川西亚高山不同森林类型土壤呼吸和总硝化速率的季节动态

川西亚高山原始林及其采伐后通过不同恢复措施形成的不同类型森林土壤呼吸和总硝化速率的对比分析及其耦合关系的研究相对匮乏。采用气压过程分离系统(Ba PS)技术研究了川西亚高山岷江冷杉原始林及其砍伐后恢复的粗枝云杉阔叶林、红桦-岷江冷杉天然次生林和粗枝云杉人工林土壤呼吸和总硝化速率的季节动态及其影响因素。结果表明:生长季内平均土壤呼吸速率和总硝化速率分别以粗枝云杉阔叶林和粗枝云杉人工林较高,均以岷江冷杉原始林较低。土壤呼吸和总硝化速率在生长季内具有明显的季节动态,呈以7月份最高的单峰趋势。土壤呼吸和总硝化速率与土壤温度显著相关,而与土壤水分相关性不显著,表明土壤温度是调控呼吸和总硝化作用季节动态的主要因子。土壤呼吸的温度敏感性(Q_(10))介于2.59—4.71,以岷江冷杉原始林最高,表明高海拔的岷江冷杉原始林可能更易受到气候变化的影响。林型间土壤呼吸和总硝化速率主要受凋落物量、p H和有机质的影响。不同林型间土壤呼吸和总硝化速率显著正相关,表明土壤呼吸和总硝化速率存在耦合关系。     

扎龙湿地芦苇种群不同龄级根茎构件的季节动态

克隆植物根茎具有营养繁殖和扩展种群的功能,也是芽和分株生理整合的通道。根茎构件具有出生、死亡及年龄等种群统计特征,不同龄级根茎的季节动态可以反映根茎的存活和衰老过程。采用单位土体挖掘取样,对扎龙湿地4个生境芦苇种群根茎构件进行野外调查,比较不同龄级根茎长度、生物量和干物质贮量的季节动态。结果表明:7—10月份,1a根茎长度、生物量和干物质贮量均呈指数函数增加,在生长季中后期有一个持续时间较长的生长和物质积累时期。6—10月份,2a、3a根茎长度呈线性函数增加,4—6a根茎长度呈线性函数减少;2—4a根茎生物量和2—5a根茎干物质贮量呈二次函数先减少后增加,5a、6a根茎生物量和6a根茎干物质贮量呈幂函数减少。整个生长期内,根茎长度和根茎生物量均以3a最大,根茎长度以最高的6a最小,根茎生物量以最低的1a最小;根茎干物质储量以5a最大,以最低的1a最小。4个生境芦苇种群根茎长度、生物量和干物质贮量在龄级间的差异及差异序位稳定,在新根茎的产生、老根茎的存活以及根茎寿命与养分消耗和储藏上均具有稳定的生物学特性,不同龄级根茎在种群中的地位和作用以及对种群的贡献不同。     

Persistence of the flowerbud weevil Anthonomus santacruzi in optimal versus marginal areas: implications for the biological control of the invasive tree Solanum mauritianum in South Africa

Anthonomus santacruzi Hustache (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) was released in South Africa to offset the extensive reproductive output of the invasive tree Solanum mauritianum Scopoli (Solanaceae). Widespread establishment has occurred predominantly in the coastal areas of KwaZulu-Natal province, with limited success in higher-altitude inland areas. Irrespective of location, populations exhibit peaks in the austral autumn and decline during winter. In this study, we evaluated the persistence of A. santacruzi populations in climatically-optimal coastal areas versus climatically-marginal inland areas. The weevil’s pre- and post-winter abundance was surveyed at six coastal and six inland sites during 2018, and compared between areas and seasons. The 2018 pre-winter data were also compared to 2016 pre-winter data collected at the same sites. During 2018, pre- and post-winter numbers were six times and 22 times higher, respectively, at optimal sites than at marginal sites, with substantial winter declines at all sites. Post-winter weevil numbers at optimal sites were significantly higher than pre-winter numbers at marginal sites. Pre-winter numbers at optimal sites were not significantly different between 2016 and 2018, but at marginal sites were significantly lower in 2018. Inflorescences of S. mauritianum at marginal sites contained significantly more floral material and fruit than those at optimal sites, during both seasons in 2018. Significant negative correlations between A. santacruzi numbers and floral/fruit production suggest some impact on the reproductive output of S. mauritianum. Since A. santacruzi populations are barely persisting in marginal areas, releases in other South African provinces should target locations that are below 300?m in altitude.     

Direct analysis of pollen fitness by flow cytometry: implications for pollen response to stress

Sexual reproduction in flowering plants depends on the fitness of the male gametophyte during fertilization. Because pollen development is highly sensitive to hot and cold temperature extremes, reliable methods to evaluate pollen viability are important for research into improving reproductive heat stress (HS) tolerance. Here, we describe an approach to rapidly evaluate pollen viability using a reactive oxygen species (ROS) probe dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (i.e. H₂DCFDA‐staining) coupled with flow cytometry. In using flow cytometry to analyze mature pollen harvested from Arabidopsis and tomato flowers, we discovered that pollen distributed bimodally into ‘low‐ROS’ and ‘high‐ROS’ subpopulations. Pollen germination assays following fluorescence‐activated cell sorting revealed that the high‐ROS pollen germinated with a frequency that was 35‐fold higher than the low‐ROS pollen, supporting a model in which a significant fraction of a flower's pollen remains in a low metabolic or dormant state even after hydration. The ability to use flow cytometry to quantify ROS dynamics within a large pollen population was shown by dose‐dependent alterations in DCF‐fluorescence in response to oxidative stress or antioxidant treatments. HS treatments (35°C) increased ROS levels, which correlated with a ~60% reduction in pollen germination. These results demonstrate the potential of using flow cytometry‐based approaches to investigate metabolic changes during stress responses in pollen.     

The timing of frugivore‐mediated seed dispersal effectiveness

The seed dispersal effectiveness framework allows assessing mutualistic services from frugivorous animals in terms of quantity and quality. Quantity accounts for the number of seeds dispersed and quality for the probability of recruitment of dispersed seeds. Research on this topic has largely focused on the spatial patterns of seed deposition because seed fates often vary between microhabitats due to differences in biotic and abiotic factors. However, the temporal dimension has remained completely overlooked despite these factors—and even local disperser assemblages—can change dramatically during long fruiting periods. Here, we test timing effects on seed dispersal effectiveness, using as study case a keystone shrub species dispersed by frugivorous birds and with a fruiting period of 9 months. We evaluated quantity and quality in different microhabitats of a Mediterranean forest and different periods of the fruiting phenophase. We identified the bird species responsible for seed deposition through DNA barcoding and evaluated the probability of seedling recruitment through a series of field experiments on sequential demographic processes. We found that timing matters: The disperser assemblage was temporally structured, seed viability decreased markedly during the plant's fruiting phenophase, and germination was lower for viable seeds dispersed in the fruiting peak. We show how small contributions to seed deposition by transient migratory species can result in a relevant effectiveness if they disperse seeds in a high‐quality period for seedling recruitment. This study expands our understanding of seed dispersal effectiveness, highlighting the importance of timing and infrequent interactions for population and community dynamics.     

阿尔山不同时期落叶松根际土壤固氮菌的多样性研究

利用传统的细菌分离培养,结合16S rDNA序列分析等方法,对阿尔山地区不同时期落叶松根际可培养固氮菌群落的多样性进行分析,以揭示落叶松根际固氮菌的多样性及群落结构的季节变化规律,为森林生态系统的可持续发展提供理论依据。结果显示:(1)从阿尔山落叶松根际土壤中共计分离纯化细菌菌株112株,分属于14属41种,包括假单胞菌属、伯克氏菌属、根瘤菌属、叶杆菌属、节杆菌属、类芽孢杆菌属、沙雷菌属、欧文菌属、短小杆菌属、芽孢杆菌属、肠杆菌属、不动杆菌属、柄杆菌属、红球菌属;其中优势菌群为假单胞菌属,次优势菌群为叶杆菌属、伯克氏菌属和节杆菌属。(2)季节变化对落叶松固氮菌群的变化有显著影响,表现为4月份和10月份最优势类群为γ-变形菌纲(γ-proteobacteria)中的假单胞菌属,6月份和8月份的最优势类群相同,但组成有所差别,其中6月份优势菌群包括假单胞菌属、短小杆菌属、红球菌属、节杆菌属,8月份的优势菌群为假单胞菌属、不动杆菌属、肠杆菌属、短小杆菌属、红球菌属和节杆菌属。(3)不同时期的物种均匀度指数(McIntosh index)差异显著,8月份最大,4月份最小,变化范围在0.83～1.164之间;物种丰富度指数(Shannon-Wiener index) 6月份和8月份显著高于4月份和10月份;优势度指数(Simpson index) 4月份和10月份显著高于6月份和8月份。研究表明,阿尔山地区落叶松根际微生物的多样性较高,群落相对复杂,分离的14个菌属多为根际促生菌,且不同时期固氮菌的群落组成受季节的影响明显。     

Investigating seed dormancy in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.): understanding the physiological changes in embryo during after‐ripening and germination

• The dormancy of seeds of upland cotton can be broken during dry after‐ripening, but the mechanism of its dormancy release remains unclear.
• Freshly harvested cotton seeds were subjected to after‐ripening for 180 days. Cotton seeds from different days of after‐ripening (DAR) were sampled for dynamic physiological determination and germination tests. The intact seeds and isolated embryos were germinated to assess effects of the seed coat on embryo germination. Content of H₂O₂ and phytohormones and activities of antioxidant enzymes and glucose‐6‐phosphate dehydrogenase were measured during after‐ripening and germination.
• Germination of intact seeds increased from 7% upon harvest to 96% at 30 DAR, while embryo germination improved from an initial rate of 82% to 100% after 14 DAR. Based on T₅₀ (time when 50% of seeds germinate) and germination index, the intact seed and isolated embryo needed 30 and 21 DAR, respectively, to acquire relatively stable germination. The content of H₂O₂ increased during after‐ripening and continued to increase within the first few hours of imbibition, along with a decrease in abscisic acid (ABA) content. A noticeable increase was observed in gibberellic acid content during germination when ABA content decreased to a lower level. Coat removal treatment accelerated embryo absorption of water, which further improved the accumulation of H₂O₂ and changed peroxidase content during germination.
• For cotton seed, the alleviation of coat‐imposed dormancy required 30 days of after‐ripening, accompanied by rapid dormancy release (within 21 DAR) in naked embryos. H₂O₂ acted as a core link between the response to environmental changes and induction of other physiological changes for breaking seed dormancy.

     

Morphological and functional seed traits of the wild medicinal plant Dioscorea strydomiana,the most threatened yam in the world

• Morphological and functional seed traits have important roles in characterising the species regeneration niche and help to understand the reproductive biology of rare and threatened plants, which can thus support appropriate plant conservation measures.
• Seed morphometric and dispersal kinetics of the critically endangered Dioscorea strydomiana were measured and compared with those of four other Dioscorea species, and seed germination response under constant temperatures (5–35 °C) was compared with that of the congeneric and widespread D. sylvatica.
• Seed mass of D. strydomiana (ca. 14 mg) was twice that of D. sylvatica, but similar to or smaller than the other species examined. Seeds of D. strydomiana have the lowest speed of descent and lowest variability in most of the morphological traits considered, suggesting lower phenotypic plasticity but higher variance in the wing‐loading value. Seeds of D. strydomiana reached maximum germination at 15 °C (ca. 47%), which decreased slightly to ca. 37% at 25 °C and was completely inhibited at 35 °C. D. sylvatica seeds started to germinate at 10 °C (ca. 3%), reached 75–80% germination at 15–20 °C and maximum (ca. 90%) at 25–30 °C. Base temperatures for germination (T_b) were 9.3 and 5.7 °C, for D. strydomiana and D. sylvatica, respectively. Due to the higher germination percentages of D. sylvatica, ceiling and optimum temperatures could also be modelled for this species, suggesting higher sensitivity to high temperature for seeds of D. strydomiana.
• The detected poor seed lot quality of D. strydomiana suggests difficulties in reproduction from seed, highlighting the need for further investigation and conservation actions for this threatened yam species.

     

A comparative assessment of plant flammability through a functional approach: The case of woody species from Argentine Chaco region

Recent changes to fire regimes in many regions of the world have led to renewed interest in plant flammability experiments to understand and predict the consequences of such changes. These experiments require the development of practical and standardised flammability testing protocols. The research aims were (i) to compare plant flammability assessments carried out using two different approaches, namely functional trait analysis and testing with a shoot‐level device; and (ii) to evaluate the effect of disturbances and seasonal variability on flammability. The study area was located in the Western Chaco region, Argentina, and 11 species were selected based on their representativeness in forests. We studied six functional traits related to flammability, growth habit and foliar persistence, in forests without disturbances over the three last decades as well as in disturbed forests. The seasonal variation of these functional traits was evaluated over two consecutive years. Functional trait flammability index (FI) and shoot‐level measurements followed standard protocols. Sixty per cent of the species measured presented a high to very high FI. The results of both assessment methods were significantly correlated. Both methods identified the same species as having medium flammability, but differed in regards to the most flammable species. Senegalia gilliesii was identified as the most flammable species when using functional trait analysis, whereas shoot‐level assessments found Larrea divaricata and Schinus johnstonii to be the most flammable. There were no disturbance effects on the FI but there was seasonal variation. Our results validate the use of functional traits as a predictive method of flammability testing and represent the first global effort comparing flammability obtained through functional trait analysis with empirical measurements. The significant correlation between both methods allows the selection of the one that is more appropriate for the size of the area to be evaluated and for the availability of technical resources. Abstract in Spanish is available with online material.     

Seasonal flight activity and genetic relatedness of Torymus species in Italy

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