Senescence in cut carnation flowers: Temporal and physiological relationships among water status, ethylene, abscisic acid and membrane permeability

Changes in water status, membrane permeability, ethylene production and levels of abscisic acid (ABA) were measured during senescence of cut carnation flowers ( Dianthus caryophyllus L. cv. White Sim) in order to clarify the temporal sequence of physiological events during this post-harvest period. Ethylene production and ABA content of the petal tissue rose essentially in parallel during natural senescence and after treatment of young flowers with exogenous ethylene, indicating that their syntheses are not widely separated in time. However, solute leakage, reflecting membrane deterioration, was apparent well before the natural rise in ethylene and ABA had begun. In addition, there were marked changes in water status of the tissue, including losses in water potential (ψ_w), and turgor (ψ_p), that preceded the rise in ABA and ethylene. As senescence progressed, ψ_w continued to decline, but ψ_p returned to normal levels. These temporal relationships were less well resolved when senescence of young flowers was induced by treatment with ethylene, presumably because the time-scale had been shortened. Thus changes in membrane permeability and an associated water stress in petal tissue appear to be earlier symptoms of flower senescence than the rises in ABA or ethylene. These observations support the contention that the climacteric-like rise in ethylene production is not the initial or primary event of senescence and that the rise in ABA titre may simply be a response to changes in water status.     

Characterization of Viticultural Terroirs using a Simple Field Model Based on Soil Depth – II. Validation of the Grape Yield and Berry Quality in the Anjou Vineyard (France)

Soil and climate are major constituents of the French notion of Terroir. This concept implies that there is a strong relationship between the composition of the grape, the characteristics of the wine and the territory of production. To study this link, a new method of characterization of the Terroir, including geological and pedological factors, was investigated. It uses a field model based on depth and clay content of soil, together with the degree of weathering of the parent rock. Consequently, for every type of parent rock belonging to a given geologic stage, there are a series of soils that show different stages of pedological evolution. According to the model, three kinds of soils are distinguished with regards to the weathering intensity of the parent rock, that are named weakly weathered rock (WWR), moderately weathered rock (MWR) and strongly weathered rock (SWR). By hypothesis, each soil type is considered as a homogeneous unit for vine production from the viewpoint of ecophysiological factors. Each terroir unit defined by this method is called a Basic Terroir Unit (BTU). To validate this hypothesis, experimental plots planted with Chenin and Cabernet Franc vines were studied over three consecutive seasons (2000–2002), in the Anjou vineyard (Loire Valley – France). The major BTUs developed on the two most important geological systems of Anjou (Brioverian and Ordovician–Devonian), were studied. Results showed that the berries of vines cultivated in WWR were significantly smaller, richer in sugars and anthocyanins and had a Total Phenolic Index higher than those of the vines cultivated in SWR. They also had a lower titratable acidity. Cabernet Franc vines cultivated in MWR had berries with sugar and anthocyanin contents but also total phenolics very close to those of WWR. With Chenin vines there was a good relationship between the global pool of free aromas of berries and the BTU type. The study showed significant relationships between the quality of grapes and the measured values of several ecophysiological variables such as the water supply regime or the timing of budburst.     

Numerical Simulations and Long-Column Tests of LNAPL Displacement and Trapping by a Fluctuating Water Table

Long-column laboratory tests were performed to validate improvements to the MOFAT program for simulating LNAPL displacement and entrapment in response to a fluctuating water table. The long-column tests consisted of a fluctuating water table and its subsequent displacement and entrapment of an LNAPL. The modifications of MOFAT include a linear LNAPL trapping estimate and a new scaling technique for the inhibition portion of the fluctuation (water table rise). Improved prediction of the LNAPL trapping was obtained by assuming the amount of LNAPL that is trapped by a rising water table is proportional to the antecedent water content of the porous medium. The pressure-saturation relationship for the air-water drainage system was scaled to estimate the LNAPL-water and air-LNAPL drainage relationships. Scaled inhibition pressure-saturation relationships are improved by incorporating a correction for contact angle hysteresis and surface roughness. The incorporation of these changes into MOFAT led to noticable improvements in the numerical simulation of the experimental data.     

Uptake,Transport and Storage of Cardenolides in Foxglove. Cardenolide Sinks and Occurrence of Cardenolides in the Sieve Tubes of Digitalis lanata1

Cardiac glycoside transport was investigated on the organ and whole plant level. Uptake experiments were carried out with shoot and root cultures of Digitalis lanata. In both systems primary cardenolides, i.e., those with a terminal glucose in their oligosaccharide side chain, were taken up against their concentration gradient, whereas the glucose-free secondary cardenolides were not. Active uptake of primary cardenolides was further evidenced by KCN inhibition of uptake. Using plantlets grown in vitro the long-distance transport of primary cardenolides from the leaves to the roots was demonstrated. Cardenolides were also detected in etiolated leaves, induced on plants with green leaves, which are supposed to be unable to synthezise cardenolides de novo, providing further evidence for long-distance transport. Several primary cardenolides were detected in the honeydew excreted by aphids fed on Digitalis lanata leaves, indicating that the phloem is a transporting tissue for cardenolides. On the other hand, the xylem sap obtained by applying the pressure-chamber technique was cardenolide-free. It was concluded that in Digitalis primary cardenolides serve as both the transport and the storage form of cardenolides. After their synthesis they are either stored in the vacuoles of the source tissue or loaded into the sieve tubes, from which they are unloaded at other sites where they are trapped in the vacuoles of the respective sink tissue.     

Translocation - A key factor limiting the efficiency of nitrogen fixation in legume nodules

A hypothesis is presented that the availability of water for export of nitrogenous products from legume nodules is a major factor limiting the efficiency of symbiotic nitrogen fixation. Water for export of solutes in the xylem probably depends largely on the import of water and reduced carbon in the phloeum, and one function of respiration may be to dispose of reduced carbon in order to increase the supply of water. A second hypothesis presented is that control of gas diffusion in soybean nodules is largely restricted to the cortex nearby the vascular bundles, thus making possible the linkage of solute balances in xylem and phloem with resistance to diffusion. These concepts are used in a re-examination of literature on manipulations of nodules and nodulated plants such as lowering of light levels, water stress, defoliation, stem girdling, and alteration of oxygen supply. The concept of translocation as a major factor limiting efficiency of symbiotic fixation is consistent with the failure of superior rhizobial isolates to improve N input significantly, and this limitation could also prevent exploitation of superior bacterial symbionts in the future     

Dynamic resource allocation between pre- and postcopulatory episodes of sexual selection determines competitive fertilization success

In polyandrous mating systems, male reproductive success depends on both mate-acquisition traits (precopulatory) and sperm competitive abilities (postcopulatory). Empirical data on the interaction between these traits are inconsistent; revealing positive, negative or no relationships. It is generally expected that the investment in pre- and postcopulatory traits is mediated by environmental conditions. To test how dietary resource availability affects sexual ornamentation, sperm quality and their interrelationship in three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus), full-sibling groups were raised under three conditions differing in food quantity and/or quality (i.e. carotenoid content): (i) high-quantity/high-quality, (ii) high-quantity/low-quality or (iii) low-quantity/low-quality. After 1 year of feeding, food-restricted males developed a more intense breeding coloration and faster sperm compared with their well-fed brothers, indicating that they allocated relatively more in pre- and postcopulatory traits. Moreover, they outcompeted their well-fed, carotenoid-supplemented brothers in sperm competition trials with equal numbers of competing sperm, suggesting that food-restricted males maximize their present reproductive success. This may result in reduced future reproductive opportunities as food-restricted males suffered from a higher mortality, had an overall reduced body size, and sperm number available for fertilization. In accordance with theory, a trade-off between the investment in pre- and postcopulatory traits was observed in food-restricted males, whereas well-fed males were able to allocate to both traits resulting in a significantly positive relationship.     

基于集合经验模态分解去趋势的水分利用效率对气候变化响应的高程分异——以“21世纪海上丝绸之路”沿线省份为例

水分利用效率(WUE)是表征陆地碳-水循环耦合关系的重要指标，但其对气候变化响应的高程分异仍不清楚。通过集合经验模态分解(EEMD)去趋势和偏相关方法，以"21世纪海上丝绸之路"沿线省份为研究区，揭示WUE对气候变化的响应及其随高程的分异。研究结果表明：(1)研究区内WUE多年均值由中心向南北递减。不同植被类型的WUE多年均值由高到低依次为：常绿针叶林、混交林、常绿阔叶林、稀树灌木草地、耕地和城市建设用地。(2)51.11%的区域表现出均温与WUE的正相关；而81.46%地区表明温差的扩大会使得WUE增加；有近一半的研究区表明最高温的升高有利于提高WUE，而最低温的作用则相反；有67.99%的区域表明降水增多反而会导致WUE的减少。(3)在大多数土地覆盖类型，日温差和最低温主要与WUE呈正相关，而最高温和降水主要与WUE呈负相关。在常绿针叶林、耕地和城市建设用地，日均温与WUE呈负相关。在其他三种植被类型下则呈正相关。(4)在低海拔地区，均温与WUE呈负相关而在中高海拔地区则转变为正相关关系。而最高温则正好相反。降水与WUE的负相关关系系数随高度的增加而不断加强，而温差和最低温与WUE的正相关关系也随高度的增加而剧烈波动增强。     

Recent increase in body size of the American marten Martes americana in Alaska

Using museum specimens, we studied recent changes in skull size of the American marten Martes americana , in continental Alaska. In Alaska, global warming has resulted in milder winters that may contribute to an improved food supply in the wild. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that body size of the marten had increased during the second half of the 20th century, in response to global warming. We found that skull size, and by implication body size, increased significantly during the second half of the 20th century, possibly due to an improved food supply and/or lower metabolic demands in winter. Improved food availability in winter may result from the improved nutritional conditions for prey, and/or from increased access to prey resulting from a longer snow-free season. Longitude had a significant positive effect on skull size and a significant negative effect on teeth size. In Alaska, the climate is milder along the western coast and becomes harsher inland. Hence, the milder climate was associated with larger body size providing further support for our prediction that body size of the American marten was influenced by food availability and reduced energy expenditure. The negative relationship between longitude and teeth size may indicate a trend towards a larger prey in inland marten populations, but we have no data to support or refute this hypothesis.  © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2008, 93 , 701–707.     

Distribution of Adult Male and Female Baccharis concinna (Asteraceae) in the Rupestrian Fields of Serra Do Cipó, Brazil

Abstract: This study focuses on the sex ratio and spatial distribution of males and females in three populations of the endemic and restricted tropical dioecious shrub, Baccharis concinna (Asteraceae) in the mountainous region of Serra do Cipó, southeastern Brazil. The proportion of female plants in the population at lower elevation (1000 m a.s.l.) was significantly greater than of male plants. At this elevation of P/N and Ca/Al ratios in the soil were also greater indicating better nutritional status of the soils. The concentration of aluminium increased significantly with the elevation ( p < 0.001), perhaps rendering soils less conducive to female plants at higher elevations. Female plants are possibly adversely affected to a greater extent by soil quality than male plants. The spatial distribution of the populations within habitat was tested by the K(t) function, where the neighbourhood of a given individual was defined by a circle with a radius (t) up to 3 m. Despite the strong tendency for aggregation, the distribution of the sexes within habitats was random and the hypothesis was not supported. The independent distribution of the sexes within habitats may be explained by nutrient homogeneity of the soils, as well as by an absence of antagonism between the sexes. Nevertheless, we found a trend for males and females to be aggregated according to their gender.     

Chloride cell responses to long-term exposure to distilled and hard water in the gill of the armored catfish, Hypostomus tietensis (Loricariidae)

The morphological changes in the gill chloride cells of the armored catfish, Hypostomus tietensis , were investigated after 15 days' exposure to either distilled or hard water. The thickness of the water–blood barrier in the lamellae increased significantly in fish kept in distilled water due to the high proliferation of chloride cells. The apical surface of about 68% of chloride cells was sharply reduced by the development of an apical crypt with a sponge-like surface, although no change in the chloride cell fractional area was found. In contrast, H. tietensis kept in Na⁺, Cl⁻ and Ca²⁺ rich water displayed no significant changes in the number of chloride cells or in their apical surface morphology compared with the control fish. Chloride cell response to ion challenge in H. tietensis suggested the involvement of different strategies to maintain homeostasis in ion-poor water, which may be related to the life history of species.