservation, in which excised embryonic axes (or, where possible, embryos) are treated and stored at temperatures lower than −180 °C using liquid nitrogen. It has previously been shown that intracellular ice forms in rapidly cooled embryonic axes of Acer saccharinum (silver maple) but this is not necessarily lethal when ice crystals are small. This study seeks to understand the nature and extent of damage from intracellular ice, and the course of recovery and regrowth in surviving tissues.Methods Embryonic axes of A. saccharinum, not subjected to dehydration or cryoprotection treatments (water content was 1·9 g H₂O g⁻¹ dry mass), were cooled to liquid nitrogen temperatures using two methods: plunging into nitrogen slush to achieve a cooling rate of 97 °C s⁻¹ or programmed cooling at 3·3 °C s⁻¹. Samples were thawed rapidly (177 °C s⁻¹) and cell structure was examined microscopically immediately, and at intervals up to 72 h in vitro. Survival was assessed after 4 weeks in vitro. Axes were processed conventionally for optical microscopy and ultrastructural examination.Key Results Immediately following thaw after cryogenic exposure, cells from axes did not show signs of damage at an ultrastructural level. Signs that cells had been damaged were apparent after several hours of in vitro culture and appeared as autophagic decomposition. In surviving tissues, dead cells were sloughed off and pockets of living cells were the origin of regrowth. In roots, regrowth occurred from the ground meristem and procambium, not the distal meristem, which became lethally damaged. Regrowth of shoots occurred from isolated pockets of surviving cells of peripheral and pith meristems. The size of these pockets may determine the possibility for, the extent of and the vigour of regrowth.Conclusions Autophagic degradation and ultimately autolysis of cells following cryo-exposure and formation of small (0·2–0·4 µm) intracellular ice crystals challenges current ideas that ice causes immediate physical damage to cells. Instead, freezing stress may induce a signal for programmed cell death (PCD). Cells that form more ice crystals during cooling have faster PCD responses.     

Change from pre‐settlement to present‐day forest composition reconstructed from early land survey records in eastern Québec,Canada

Questions: What was the tree species composition of forests prior to European settlement at the northern hardwood range limit in eastern Québec, Canada? What role did human activities play in the changes in forest composition in this region? Location: Northern range limit of northern hardwoods in the Lower St. Lawrence region of eastern Québec, Canada. Methods: We used early land survey records (1846–1949) of public lands to reconstruct pre‐settlement forest composition. The data consist of ranked tree species enumerations at points or for segments along surveyed lines, with enumerations of forest cover types and notes concerning disturbances. An original procedure was developed to weigh and combine these differing data types (line versus point observations; taxa versus cover enumerations). Change to present‐day forest composition was evaluated by comparing survey records with forest decadal surveys conducted by the government of Québec over the last 30 years (1980–2009). Results: Pre‐settlement dominance of conifers was strong and uniform across the study area, whereas dominance of maple and birches was patchy. Cedar and spruce were less likely to dominate with increasing altitude, whereas maple displayed the reverse trend. Frequency of disturbances, especially logging and fire, increased greatly after 1900. Comparison of survey records and modern plots showed general increases for maple (mentioned frequency increased by 39%), poplar (36%) and paper birch (31%). Considering only taxa ranked first by surveyors, cedar displayed the largest decrease (19%), whereas poplar (15%) and maple (9%) increased significantly. Conclusions: These changes in forest composition can be principally attributed to clear‐cutting and colonization fire disturbances throughout the 20th century, and mostly reflected the propensity of taxa to expand (maples/aspen) or decline (cedar/spruce) with increased disturbance frequency. Québec's land survey archives provide an additional data source to reconstruct and validate our knowledge of North America's pre‐settlement temperate and sub‐boreal forests.     

秸秆浸提液漂浮栽培对不结球白菜产量及相关品质特性的影响

以1/4园试营养液为对照,以腐熟发酵的农业秸秆(苋菜和番茄植株残体)浸提液模拟富含N、P的水体进行不结球白菜(Brassica campestris ssp.chinensis Makino)的漂浮栽培,对茎叶的单株鲜质量和干质量及叶片的VC、可溶性蛋白质、蔗糖、果糖、葡萄糖含量及可溶性糖总含量进行了比较分析。结果表明:在24 d的栽培周期内,随生长时间的延长,处理组和对照组茎叶的单株鲜质量和干质量均呈增加趋势,但从第10天开始,处理组茎叶的单株鲜质量和干质量均显著低于对照组。栽培初期叶片VC含量均最高且处理组叶片VC含量显著低于对照组;从第10天开始,叶片VC含量降低,但处理组叶片VC含量与对照组无显著差异。处理组与对照组叶片可溶性蛋白质含量均呈波动的变化趋势,但总体差异不显著。处理组叶片蔗糖含量总体上与对照组差异不显著,仅在第24天显著低于对照组。处理组叶片的果糖含量均高于对照组,特别是在第24天为对照组的1.81倍,差异显著。叶片葡萄糖含量均呈先升高后降低的趋势,可溶性糖总含量则呈波动的变化趋势,对照组叶片葡萄糖含量和可溶性糖总含量总体上高于处理组,但差异不显著。研究结果显示:用秸秆浸提液漂浮栽培,虽然不结球白菜的生长量(即产量)有所减少,但相关的品质指标变化不大,对果糖合成和积累还有一定的促进作用,因而,此种秸秆浸提液可用于栽培商品不结球白菜。     

Hybridizations and genetic relationships among Lindernia species (Scrophulariaceae): L. procumbens and two subspecies of L. dubia

Lindernia procumbens and L. dubia are common annual weeds in flooded rice fields of Japan. Two subspecies of L. dubia, subsp. major and subsp. dubia, are usually recognized in Japan but they are both regarded as synonyms of L. dubia elsewhere. In a cluster analysis based on AFLP, most L. dubia subsp. major formed a separate cluster from L. dubia subsp. dubia although 11% of haplotypes classified using AFLP were not coincident with classification using the shape of leaf bases, which is the commonly used identification trait. Artificial F₁ plants between L. procumbens and L. dubia subsp. major, and between L. procumbens and L. dubia subsp. dubia did not produce seed. Forty percent of capsules produced by F₁ plants from these two subspecies were slimmer and 80% pollen were sterile in slimmer capsules. However, seed number of most F₁ capsules was not different from that of self-fertilized plants, suggesting that there was no complete reproductive isolation between the subspecies. Natural hybridization of these subspecies may have occurred but we are not aware of it because F₁ plants are rare and F₂ plants are indistinguishable from these subspecies.     

Microbial substrate preference and community dynamics during decomposition of Acer saccharum

The Guild Decomposition Model (GDM) hypothesized that temporal shifts in microbial “guilds,” each with distinct substrate preferences, drive decomposition dynamics and regulate soil carbon (C) losses and sequestration. To test this hypothesis, we established a laboratory incubation of Acer saccharum litter and monitored respiration, microbial biomass and enzyme activities, inorganic nutrients and shifts in functional groups of decomposers using phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis. Biomass and respiration peaked within the first 2 d of incubation, and the Gram negative PLFA biomarker 18:1ω7c predominated during the first 5 d. Hydrolytic enzyme activities and two fungal biomarkers (18:2ω6,9c and 18:3ω6c) increased by 25 d and lignolytic enzyme activity was detected at 68 d. Our results suggest that decomposers preferentially use labile substrates and that shifts in decomposer groups occur in response to changes in available substrates, which supports the GDM.     

不同郁闭度对野外回归的梓叶槭幼树形态和生理特征的影响

濒危植物野外回归是扩大极小种群野生植物种群的有效途径。适宜的回归生境是物种生长的必要条件, 研究植物的生理生态特征对不同野外回归生境的适应性, 是科学评价濒危物种种群回归生境适宜性的关键指标。本文以野外回归的极小种群野生植物梓叶槭(Acer catalpifolium)为研究对象, 探讨了无遮荫、林缘、林隙以及林下(郁闭度由小到大) 4种不同光照条件对梓叶槭幼树的形态特征、光合特征、类黄酮指数及叶绿素含量等的影响。结果表明: (1)随着郁闭度的增大, 梓叶槭幼树的基径、冠幅以及新生枝条数量产生差异, 均呈现先增大后减小的趋势; (2)在林缘生境中, 梓叶槭幼树的单叶面积及单叶质量均最大, 比叶面积随着郁闭度的增大而增大; (3)随着郁闭度的增大, 梓叶槭叶片胞间CO₂浓度、蒸腾速率及气孔导度均呈现先减小后增大的趋势, 叶绿素含量呈现上升趋势, 类黄酮指数则呈现先增大后减小的趋势。综上可知, 林缘适宜的光照条件更适合梓叶槭野外回归。这一结果可为梓叶槭以及其他极小种群野生植物的回归生境适宜性的探索研究提供借鉴。     

Antibacterial activity of sugar maple autumn-shed leaf extract: Identification of the active compound

Ethanolic crude extract prepared from autumn-shed leaves of sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) was recently shown to have antibacterial activity against Pseudomonas cichorii and Xanthomonas campestris pv. vitians, two bacteria causing diseases in lettuce production. In this study, antibacterial activity of sugar maple autumn-shed leaves (SMASL) extract was further investigated. SMASL ethanolic crude extract was fractionated using HPLC system and geraniin was identified as the antibacterial compound by UPLC/Q-Tof-MS system. Geraniin, an ellagitannin, was then purified from SMASL crude extract using a glass chromatographic C18-reversed phase silica gel column (purification Step 1) and a semi-preparative HPLC system equipped with 5 μm XTerra Prep MS C18 column (purification Step 2). Minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and minimal bactericidal concentrations (MBCs) of purified geraniin (purity of 96%) against P. cichorii and X. campestris pv. vitians were determined. X. campestris pv. vitians (MIC of 0.024 mg ml⁻¹ and MBC of 3.125 mg ml⁻¹) was more sensitive to geraniin than P. cichorii (MIC of 0.781 mg ml⁻¹ and MBC of 6.25 mg ml⁻¹). In the present study, geraniin is reported for the first time as the main antibacterial compound present in SMASL.