Photoinhibition as a control on photosynthesis and production of Sphagnum mosses

The effect of high light intensity on photosynthesis and growth of Sphagnum moss species from Alaskan arctic tundra was studied under field and laboratory conditions. Field experiments consisted of experimental shading of mosses at sites normally exposed to full ambient irradiance, and removal of the vascular plant canopy from above mosses in tundra water track habitats. Moss growth was then monitored in the experimental plots and in adjacent control areas for 50 days from late June to early August 1988. In shaded plots total moss growth was 2–3 times higher than that measured in control plots, while significant reductions in moss growth were found in canopy removal plots. The possibility that photoinhibition of photosynthesis might occur under high-light conditions and affect growth was studied under controlled laboratory conditions with mosses collected from the arctic study site, as well as from a temperate location in the Sierra Nevada, California. After 2 days of high-light treatment (800 mol photons m^–2 s^–1) in a controlled environmental chamber, moss photosynthetic capacity was significantly lowered in both arctic and temperate samples, and did not recover during the 14-day experimental period. The observed decrease in photosynthetic capacity was correlated (r ²=0.735, P<0.001) with a decrease in the ratio of variable to maximum chlorophyll fluorescence (F _v/F _m) in arctic and temperate mosses. This relationship indicates photoinhibition of photosynthesis in both arctic and temperate mosses at even moderately high light intensities. It is suggested that susceptibility to photoinhibition and failure to photoacclimate to higher light intensities in Sphagnum spp. may be related to low tissue nitrogen levels in these exclusively ombrotrophic plants. Photoinhibition of photosynthesis leading to lowered annual carbon gain in Sphagnum mosses may be an important factor affecting CO₂ flux at the ecosystem level, given the abundance of these plants in Alaskan tussock tundra.     

Precipitation regime controls bryosphere carbon cycling similarly across contrasting ecosystems

In arctic and boreal ecosystems, ground bryophytes play an important role in regulating carbon (C) exchange between vast belowground C stores and the atmosphere. Climate is changing particularly fast in these high-latitude regions, but it is unclear how altered precipitation regimes will affect C dynamics in the bryosphere (i.e. the ground moss layer including senesced moss, litter and associated biota) and the closely associated upper humus layer, and how these effects will vary across contrasting environmental conditions. Here, we set up a greenhouse experiment in which mesocosms were assembled containing samples of the bryosphere, dominated by the feather moss Hylocomium splendens, and the upper humus layer, that were collected from across a boreal forest chronosequence in northern Sweden which varies strongly in nutrient availability, productivity and soil biota. We tested the effect of variation in precipitation volume and frequency on CO₂ exchange and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) export, and on moss growth. As expected, reduced precipitation volume and frequency lowered net CO₂ efflux, DOC export and moss growth. However, by regulating moisture, the lower bryosphere and humus layers often mediated how precipitation volume and frequency interacted to drive C dynamics. For example, less frequent precipitation reduced moss growth only when precipitation volume was low. When volume was high, high moisture content of the humus layer helped avoid moss desiccation. Variation in precipitation regime affected C cycling consistently in samples collected across the chronosequence, despite large environmental variation along the sequence. This suggests that the bryosphere exerts a strong buffering effect on environmental variation at the forest floor, which leads to similar responses of C cycling to external perturbations across highly contrasting ecosystems. As such, our study indicates that projected increases in droughts and ground evapotranspiration in high-latitude regions resulting from climate change will consistently reduce C losses from moss-dominated ecosystems.     

Evidence of horizontal gene transfer between land plant plastids has surprising conservation implications

Background and AimsHorizontal gene transfer (HGT) is an important evolutionary mechanism because it transfers genetic material that may code for traits or functions between species or genomes. It is frequent in mitochondrial and nuclear genomes but has not been demonstrated between plastid genomes of different green land plant species.MethodsWe Sanger-sequenced the nuclear internal transcribed spacers (ITS1 and 2) and the plastid rpl16 G2 intron (rpl16). In five individuals with foreign rpl16 we also sequenced atpB-rbcL and trnL_UAA-trnF_GAA.Key ResultsWe discovered 14 individuals of a moss species with typical nuclear ITSs but foreign plastid rpl16 from a species of a distant lineage. None of the individuals with three plastid markers sequenced contained all foreign markers, demonstrating the transfer of plastid fragments rather than the entire plastid genome, i.e. entire plastids were not transferred. The two lineages diverged 165–185 Myr BP. The extended time interval since lineage divergence suggests that the foreign rpl16 is more likely explained by HGT than by hybridization or incomplete lineage sorting.ConclusionsWe provide the first conclusive evidence of interspecific plastid-to-plastid HGT among land plants. Two aspects are critical: it occurred at several localities during the massive colonization of recently disturbed open habitats that were created by large-scale liming as a freshwater biodiversity conservation measure; and it involved mosses whose unique life cycle includes spores that first develop a filamentous protonema phase. We hypothesize that gene transfer is facilitated when protonema filaments of different species intermix intimately when colonizing disturbed early succession habitats.     

The structure of the littoral: effects of waterlily density and perch predation on sediment and plant‐associated macroinvertebrate communities

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Photosynthesis,growth, and decay traits in Sphagnum – a multispecies comparison

Peat mosses (Sphagnum) largely govern carbon sequestration in Northern Hemisphere peatlands. We investigated functional traits related to growth and decomposition in Sphagnum species. We tested the importance of environment and phylogeny in driving species traits and investigated trade‐offs among them. We selected 15 globally important Sphagnum species, representing four sections (subgenera) and a range of peatland habitats. We measured rates of photosynthesis and decomposition in standard laboratory conditions as measures of innate growth and decay potential, and related this to realized growth, production, and decomposition in their natural habitats. In general, we found support for a trade‐off between measures of growth and decomposition. However, the relationships are not strong, with r ranging between 0.24 and 0.45 for different measures of growth versus decomposition. Using photosynthetic rate to predict decomposition in standard conditions yielded R² = 0.20. Habitat and section (phylogeny) affected the traits and the trade‐offs. In a wet year, species from sections Cuspidata and Sphagnum had the highest production, but in a dry year, differences among species, sections, and habitats evened out. Cuspidata species in general produced easily decomposable litter, but their decay in the field was hampered, probably due to near‐surface anoxia in their wet habitats. In a principal components analysis, PCA, photosynthetic capacity, production, and laboratory decomposition acted in the same direction. The species were imperfectly clustered according to vegetation type and phylogeny, so that some species clustered with others in the same section, whereas others clustered more clearly with others from similar vegetation types. Our study includes a wider range of species and habitats than previous trait analyses in Sphagnum and shows that while the previously described growth–decay trade‐off exists, it is far from perfect. We therefore suggest that our species‐specific trait measures offer opportunities for improvements of peatland ecosystem models. Innate qualities measured in laboratory conditions translate differently to field responses. Most dramatically, fast‐growing species could only realize their potential in a wet year. The same species decompose fast in laboratory, but their decomposition was more retarded in the field than that of other species. These relationships are crucial for understanding the long‐term dynamics of peatland communities.     

Development of microsatellites for the peat moss Sphagnum capillifolium using ISSR cloning

Sphagnum mosses are major components of peat bogs but populations of many species are under threat due to habitat fragmentation resulting from the cutting of peat for fuel. We have used an intersimple sequence repeat (ISSR)‐based cloning method to develop nine polymorphic nuclear microsatellites for the peat moss species Sphagnum capillifolium. Between three and seven alleles per locus were detected in a sample of 48 haploid gametophytes and levels of gene diversity ranged from 0.5391 to 0.7960. These represent the first microsatellite markers developed for this important genus and most also exhibited cross‐species amplification across a range of common Sphagnum species.     

Seasonal dynamic of the numbers of epiphytic yeasts

The numbers of epiphytic yeasts on the leaves and flowers of 25 plant species throughout their vegetation period was determined. The numbers of yeasts on the leaves were found to change regularly throughout the year. The average dynamics for all of the plant species investigated included an increase in yeast numbers during spring and summer with the maximum in late autumn and early winter. The character of the yeasts’ dynamics depends on the ecological characteristics of the plants and the duration of the ontogenesis of their leaves and flowers. Three types of dynamics of epiphytic yeasts were revealed: year-round with an increase in autumn-winter, year-round without visible changes, and seasonal with a terminal increase for annual plants.     

Litter Decomposition in Temperate Peatland Ecosystems: The Effect of Substrate and Site

Abstract The large accumulation of organic matter in peatlands is primarily caused by slow rates of litter decomposition. We determined rates of decomposition of major peat-forming litters of vascular plants and mosses at five sites: a poor fen in New Hampshire and a bog hummock, a poor fen, a beaver pond margin and a beaver pond in Ontario. We used the litterbag technique, retrieving triplicate litterbags six or seven times over 3–5 years, and found that simple exponential decay and continuous-quality non-linear regression models could adequately characterize the decomposition in most cases. Within each site, the rate of decomposition at the surface was generally Typha latifolia leaves = Chamaedaphne calyculata leaves = Carex leaves > Chamaedaphne calyculata stems > hummock Sphagnum = lawn/hollow Sphagnum, with exponential decay constant (k) values generally ranging from 0.05 to 0.37 and continuous-quality model initial quality (q ₀ ) values ranging from 1.0 (arbitrarily set for Typha leaves) to 0.7 (Sphagnum). In general, surface decay rates were slowest at the bog hummock site, which had the lowest water table, and in the beaver pond, which was inundated, and fastest at the fens. The continuous-quality model site decomposition parameter (u ₀ ) ranged from 0.80 to 0.17. Analysis of original litter samples for carbon, nitrogen and proximate fractions revealed a relatively poor explanation of decomposition rates, as defined by k and q ₀ , compared to most well-drained ecosystems. Three litters, roots of sedge and a shrub and Typha leaves, were placed at depths of 10, 30 and 60 cm at the sites. Decomposition rates decreased with depth at each site, with k means of 0.15, 0.08 and 0.05 y⁻¹ at 10, 30 and 60 cm, respectively, and u ₀ of 0.25, 0.13 and 0.07. These differences are primarily related to the position of the water table at each site and to a lesser extent the cooler temperatures in the lower layers of the peat. The distinction between bog and fen was less important than the position of the water table. These results show that we can characterize decomposition rates of surface litter in northern peatlands, but given the large primary productivity below-ground in these ecosystems, and the differential rates of decomposition with depth, subsurface input and decomposition of organic matter is an important and relatively uncertain attribute.     

不同环境条件下土壤微生物对模拟大气氮沉降的响应

研究了林内及林缘两个生境中,在有苔藓覆盖和无苔藓覆盖条件下,人工加氮对土壤理化性质及土壤微生物群落的影响。结果显示加氮使土壤pH下降,有效态氮和有效态磷的含量上升,但不同生境及有无苔藓植物覆盖在一定程度上影响土壤理化性质及其对加氮的反应。苔藓植物覆盖可以缓解加氮引起的土壤酸化及有效氮含量上升压力,促进有效态磷含量上升。不同生境中,土壤微生物对氮沉降的响应亦不同。低氮使林缘生境土壤微生物的胁迫程度减小,中高氮使其胁迫程度上升,而任何加氮均增加林内生境中土壤微生物的胁迫程度。两个生境中,苔藓植物覆盖均可以缓解过量氮沉降对土壤微生物造成的压力,降低过量氮沉降对土壤微生物的伤害,提高土壤微生物的代谢活性。