Best hyperspectral indices for tracing leaf water status as determined from leaf dehydration experiments

Leaf water status information is highly needed for monitoring plant physiological processes and assessing drought stress. Retrieval of leaf water status based on hyperspectral indices has been shown to be easy and rapid. However, a universal index that is applicable to various plants remains a considerable challenge, primarily due to the limited range of field-measured datasets. In this study, a leaf dehydration experiment was designed to obtain a relatively comprehensive dataset with ranges that are difficult to obtain in field measurements. The relative water content (RWC) and equivalent water thickness (EWT) were chosen as the surrogates of leaf water status. Moreover, five common types of hyperspectral indices including: single reflectance (R), wavelength difference (D), simple ratio (SR), normalized ratio (ND) and double difference (DDn) were applied to determine the best indices. The results indicate that values of original reflectance, reflectance difference and reflectance sensitivity increased significantly, particularly within the 350–700 nm and 1300–2500 nm domains, with a decrease in leaf water. The identified best indices for RWC and EWT, when all the species were considered together, were the first derivative reflectance based ND type index of dND (1415, 1530) and SR type index of dSR (1530, 1895), with R² values of 0.95 (p < 0.001) and 0.97 (p < 0.001), respectively, better than previously published indices. Even so, different best indices for different species were identified, most probably due to the differences in leaf anatomy and physiological processes during leaf dehydration. Although more plant species and field-measured datasets are still needed in future studies, the recommend indices based on derivative spectra provide a means to monitor drought-induced plant mortality in temperate climate regions.     

中国野生百合叶表皮特征及系统学意义

利用光学显微镜和扫描电镜对20个野生百合种或变种的叶表皮进行了系统观察和比较分析,结果表明:(1)20种野生百合气孔器均分布于叶片远轴面,气孔器的长轴与远轴面细胞长轴方向一致,均位于远轴面细胞的端点处。气孔器形状从长椭圆形到近圆形不等;保卫细胞均为肾形,无副卫细胞,保卫细胞表面角质层均具条纹;表皮细胞角质层近于光滑或具条纹,均具蜡质,蜡质纹饰呈膜片状晶体或颗粒状;气孔密度、气孔器大小、近轴面远轴面细胞、垂周壁样式差异较大。(2)聚类分析表明,兰州百合、川百合、卷丹百合、紫斑百合、乳头百合、宝兴百合、山丹百合、大理百合、绿花百合、毛百合和有斑百合聚为类群Ⅰ;淡黄花百合、岷江百合和玫红百合3个野生种聚为类群Ⅱ;青岛百合单独为类群Ⅲ;宜昌百合、紫脊百合、通江百合、百合和野百合聚为类群Ⅳ,聚类结果总体上支持形态学分类的结果。(3)叶表皮形态对于区分野生百合不同种具有重要的分类学价值。     

Immunolocalization of beta‐proteins and alpha‐keratin in the epidermis of the soft‐shelled turtle explains the lack of formation of hard corneous material

Immunolocalization of beta‐proteins in the epidermis of the soft‐shelled turtle explains the lack of formation of hard corneous material, Acta Zoologica, Stockholm. The corneous layer of soft‐shelled turtles derives from the accumulation of higher ratio of alpha‐keratins versus beta‐proteins as indicated by gene expression, microscopic, immunocytochemical and Western blotting analysis. Type I and II beta‐proteins of 14–16 kDa, indicated as Tu2 and Tu17, accumulate in the thick and hard corneous layer of the hard‐shelled turtle, but only type II is present in the thinner corneous layer of the soft‐shelled turtle. The presence of proline–proline and proline–cysteine–hinge dipeptides in the beta‐sheet region of all type II beta‐proteins so far isolated from the epidermis of soft‐shelled turtles might impede the formation of beta‐filaments and of the hard corneous material. Western blot analysis suggests that beta‐proteins are low to absent in the corneous layer. The ultrastructural immunolocalization of Tu2 and Tu17 beta‐proteins shows indeed that a diffuse labelling is seen among the numerous alpha‐keratin filaments present in the precorneous and corneous layers of the soft epidermis and that no dense corneous material is formed. Double‐labelling experiments confirm that alpha‐keratin prevails on beta‐proteins. The present observations support the hypothesis that the soft material detected in soft‐shelled turtles derives from the prevalent activation of genes producing type II beta‐proteins and high levels of alpha‐keratins.     

Complementary Roles of Specific Cysteines in Keratin 14 toward the Assembly,Organization, and Dynamics of Intermediate Filaments in Skin Keratinocytes

We recently showed that inter-keratin disulfide bonding plays an important role in the assembly, organization, and dynamics of keratin intermediate filaments in skin keratinocytes. In particular, cysteine 367 located in the central α-helical rod domain of keratin 14 is necessary for the formation of a stable perinuclear network of keratin filaments (with type II partner keratin 5) in skin keratinocytes analyzed by static and live cell imaging. Here, we show that two additional cysteine residues located in the non-helical head domain of K14, Cys-4 and Cys-40, also participate in inter-keratin disulfide bonding and tandemly play a key role complementary to that of Cys-367 in the assembly, organization, and dynamics of keratin filaments in skin keratinocytes in primary culture. Analysis of K14 variants with single or multiple substitutions of cysteine residues points to a spatial and temporal hierarchy in how Cys-4/Cys-40 and Cys-367 regulate keratin assembly in vitro and filament dynamics in live keratinocytes in culture. Our findings substantiate the importance and complexity of a novel determinant, namely inter-keratin disulfide bonding, for the regulation of several aspects of keratin filaments in surface epithelia.     

色疣节梗孢属一中国新记录种

【目的】调查我国植物病原真菌资源与多样性。【方法】采用经典真菌形态分类方法并结合序列分析结果对研究样品进行鉴定。【结果】从浙江省绍兴市平水镇的林下枯叶上分离到尖色疣节梗孢,对尖色疣节梗孢的形态特征进行了详细的观察和描述,并对其ITS rDNA序列进行分析。【结论】金缕梅叶斑病的尖色疣节梗孢病原菌在我国是首次发现,为我国真菌新记录种。     

Substantial variation in leaf senescence times among 1360 temperate woody plant species: implications for phenology and ecosystem processes

Background and Aims Autumn leaf senescence marks the end of the growing season in temperate ecosystems. Its timing influences a number of ecosystem processes, including carbon, water and nutrient cycling. Climate change is altering leaf senescence phenology and, as those changes continue, it will affect individual woody plants, species and ecosystems. In contrast to spring leaf out times, however, leaf senescence times remain relatively understudied. Variation in the phenology of leaf senescence among species and locations is still poorly understood.Methods Leaf senescence phenology of 1360 deciduous plant species at six temperate botanical gardens in Asia, North America and Europe was recorded in 2012 and 2013. This large data set was used to explore ecological and phylogenetic factors associated with variation in leaf senescence.Key Results Leaf senescence dates among species varied by 3 months on average across the six locations. Plant species tended to undergo leaf senescence in the same order in the autumns of both years at each location, but the order of senescence was only weakly correlated across sites. Leaf senescence times were not related to spring leaf out times, were not evolutionarily conserved and were only minimally influenced by growth habit, wood anatomy and percentage colour change or leaf drop. These weak patterns of leaf senescence timing contrast with much stronger leaf out patterns from a previous study.Conclusions The results suggest that, in contrast to the broader temperature effects that determine leaf out times, leaf senescence times are probably determined by a larger or different suite of local environmental effects, including temperature, soil moisture, frost and wind. Determining the importance of these factors for a wide range of species represents the next challenge for understanding how climate change is affecting the end of the growing season and associated ecosystem processes.     

海桑和无瓣海桑叶片结构的比较研究

为了探讨外来植物无瓣海桑的潜在危害,采用石蜡切片法对海桑(Sonneratia caseolaris Engl.)、无瓣海桑(S.apetala B.Ham)叶片进行了解剖学研究。实验结果显示,两种植物的叶片均为等面叶;中脉维管束为周韧维管束;具4级侧脉,第1级侧脉为半周韧维管束;成熟叶片叶肉组织具发达的贮水薄壁细胞,具含单宁成分的薄壁细胞,具晶体细胞和石细胞;盐腺由表皮细胞发育而成,可分为3个发育阶段。作为外来植物的无瓣海桑,其中脉维管束具微弱形成层,叶脉维管组织比海桑更发达;贮藏组织中含单宁细胞、晶体细胞较多;栅栏组织含叶绿体多于海桑等特点,使其比海桑对环境具有更大的适应性。因此,无瓣海桑有可能成为入侵植物。     

骨碎补科植物叶表皮特征及其系统学意义

基于骨碎补科(Davalliaceae)植物属的界定和属下等级的划分一直存在较大争议,本研究首次对骨碎补科6属39种(秦仁昌系统)植物的叶表皮进行了扫描电镜观察。结果显示,骨碎补科有9种类型的角质层,其中,阴石蕨属(Humata)的角质层有密集的孔状凹陷结构;Wibelia条纹突起较厚,排列整齐且细密紧致;广义钻毛蕨属(Davallodes)内存在多种角质层类型,需要在属下进一步细分。本研究还根据角质层特征讨论了骨碎补科与一些近缘种类的关系。角质层特征是骨碎补科内种属分类的重要依据,而保卫细胞形状和气孔密度,均不能用来界定骨碎补科的属和种。本研究按角质层分类的结果与Kato和Tsutsumi的分子系统学分类观点一致。     

A study of natural populations of the celery leaf-miner,Philophylla heraclei L. (Diptera,Tephritidae) II. Importance of changes of mines for larval populations

The leaf-mining larvae of the celery fly, P. heraclei, have the ability to leave their primary mine to bore a secondary mine in another leaflet or leaf. This phenomenon is always numerically significant under natural conditions (depending on the plots and the years, 38 to 97% of the larvae observed made such a change), although it is not an obligatory behavior. The distribution of the secondary mines on the leaflets and on the leaves varies with the importance of the migrations, with the total unoccupied and healthy leaf area and with the relative position of different leaves on the plant. These migrations are due to the insufficiency of healthy food available for the larvae: either because the quantity of parenchyma offered by a leaflet is too small for a larva, or because there is intraspecific competition following multiple egg-layings on the same leaflet, or because there is a deterioration of the quality of the parenchyma, particularly following the development of celery leaf-spot. The possibility for the larvae of P. heraclei to bore secondary mines appears to be an extremely important factor in the population dynamics of this species. This permits the reduction of the negative effects of intraspecific competition and celery leaf-spot, and permits the colonization by the larvae of young leaves not used by the females at the time of egg-laying.     

Exploiting leaf starch synthesis as a transient sink to elevate photosynthesis, plant productivity and yields

Improvements in plant productivity (biomass) and yield have centered on increasing the efficiency of leaf CO₂ fixation and utilization of products by non-photosynthetic sink organs. We had previously demonstrated a correlation between photosynthetic capacity, plant growth, and the extent of leaf starch synthesis utilizing starch-deficient mutants. This finding suggested that leaf starch is used as a transient photosynthetic sink to recycle inorganic phosphate and, in turn, maximize photosynthesis. To test this hypothesis, Arabidopsis thaliana and rice (Oryza sativa L.) lines were generated with enhanced capacity to make leaf starch with minimal impact on carbon partitioning to sucrose. The Arabidopsis engineered plants exhibited enhanced photosynthetic capacity; this translated into increased growth and biomass. These enhanced phenotypes were displayed by similarly engineered rice lines. Manipulation of leaf starch is a viable alternative strategy to increase photosynthesis and, in turn, the growth and yields of crop and bioenergy plants.