Effect of light on abscisic acid content in photosensitive Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) seed

Dormancy-breaking treatment of the photosensitive Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) seed by white light incubation or a 15-min exposure to red light decreased the abscisic acid content prior to radicle protrusion. Incubation in the dark or exposure to red light followed by a 5-min far-red light irradiation did not cause as great a decrease in abscisic acid content nor was the dormancy relieved. The ability of the far-red light to keep the ABA level high and to prevent germination gradually disappeared as the length of the dark period between the red and far-red treatments was increased to 24 h. ABA was quantified on a gas chromatograph with an electron capture detector.     

The effect of elevated CO2 concentration and nutrient supply on carbon-based plant secondary metabolites in Pinus sylvestris L.

This study investigated changes in carbon-based plant secondary metabolite concentrations in the needles of Pinus sylvestris saplings, in response to long-term elevation of atmospheric CO₂, at two rates of nutrient supply. Experimental trees were grown for 3 years in eight open-top chambers (OTCs), four of which were maintained at ambient (∼350 μmol mol⁻¹) and four at elevated (700 μmol mol⁻¹) CO₂ concentrations, plus four open air control plots. Within each of these treatments, plants received either high (7.0 g N m⁻² year⁻¹ added) or low (no nutrients added) rates of nutrient supply for two years. Needles from lateral branches were analysed chemically for concentrations of condensed tannins and monoterpenes. Biochemical determinations of cellulase digestibility and protein precipitating capacity of their phenolic extracts were made because of their potential of importance in ecological interactions between pine and other organisms including herbivores and decomposers. Elevated CO₂ concentration caused an increase (P<0.05) in dry mass per needle, tree height and the concentration of the monoterpene α-pinene, but there were no direct effects of CO₂ concentration on any of the other chemical measurements made. High nutrient availability increased cellulase digestibility of pine needles. There was a significant negative effect of the OTCs on protein precipitating capacity of the needle extracts in comparison to the open-air controls. Results suggest that predicted changes in atmospheric CO₂ concentration will be insufficient to produce large changes in the concentration of condensed tannins and monoterpenes in Scots pine. Processes which are influenced by these compounds, such as decomposition and herbivore food selection, along with their effects on ecosystem functioning, are therefore unlikely to be directly affected through changes in these secondary metabolites. Received: 20 October 1997 / Accepted: 28 February 1998     

Photosynthesis and wood structure in Pinus radiata D. Don during dehydration and immediately after rewatering

Abstract. Experiments were carried out on Pinus radiata (D. Don) trees grown as cuttings from clonal parent stock. Some of these trees were about 0.4 m high while others were about 5 m high; all were grown in containers. The stem diameters at the tops and at the bottoms of the large trees, rates of photosynthesis, and needle water potentials were measured both when the trees were well watered and as they dehydrated after water was withheld. The water potentials of well-watered plants was highest in the small trees and lowest at the top of the large trees. When water was withheld, photosynthesis was in most cases unaffected by a small reduction in water potential, but the rate of photosynthesis fell as water potentials declined further. The stems of the large trees expanded at a constant rate when the trees were well watered and for part of the dehydration period, while subsequent stem shrinkage and the fall in photosynthesis both occurred at approximately the same time.
Water potentials increased little in the 24 h after rewatering, and significant rates of photosynthesis were not measured until 2 or 3 d later while renewed stem expansion was not measured until 2 d after rewatering.
Water deficits reduced the lumen diameter of newly matured stem tracheids, but increased the thickness of their walls. After 1 month of water potentials of about −2.4 MPa, tracheid lumen diameter and wall thickness were both much reduced, and this reduction continued in tracheids maturing shortly after rewatering.     

Butterfly Response to Microclimatic Conditions Following Ponderosa Pine Restoration

Efforts to restore ponderosa pine ecosystems to open, park‐like conditions that predominated prior to European‐American settlement result in altered stand structure and increased landscape heterogeneity, potentially altering habitat suitability for invertebrates and other forest organisms. We examined the responses of two butterfly species, Colias eurytheme and Neophasia menapia, to microclimatic changes at structural edges created by experimental restoration treatments in northern Arizona. We monitored microclimate, including air temperature, light intensity, and vapor pressure deficit (VPD), on several mornings during butterfly releases. We placed adult butterflies at east‐ and west‐facing edges approximately one half‐hour before dawn to determine their behavioral response to microclimatic differences between east‐ and west‐facing edges. After sunrise, all three microclimatic variables were higher at east‐facing edges, and the difference in microclimate between the two edge orientations increased through early morning. For both species, butterflies placed at east‐facing edges flew earlier than butterflies at west‐facing edges. Colias eurytheme, an open‐habitat species, tended to move toward the treated forest during initial flight, while movements of Neophasia menapia, a forest‐dwelling species, did not differ from random flight. Our results indicate that butterflies respond to microclimatic factors associated with restoration treatments, while responses to structural changes in habitat vary among species, based on habitat and food plant preferences. These changes in forest structure and microclimate may affect the distribution of many mobile invertebrates in forested landscapes undergoing restoration treatments.     

马尾松胚乳愈伤组织发生的初步研究

为获取马尾松(Pinus massoniana)单倍体材料，建立其胚乳组织培养体系，对马尾松胚乳不同的消毒方法进行筛选，并分析不同基本培养基、生长调节剂配比和热激处理对愈伤诱导的影响。结果表明，胚乳的最佳消毒方式为75%酒精处理30 s+2% NaClO消毒15 min，外植体污染率为0，死亡率仅为15.56%；生长素可促进愈伤诱导且是必需的；细胞分裂素浸泡种子可代替培养基中的细胞分裂素，并能取得比较好的胚乳愈伤诱导效果，1.0 mg·mL-1 6-BA浸泡30 min处理的效果最佳，在培养基WPM+NAA 2.0 mg·L-1+2,4-D 1.0 mg·L-1+蔗糖30 g·L-1+琼脂7 g·L-1中，愈伤诱导率高达87.78%；培养基DCR+NAA 2.0 mg·L-1+6-BA 1.0 mg·L-1+蔗糖30 g·L-1+琼脂7 g·L-1的胚乳愈伤诱导率最高(68.75%)；热激处理可提高胚乳愈伤的诱导率和质量，以相对湿度85%下45 ℃热激10 min最佳，总愈伤诱导率为66.25%，成团愈伤诱导率达8.75%；增殖培养以培养基WPM+NAA 0.1 mg·L-1+6-BA 2.0 mg·L-1+蔗糖30 g·L-1+琼脂7 g·L-1最佳，增殖率达83.33%。     

科尔沁沙地典型固沙人工林地土壤水分时空特征及其对环境因子的响应

土壤水分时空动态特征对于干旱地区人工林的可持续经营与管理起着至关重要的作用。以位于科尔沁沙地南缘的樟子松和柠条固沙人工林为对象，于2018年11月-2019年11月连续观测了林地0-200 cm土壤剖面的含水量、温度及微气象因子，系统分析了土壤水分的时空变化特征及其对环境因子的响应。研究期内，两种林地土壤水分的季节变化可分为冻结期、补充期、消耗期和稳定期；依据土壤剖面的水分特征可分为易变层、活跃层和稳定层，但两种林地的分层深度有一定差异。在生长季内（5-10月），土壤含水量对大气降雨的响应随着土层深度的增加而减弱；降雨对樟子松人工林0-20 cm层土壤水分的影响极显著（P<0.01），对柠条人工林0-10 cm层的影响极显著（P<0.01）、20-60 cm层显著（P<0.05）。在土壤冻融周期内（2018年11月-2019年4月），两种林地的土壤均表现为"单向冻结"和"双向融化"的特点；土壤温度是影响冻融期内土壤含水量的关键因素，两者呈极显著的指数函数关系；樟子松和柠条人工林土壤的最大冻结深度分别为170 cm和190 cm，前者10 cm土层解冻时间要比后者晚11 d，可能与乔木树冠的遮阴作用有关。潜在蒸散与柠条林0-60 cm层、樟子松林0-20 cm和200 cm层的土壤水分呈极显著相关（P<0.01），而与樟子松林60 cm和160 cm层呈显著相关（P<0.05），这与树木蒸腾和土壤蒸发等综合作用有关。研究表明，由于两种人工林的树种组成、树冠大小、郁闭程度和根系分布等结构特征不同会导致林地土壤水分时空特征的异质性及其对环境因素响应的差异。     

Pinus radiata invasion in Australia: Identifying key knowledge gaps and research directions

Abstract Early recognition of plant invaders has been widely identified as the key to their successful management and yet too often species are only noticed and receive adequate attention once they have become widespread and control has become difficult and costly. Slow growing species are at particular risk of being overlooked, despite their ability to cause significant ecological damage. One such species, Pinus radiata (Monterey pine), has spread from large commercial plantations into native vegetation across the southern hemisphere. Here we review the status of P. radiata invasion in Australia, a country where the species has successfully naturalized but remains an invader of only low‐level concern. Patterns of spread in Australia mirror those in New Zealand and South Africa, two countries where invasive pines are considered major threats to biodiversity. While many areas adjacent to plantations remain free from invasion, dense infestations have occurred at several sites in areas of high conservation value demanding the implementation of adequate control measures. Expansion of Australia's plantation estate and increasing human disturbance of natural areas surrounding plantations will increase the likelihood and extent of invasion. Continued monitoring of wildling populations will determine the ability of pines to dominate native eucalypt forest and will provide insight into broader ideas of community invasibility.     

Nuclear DNA content variation in seeds from 22 half-sib families of jack pine (Pinus banksiana,Pinaceae)

In order to understand the amount of DNA content variation and its potential roles, both absolute DNA amount and cell cycle phases in 22 half-sib families of jack pine were examined using flow cytometry. When the variability due to differences in speed of germination was taken into account, embryos from superior families (classified on the basis of height growth during field trials) had significantly higher levels of all nuclei classes greater than 4C. Mean DNA contents per nucleus were significantly lower in embryos from superior families compared to inferior ones. Analysis of megagametophyte tissue showed that the mother trees of these embryos expressed a similar pattern. Absolute DNA values were also established on the emerging radicle and the hypocotyl + cotyledons region (HC) separately in five of the families. Nuclei isolated from the emerging radicles had significantly lower levels of DNA than those isolated from the HC region. For three of these families, absolute DNA values from nuclei of the hypocotyl + cotyledons region were established on individual embryos with varying cotyledon numbers. In all three families total DNA amount per nucleus decreased with increasing cotyledon number. A better understanding of differences observed in DNA content during germination, as well as in total DNA content per nuclei among different half-sib families of jack pine, may help in the identification of factors that influence growth and adaptation of this species.