Rapid field determination of photosynthetic capacity of cut spruce twigs (Picea abies) at saturating ambient CO2

Summary Routine field determination of the parameters characterizing the activity of the photosynthetic apparatus is often difficult when attached branches of tall trees have to be used for gas exchange measurement. If severed twigs could be used, determining these parameters would be greatly facilitated. Because stomatal conductance changes when twigs or leaves are detached, CO₂ assimilation is usually altered. Thus, measurements made at ambient CO₂ concentration fail to accurately assess the activity of the photosynthetic apparatus because photosynthetic rates greatly depend on the supply of carbon dioxide. However, when photosynthetic carboxylation reactions are saturated by increased CO₂ partial pressure in the mesophyll, CO₂ assimilation rates no longer depend on instantaneous stomatal conductance, as shown by gas exchange measurements of spruce (Picea abies) twigs prior to and following detachment. Because net photosynthesis following detachment at saturating CO₂ remains constant for a minimum of 15 min, photosynthetic measurements of severed twigs may be reliable. This length of time is sufficient for detaching and recutting the twig, assembling a portable minicuvette system, re-establishing steady-state conditions with the gas analyser system, and reading the data over a reasonable period of time. The method described measures the maximal photosynthetic CO₂ assimilation of spruce needles of a single age-class from detached spruce twigs under the following conditions: saturating light, saturating external CO₂-partial pressure, standardized temperature and air humidity in the field. The method is applicable as a routine procedure to characterize the status of the photosynthetic apparatus of spruce trees that may be damaged in the process of forest decline.     

论我国人口容纳量

人口环境容纳量是直接与社会生产力发展水平相适应的。它体现在人类智力发展水平、经济结构的合理性以及各人在行业中所占位置。本文据1982年人口普查10％抽样资料对我国劳动力分布进行了分析,并指出:劳动力分布不平衡反映出社会生产力的落后,自然资源与人力资源的浪费。我国的农牧渔业资源还有着巨大的潜力,只要国策对,人尽其才,物尽其用,使资源得到合理地开发和利用,今后50—100年内,我国农牧渔业资源将可满足15亿人口科学膳食需求。     

Zn buffering capacity and Zn accumulation in Swiss chard for some sludge-amended soils

Zinc sorption by soils can greatly affect its availability to plants. This study was conducted to determine the relationship between the Zn sorption capacity and plant Zn accumulation in five sludge-amended soils using Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris L.) as an indicator plant. Zinc sorption as a function of Zn concentration and pH was determined for the soils which received no sludge amendment; also DTPA (diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid) extractable Zn was determined in all soils. Whereas the responses of DTPA-Zn and plant Zn to pH and the quantities of Zn sorbed were similar, the logarithm of DTPA-Zn accounted for only 82% of the variability in the logarithm of Zn accumulation by the plants. The variability was better explained when pH was included with DTPA-Zn in stepwise multiple regressions. The Zn buffering capacity, defined as the ratio of the change in quantity of Zn sorbed ( Zn_s) to the change in Zn solution concentration (Zn₁) (or Zn_s/Zn₁), and the estimated quantity of Zn sorbed were used as a basis to measure Zn intensity. Zinc intensity, which reflects Zn solution concentration, was the predominant factor controlling Zn accumulation by Swiss chard, judging from the good fit of the values of both parameters to the Michaelis-Menten equation. The maximum Zn accumulation was approximately 9 mmol kg^–1.Scientific paper no. 8901-29, Department of Agronomy and Soils, College of Agriculture and Home Economics Research Center. Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA.Scientific paper no. 8901-29, Department of Agronomy and Soils, College of Agriculture and Home Economics Research Center. Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA.     

Water-storage capacity ofThuja,Tsuga andAcer stems measured by dehydration isotherms

Water-storage capacity was measured inThuja occidentalis L.,Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carr., andAcer saccharum Marsh. during the dehydration of stem segments 1.5–2.5 cm in diameter. Stem water potential was measured with a temperature-corrected stem hygrometer and cavitations were detected acoustically. Water loss was measured by weight change. Dehydration isotherms consistently displayed three phases. The first phase, from water potential (Ψ) 0 to about −0.2 MPa, had a high capacitance (C>0.4kg water lost· (1 of tissue)⁻¹· MPa⁻¹) and we have attributed this high C to capillary water as defined by Zimmermann (1983, Xylem structure and the ascent of sap, Springer-Verlag). The second phase from Ψ=−0.5 to about −2.0 had the lowest C values (<0.02 kg·l⁻¹·MPa⁻¹) and was accompanied by a few cavitation events. This phase may have been a transition zone between capillary storage and water released by cavitation events as well as water drawn from living cells of the bark. The third phase also had a high C (about 0.07–0.22kg·l⁻¹·MPa⁻¹) and was associated with many cavitation events while Ψ declined below about −2.5 MPa; we presume the high capacitance was the consequence of water released by cavitation events. We discuss the ecological adaptive advantage of these three phases of water-storage in trees. In moist environments, water withdrawn from capillary storage may be an important fraction of transpiration, but may be of little adaptive advantage. For most of the growth season trees draw mainly on elastic storage, but stem elastic storage is less than leaf elastic storage and therefore unlikely to be important. In very dry environments, water relased by cavitation events might be important to the short-term survival of trees.     

甲壳动物的生殖量与环境关系：Ⅰ.枝角类

生殖量是生殖潜力(reproductivepotential)的一个主要标志,也是生态系统(含生产力)和种群生态学(含数量变动)的一个主要内容。它在很大程度上是由遗传因子(基因)决定的,表现在各类动物的生殖量有很     

Alnus rubra nodulation capacity of soil under five species from harvested forest sites in coastal British Columbia

Nodulation of Alnus rubra seedlings after inoculation with soil from under A. rubra, Betula papyrifera. Rubus lacianutus, R. spectabilis, and R.ursinus on 2 recently harvested sites was compared. Nodulation capacity was low compared to other published reports, ranging from 0 to 18.9 infective units cm^-3 of soil and was significantly affected by the site and plant species. Nodulation capacity of soil under alder was significantly higher than under all other species except R. spectabilis, regardless of site. The lowest nodulation capacity was found in soil under B. papyrifera.Joint appointment with Dept. of Soil Science, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences     

Chemical soil conditions in pristineNothofagus forests of New Zealand as compared to German forests

In many German forest soils low base saturation of CEC in deeper soil layers was reported and acidic deposition is seen as the major cause of these findings. To test this hypothesis we sampled 5 New Zealand forest soils from pristine beech (Nothofagus fusca, N. menziesii, N. solandri) sites under climatic and geological conditions comparable to higher elevations in Germany. The soils developed from granite and greywacke. Soil samples were analyzed for pH and the exchangeable cations were extracted with 1M NH₄Cl. The base saturation of all soil profiles was very low, even in deeper layers and was thus similar to the patterns found in many German forest soils. The pH was generally higher in the New Zealand soils as compared to Germany. The reason for the depletion of base cations in deeper soil layers of New Zealand forest soils is most likely the leaching of base cations with HCO₃ ^- resulting from the dissociation of carbonic acid in connection with high amounts of seepage. Thus, under high rainfall conditions, the low base saturation found in deeper layers of forest soils cannot exclusively be attributed to the effects of acidic depositions and land use. ei]Section editor: R F Huettl     

Predictive models for phosphorus retention in wetlands

The potential of wetlands to efficiently remove (i.e., act as a nutrient sink) or to transform nutrients like phosphorus under high nutrient loading has resulted in their consideration as a cost-effective means of treating wastewater on the landscape. Few predictive models exist which can accurately assess P retention capacity. An analysis of the north American data base (NADB) allowed us to develop a mass loading model that can be used to predict P storage and effluent concentrations from wetlands. Phosphorus storage in wetlands is proportional to P loadings but the output total phosphorus (TP) concentrations increase exponentially after a P loading threshold is reached. The threshold P assimilative capacity based on the NADB and a test site in the Everglades is approximately 1 g m^–2 yr^–1. We hypothesize that once loadings exceed 1 g m^–2 yr^–1 and short-term mechanisms are saturated, that the mechanisms controlling the uptake and storage of P in wetlands are exceeded and effluent concentrations of TP rise exponentially. We propose a One Gram Rule for freshwater wetlands and contend that this loading is near the assimilative capacity of wetlands. Our analysis further suggests that P loadings must be reduced to 1 g m^–2 yr^–1 or lower within the wetland if maintaining long-term low P output concentrations from the wetlands is the central goal. A carbon based phosphorus retention model developed for peatlands and tested in the Everglades of Florida provided further evidence of the proposed One Gram Rule for wetlands. This model is based on data from the Everglades areas impacted by agricultural runoff during the past 30 years. Preliminary estimates indicate that these wetlands store P primarily as humic organic-P, insoluble P, and Ca bound P at 0.44 g m^–2 yr^–1 on average. Areas loaded with 4.0 g m^–2 yr^–1 (at water concentrations>150 g·L^–1 TP) stored 0.8 to 0.6 g m^–2 yr^–1 P, areas loaded with 3.3 g m^–2 yr^–1 P retained 0.6 to 0.4 g m^–2 yr^–1 P, and areas receiving 0.6 g m^–2 yr^–1 P retained 0.3 to 0.2 g m^–2 yr^–1. The TP water concentrations in the wetland did not drop below 50 g·L^–1 until loadings were below 1 g m² yr^–1 P.     

Consumption of benthic invertebrates by waterbirds in the Oosterschelde estuary,SW Netherlands

The number of waders in the Oosterschelde, S.W. Netherlands, declined after a reduction in intertidal area due to the construction of a storm surge barrier and secondary dams, suggesting that the carrying capacity had been reached (Schekkerman et al., 1993). In this paper we present data on consumption and predation pressure by birds to explore whether the reduction in their numbers is due to prey depletion or to other factors.The total annual consumption of benthic invertebrates by birds in the Oosterschelde amounted to 1573 × 10³ g ADW y^–1 in the period before the coastal engineering works (pre-barrier) and 1500 × 10³ kg ADW y^–1 in the post-barrier period. More than half of the total amount of biomass is eaten by the Oystercatcher, and only seven (pre-barrier) or even six (post-barrier) bird species together take 90% of the total.Although the consumption by individual species may vary considerably among years, the total consumption was remarkably stable, with a CV of only 3–4% of the mean, especially compared to the variability of the prey populations. In the pre-barrier period, consumption was lowest in mid summer, increased sharply from August onwards until a peak was reached in January. A sharp decrease took place in March. In the post-barrier period, consumption peaked in October.The total consumption per unit area per year does not differ much between different sectors of the Oosterschelde, apart from a distinctly lower value in the eastern part. Of the total amount of food taken by birds, only 0.1–0.4% is taken in the subtidal compartment. In several study plots on an individual tidal flat, there was a clear relation between consumption and benthic biomass.The predation pressure was 13 and 23% of the standing stock, in the post- and pre-barrier period respectively. When cockles, mussels and their main predator, the Oystercatcher, are excluded from the calculations, the predation pressure of the other species was 30 and 37% of the biomass, respectively.Predation pressure of Oystercatchers in individual study plots varied from less than 10% to more than 70% of the standing stock. On cockle beds the predation pressure was positively related to the average length of the cockles present.Based on these results and a comparison with the literature we conclude that, at least for several species that feed intertidally, carrying capacity could be limited by the stocks of food. This does not mean that birds face food shortage each season. As the variability of the benthos populations is much higher than that of the bird densities it is likely that at some times food is not limiting, at other times it is. On the other hand, consumption is very low in the subtidal compartment and species feeding here could potentially increase substantially in numbers in the Oosterschelde.     

Characterization of proteins by means of their buffer capacity, measured with an ISFET-based coulometric sensor—actuator system

Proteins form the specific selector in many biochemical sensors. A change in one of the properties of such a protein has to be detected by an appropriate transducer, which completes the biochemical sensor. One of these properties is the buffer capacity of a protein. If the binding of a substance to a protein can significantly change the proton binding, which accounts for the buffer capacity of proteins, the detection of this changed buffer capacity enables the construction of a new type of biosensor.

It will be shown that the buffer capacity can be measured with an ISFET-based sensor—actuator device. The alternating generation of protons and hydroxyl ions by alternating current coulometry at a porous noble metal actuator electrode causes an associated small pH perturbation, which is detected by the underlying pH-sensitive ISFET. The amplitude of the measured signal is a function of the buffer capacity of the solute, in which proteins can be present (or these proteins can be adsorbed in the porous actuator electrode of the device). A model describing the transfer function from the electrical input signal of the actuator to the resulting chemical output, which is subsequently detected by the ISFET pH sensor, is presented. Preliminary results of the measured buffer capacity of ribonuclease and lysozyme are presented.