光质对一品红叶离体培养中形态发生及生化变化的影响

本文讨论了将光质应用于一品红(Euphorbia pulcherrima)大规模细胞繁殖及形态发生调控的可行性,并测定了一些形态及生化指标作为这种调控的参数。 以一品红试管苗的叶片作为外植体,置于MS培养基中并分别培养于白(W)、红(R)、黄(Y)、蓝(B)、绿(G)色光及黑暗(D)下,一个月后进行测定。蓝光和黄光明显促进出苗。而愈伤组织形成的情况则正相反,红光利于愈伤组织的形成,黄光效果最差。过氧化物酶、过氧化氢酶活力及蛋白质、RNA、碳水化合物的含量与愈伤组织形成有较为一致的关系,但与分化不直接相关。 实验中还测定了叶绿素a、叶绿素b及类胡萝卜素的含量。白光与蓝光均能促进叶绿素及类胡萝卜素的合成,但蓝光中chl b/chl a的比率较高。此外,本文尚涉及暗处理中的晶质化现象(vitrification)及其成因。     

How important is seed predation to recruitment in stable populations of long-lived perennials?

Summary The many evolutionary modifications to seed biology in response to seed predation do not necessarily imply that seed predators have an important impact on population recruitment. This is because competition between individual plants for rare safe sites can cause an oversupply of seeds so far as a population is concerned. The importance of seed losses to population recruitment at any point in time is related to the abundance of safe sites (Fig. 1): it is zero when safe sites are absent, negligible when safe sites are rare, and greatest when safe sites are numerous enough for recruitment to be limited by seed supply. Here I interpret the impact of severe seed losses on population recruitment in four species of long-lived perennials (Eucalyptus baxteri, Leptospermum juniperinum, Casuarina pusilla and L. myrsinoides) by considering these losses in terms of the overall seed dynamics of the populations. I focus on seed supply and seedling survival, as a measure of the current abundance of safe sites, and the maintenance of seed banks, as a measure of the ability of populations to exploit any future changes in safe site abundance. Insect seed predators destroyed about 95% of total seeds in each case. However, these losses do not necessarily have an important impact on population recruitment, because: (i) in most years recruitment appears to be limited by a rarity of safe sites, and not by seed supply (which was as high as 43 germinable seeds/m²/yr); and (ii) the losses did not prevent the establishment of large seed banks (ranging from >30 to >1000 viable seeds/m²) potentially capable of exploiting temporary conditions favourable for recruitment. In contrast to the situation with many annual plants, patterns of recruitment in stable populations of long-lived perennials are often extremely complex, and the significance of seed losses therefore difficult to determine.     

Somatic hybridization of sexually incompatible top-fruit tree rootstocks,wild pear (Pyrus communis var. pyraster L.) and Colt cherry (Prunus avium x pseudocerasus)

Summary Mesophyll protoplasts of wild pear (Pyrus communis var. pyraster L., Pomoideae) were chemically fused with cell suspension protoplasts of cherry rootstock Colt (Prunus avium x pseudocerasus, Prunoideae), following an electroporation treatment of the separate parental protoplast systems. Fusion-treated protoplasts were cultured, on modified K8P medium, where it had been previously established that neither parental protoplasts were capable of division. Somatic hybrid calli were recovered and, following caulogenesis on MS medium with zeatin and after rooting of regenerated shoots, complete trees were obtained and grown in vivo. Hybridity of these trees was confirmed based on morphological characters, chromosome complement and isozyme analysis. Two separate cloned lines of this intersubfamilial rootstock somatic hybrid (wild pear (+) Colt cherry) were produced. This is the first report of the production of somatic hybrid plants of two woody species, of agronomic value, within the order Rosales.     

Phylogeny and the patterns of leaf phenolics in gap-and forest-adapted Piper and Miconia understory shrubs

Summary The types and quantities of defense compounds found in plants occupying ecologically distinct habitats have received much theoretical and little empirical attention. Here we characterize the leaf phenolic chemistry of eight species in two genera of tropical rainforest shrubs; four species in each genus are typical of disturbed sites, and four are typical of mature forest understory. Two Miconia species growing in light gaps had significantly higher leaf tannin and total phenolic contents than congenors growing in the primary forest; this pattern was not found among the gap- and forest-adapted Piper species. Tannin patterns were not mirrored by leaf cinnamic acids. These results indicate that plant phylogeny must be considered when predicting plant defense investment.     

Do holly leaf spines really deter herbivory?

Summary Although spinose teeth of holly leaves have been widely cited as an example of a physical defense against herbivores, this assumption is based largely on circumstantial evidence and on general misinterpretation of a single, earlier experiment. We studied the response of third and fifth instar larvae of the fall webworm, Hyphantria cunea Drury, a generalist, edge-feeding caterpillar, to intact American holly leaves and to leaves that had been modified by blunting the spines, by removing sections of leaf margin between the spines, or by removing the entire leaf margin. The results suggest that the thick glabrous cuticle and tough leaf margin of Ilex opaca are more important than the spinose teeth in deterring edge-feeding caterpillars. Microscopic examination of mature leaves revealed that the epidermis is thickened at the leaf margin, and that the leaf is cirucumscribed by a pair of fibrous veins. In simple choice tests neither domesticated rabbits nor captive whitetailed deer discriminated between spinescent holly foliage and foliage from which spines were removed. Nevertheless, we found little evidence of herbivory by mammals in the field, either on small experimental trees or in the forest understory. While it is possible that spinose teeth contribute to defense by reducing acceptibility of holly relative to other palatable plant species, we suggest that the high concentrations of saponins and poor nutritional quality of holly foliage may be more important than spines in deterring vertebrate herbivores. The degree of leaf spinescence and herbivory was compared at different heights with the tree canopy to test the prediction that lower leaves should be more spinescent as a deterrent to browsers. Leaves on lower branches of mature forest trees were slightly more spinescent than were upper leaves, and juvenile trees were slightly more spinescent than were mature trees. However, there was no relationship between degree of spinescence and feeding damage. The greater spinescence of holly leaves low in the canopy is probably an ontogenetic phenomenon rather than a facultative defense against browsers.The investigation reported in this paper (No. 87-7-8-77) is in connection with a project of the Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station and is published with the approval of the Dirctor     

Consequences of a mixed reproductive system in the hog peanut,Amphicarpaea bracteata, (Fabaceae)

Summary The forest annual, Amphicarpaea bracteata L. can reproduce via aerial chasmogamous, aerial cleistogamous, and subterranean cleistogamous flowers. Both plant size and light intensity influenced the utilization of the three modes of reproduction. chasmogamous and aerial cleistogamous flower number and the ratio of chasmogamous flowers to the total number of aerial flowers increased with plant size. The latter demonstrated a shift to xenogamy and outbreeding in larger plants. Light intensity indirectly influenced reproductive modes through its infuence on plant size. Seed set by both types of aerial flowers was low and unrelated to plant size. Subterranean seed number and the total dry weight of subterranean seeds per plant increased with size. The subterranean seeds of Amphicarpaea bracteata are thirty-four times larger than the aerial seeds (fresh weight). Under field conditions, subterranean seeds had greater germination after one year than acrial seeds. The plants arising from subterranean seeds were significantly larger and more fecund than those from aerial seeds. Seeds produced by aerial cleistogamous, hand selfpollinated chasmogamous, and naturally pollinated chasmogamous flowers had equivalent germination rates and produced plants of equal size and fecundity. This suggests that the outbred progeny from chasmogamous flowers have no advantage over the inbred progeny from aerial cleistogamous flowers.     

The histogenesis of somaclones from tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) cotyledons

Summary A histological study ofin vitro cultured cotyledonary expiants of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) was performed in order to determine the site (differentiated tissue or developing callus) and the mode of plant regeneration.Results have shown that callus develops at the excision sites of cotyledonary expiants and that shoots are formed exclusively within the unorganized callus: excision areas are the only morphogenetic sites and the proximal excision is the preferred site for plant regeneration.Shoots differentiate by organogenesis within the superficial region of the callus. Few neocambial cells cooperate in the neoformation. Origin from a single cell is highly unlikely since rarely observed single activated cells never developed into shoots.Regenerated plants may be chimeras if invitro culture induces genetic diversity in the initial cells.Abbreviations IAA Indole-3-acetic acid - c callus - d vegetative dome - s shoot - ad adaxial - ab abaxial - t tracheid - p parenchyma - S sieve tube     

Präadaptation, Wirtskreiserweiterung and Parallel-Cladogenese in der Evolution von phytophagen Insekten1, 2

Preadaptation, host shifts and parallel cladogenesis in the evolution of phytophagous insects In this contribution we investigate the possibilities to apply concepts developed for the evolution of animal parasites to insect-plant systems. We compare host parasite systems in animals with plant-herbivore systems and list similarities and differences. The terms preadaptation, predisposition, expansion and contraction of host ranges, and parallel cladogenesis are discussed. We enumerate general preadaptations for the evolution of herbivory in insects and preadaptations for shifts between herbivory and entomophagy. Examples are given for expansions of host ranges based on phytochemical or structural characters of host plants. Cases of parallel cladogenesis in herbivoreparasitoid systems and plant-herbivore systems are compiled from the literature. An analysis of the insect fauna of the “thistles” (Cynaroideae) in the Palearctic and Nearctic demonstrates the importance of the evolutionary history of the plant taxa and of the existence of preadapted pools of herbivores for the evolution of guilds of specialized herbivores. The members of the Curculionid taxon Cleoninae provide examples for multiple colonizations and radiations of herbivores on the Cynaroideae. The taxonomic and biological relationships of the weevil genera Rhinocyllus, Bangasternus and Larinus which exploit the flower heads of Cynaroideae, can be interpreted as result of a basic parallel cladogenesis between herbivore and host. A gelelectrophoretic analysis of Larinus spp. supports this hypothesis.     

不同季节银木叶精油化学成分的研究

用毛细管气相色谱-质谱-计算机联用技术、毛细管气相色谱双柱保留指数法和双柱标准品叠加法分析了不同季节银木叶精油化学成分。从分离出来的207—250个色谱峰中,初步鉴定出59个成分,被鉴定成分的总量占精油总组成的94.45—98.92%,其主要成分随采油季节不同而有所不同。     

Gaps in the canopy: the missing dimension in vegetation dynamics

Canopy gaps are important as entry points for new genotypes and new species into many types of vegetation, yet little is known about them in any type of vegetation but forests. Forest gaps are too large for manipulative experiments to be readily undertaken, and hitherto grassland gaps have been too small to be easily mapped. Preliminary results from mapping small (>1 cm) grassland gaps with a new fibre-optic device suggest that experiments need to be performed at a smaller physical scale than has hitherto been achieved.