High molecular diversity in the true service tree (Sorbus domestica) despite rareness: data from Europe with special reference to the Austrian occurrence

Background and Aims Sorbus domestica (Rosaceae) is one of the rarest deciduous tree species in Europe and is characterized by a scattered distribution. To date, no large-scale geographic studies on population genetics have been carried out. Therefore, the aims of this study were to infer levels of molecular diversity across the major part of the European distribution of S. domestica and to determine its population differentiation and structure. In addition, spatial genetic structure was examined together with the patterns of historic and recent gene flow between two adjacent populations.Methods Leaf or cambium samples were collected from 17 populations covering major parts of the European native range from north-west France to south-east Bulgaria. Seven nuclear microsatellites and one chloroplast minisatellite were examined and analysed using a variety of methods.Key Results Allelic richness was unexpectedly high for both markers within populations (mean per locus: 3·868 for nSSR and 1·647 for chloroplast minisatellite). Moreover, there was no evidence of inbreeding (mean F_is = –0·047). The Italian Peninsula was characterized as a geographic region with comparatively high genetic diversity for both genomes. Overall population differentiation was moderate (F_ST = 0·138) and it was clear that populations formed three groups in Europe, namely France, Mediterranean/Balkan and Austria. Historic gene flow between two local Austrian populations was high and asymmetric, while recent gene flow seemed to be disrupted.Conclusions It is concluded that molecular mechanisms such as self-incompatibility and high gene flow distances are responsible for the observed level of allelic richness as well as for population differentiation. However, human influence could have contributed to the present genetic pattern, especially in the Mediterranean region. Comparison of historic and recent gene flow may mirror the progress of habitat fragmentation in eastern Austria.     

动物对花楸树种实的取食与传播

花楸树是我国东北林区重要的非木质资源树种,其种实既有自然散布方式,也有动物散布方式.本文通过对花楸树种实散布过程中动物活动特点的研究,探索动物取食和传播花楸树种实的规律及其对花楸树天然更新的影响.在2008和2009年花楸树果实成熟期,通过定期观察取食花楸树果实的鸟类及其取食方式,确定对花楸树果实有拜访行为的鸟类有8种,其中食果肉鸟类斑鸫、灰喜鹊和白背啄木鸟对花楸树种实有传播作用,它们对花楸树果实的拜访频率分别为54%、12%和7%,取食后第一落点集中于距离母树5～10 m之间（占68.2%）,其次为距离母树5 m以内（占27.3%）,距离母树10 m以外的比例很小（占4.5%）.果实在鸟类消化道内的滞留时间可达20 min,表明潜在传播距离会很长.人工摆放果实和种子试验表明,在不同生境地面摆放的果实6～7 d内全部消失,果实的取食者主要是啮齿类和地面取食的鸟类,取食率均较高（50%～70%）;种子的取食者为啮齿类、地面取食的鸟类和蚁类,取食率均较低（1%～5%）.花楸树为多种动物提供食物,而动物为花楸树传播种子,动物的取食对花楸树的天然更新有重要影响.     

Response of tree-ring width to climate warming and selective logging in larch forests of the Mongolian Altai

Aims The Mongolian Altai is an old settlement area, which is populated by pastoral nomads since 2000–3000 years. Forests in this region (at ca. 2300 m a.s.l.) are highly fragmented and border on steppe and alpine grasslands, which are used for mobile livestock husbandry. The climate in Central Asia is warming to levels clearly above the global average, which affects the vegetation. Furthermore, the transition from planned to market economy and the decollectivization of livestock 20 years ago has strongly changed land use practices in Mongolia, especially resulting in an increase in recent logging activities. We were interested in the question how climate warming and selective logging influence the annual stem growth and the stand structure.Methods The impact of climate and land use by the pastoral nomads on the annual stem increment of more than 1800 trees of Siberian larch (Larix sibirica) was analyzed. Different groups of trees with divergent growth trends depending on the social position and stand history were identified by non-metric multidimensional scaling and analysis of similarities. Long-term trends in the annual stem increment were analyzed by establishing separate regional growth curves for trees of different age classes.Important findings Instrumental climate data substantiate an increase of temperature by 2.1°C since 1940 at constant precipitation. Trees benefit from the increased temperatures. Climate–response analysis revealed that radial stem increment was promoted by the temperature in early summer, but also high precipitation in spring and in the year before tree-ring formation. Forest dynamics is also strongly influenced by anthropogenic activities. In addition to the natural forest dynamics, logging resulted in divergent growth trends within given age classes and habitats (forest interior and forest edge); overall, 22 groups of trees with different characteristics in the annual radial stem increment were identified. A tree-ring series-based reconstruction of logging intensity since 1935 suggests that moderate selective logging occurred throughout the study period. However, selective logging was strongly intensified after 1990 as the result of the breakdown of the Communist regime in Mongolia and the transition from centrally planned to market economy. Because tree stump densities showed that the ratio of felled to live trees was 2:1 in the interior or even 0.9:1 at the edges of the forests and most logging occurred during the past 20 years, it must be concluded that the forests of the Mongolian Altai are presently exploited far beyond the level of sustainability. A close correlation of the ratio of felled to live trees with the density of summer camps of pastoral nomads in the vicinity suggests that trees are primarily felled by the local population.     

Pleiosorbus is united with Sorbus (Rosaceae)

The monotypic genus Pleiosorbus is reduced to the synonymy of Sorbus. The new name Sorbus medogensis is proposed.     

Occurrence of Pinus sibirica Du Tour in Da Hinggan Mountains

Based on the morphological and anatomical characteristics of vegetative organs,as well as the ecology and geography, Zhao Guang-yi et al. have reported the occurrence of siberian pine(Pinus sibirica) in the Da Hinggan Mountains continuously since 1981, that arouses disputing, The pine cones of the disputing pine were collected in the Mangui Forestry Bureau in the Da Hinggan Mountains, Northeast China, in autumn of 1989. By comparing it with those of Pinus sibirica and P. koraiensis it is proved that the disputing pine in the Da Hinggan Mountains is P. sibirica, but not P. koraiensis. And the 30-year old wrong name of “Mohe Korean Pine” has been corrected. A map showing the distribution of the P. koraiensis and P. sibirica in the DaHinggan Mountains and its adjacent regionswas drawn according to the 10-year investigation.     

Microsatellite primers for Sorbus torminalis and related species

This study reports the cloning and characterization of nine microsatellite primer pairs in a scattered woody species (Sorbus torminalis), and shows their potential for further use in 36 species of the Maloideae, a Rosaceae subfamily containing important fruit crop and ornamental species. These primers were designed from a microsatellite library constructed from genomic DNA of S. torminalis and enriched for CA and GA repeats. Genotyping 48 S. torminalis of a natural population with the six best markers yielded a mean of 10.7 alleles per locus, and an expectation of exclusion probability for paternity analysis greater than 0.993.     

北山羊角化学成分解析

本文以北山羊角为主要研究对象,利用傅里叶变换红外光谱仪、气相色谱仪和全自动氨基酸分析仪检测分析其红外光谱、脂肪酸和氨基酸成分。结果表明:北山羊角红外光谱主要体现角蛋白组分的特征峰,其中1 540 cm~(-1)、1 653 cm~(-1)、3 061cm~(-1)归属于角蛋白分子中酰胺类成分;1 454 cm~(-1)、2 875 cm~(-1)、2 963 cm~(-1)归属于角蛋白分子中脂类成分;北山羊角共检测出10种脂肪酸组分,主要成分包括棕榈酸、油酸、山俞酸,它们占脂肪酸总量的53.9%;17种氨基酸组分,总量为976.62 mg/g。     

海滨沙地砂引草对沙埋的生长和生理适应对策

在2009和2010年春夏季通过对烟台海滨沙地自然生长的耐沙埋植物砂引草(Messerschmidia sibirica Linn)进行不同厚度(1/3株高-轻度沙埋、2/3株高-中度沙埋、3/3株高-重度沙埋)沙埋试验,并测定沙埋过程中土壤温度、土壤含水量、叶片鲜重(FW)、干重(DW)、植株相对高度(%)、叶片细胞膜透性、相对含水量、(丙二醛)MDA、抗氧化酶活力(过氧化物岐化酶(SOD)、过氧化物酶(POD)、过氧化氢酶(CAT))、脯氨酸、可溶性糖含量的变化以探讨砂引草抗沙埋的生长和生理调节策略,为未来砂引草的科学管理和应用提供理论指导。结果表明,在沙埋第5天、第10天,随着沙埋厚度的增加土壤温度下降,土壤含水量增加,植株相对高度和整株砂引草叶片FW和DW呈上升趋势,同一植株沙上叶片FW、DW不断增加,沙下叶片FW、DW则不断减少。在沙埋第5天,不同厚度沙埋处理的植株叶片细胞膜透性和MDA含量均较对照低,而整株植物叶片SOD、CAT活力和脯氨酸含量均较对照高。同一植株沙下叶片细胞膜透性、MDA、脯氨酸含量及SOD和CAT活力均低于沙上叶片。研究表明,轻度和中度沙埋使沙上叶片受到地面热辐射、干旱、高温胁迫影响,导致叶片内含水量下降,膜脂过氧化加强,膜受损。但同时叶片中快速激活的保护酶和积累的脯氨酸抑制膜脂过氧化可能是保护沙埋后沙上叶片能快速生长的重要生理调控机理。在重度全埋枝叶处于沙下时,沙下缺氧和黑暗抑制了叶片呼吸作用和光合作用,同时缺氧也抑制了叶片对营养物质的消耗使叶片成为茎尖生长的物质和能量供体,促使暗中茎顶端不断的延伸生长冲出沙土再生。砂引草耐全埋的再生能力进一步表明,砂引草在海岸沙丘固沙、保滩、护岸和植被恢复上将具有重要开发和应用前景。