Water‐use efficiency in response to climate change: from leaf to ecosystem in a temperate steppe

Water‐use efficiency (WUE) has been recognized as an important characteristic of ecosystem productivity, which links carbon (C) and water cycling. However, little is known about how WUE responds to climate change at different scales. Here, we investigated WUE at leaf, canopy, and ecosystem levels under increased precipitation and warming from 2005 to 2008 in a temperate steppe in Northern China. We measured gross ecosystem productivity (GEP), net ecosystem CO₂ exchange (NEE), evapotranspiration (ET), evaporation (E), canopy transpiration (T_c), as well as leaf photosynthesis (P_max) and transpiration (T_l) of a dominant species to calculate canopy WUE (WUE_c=GEP/T), ecosystem WUE (WUE_gep=GEP/ET or WUE_nee=NEE/ET) and leaf WUE (WUE_l=P_max/T_l). The results showed that increased precipitation stimulated WUE_c, WUE_gep and WUE_nee by 17.1%, 10.2% and 12.6%, respectively, but decreased WUE_l by 27.4%. Climate warming reduced canopy and ecosystem WUE over the 4 years but did not affect leaf level WUE. Across the 4 years and the measured plots, canopy and ecosystem WUE linearly increased, but leaf level WUE of the dominant species linearly decreased with increasing precipitation. The differential responses of canopy/ecosystem WUE and leaf WUE to climate change suggest that caution should be taken when upscaling WUE from leaf to larger scales. Our findings will also facilitate mechanistic understanding of the C–water relationships across different organism levels and in projecting the effects of climate warming and shifting precipitation regimes on productivity in arid and semiarid ecosystems.     

香蕉条斑病毒云南河口分离物开放阅读框Ⅱ的原核表达、融合蛋白纯化及抗血清制备

以课题组保存的连接在pMD-18T载体上的香蕉条斑病毒河口分离物全基因组为模板,设计一对特异引物,经过PCR扩增,切胶回收,并通过与pET32(b)载体共同双酶切及T4连接酶连接,得到重组载体pET32-ORF2。将获得的重组质粒pET32-ORF2转化表达菌株E.coli BL21(DE3)感受态细胞,得到表达BSV的ORFⅡ的工程菌。经0.1mmol/L的IPTG诱导表达,超声波破碎后,获得的融合蛋白大多为包含体,但仍有少部分为可溶性蛋白可以进行后续的纯化步骤。将上述可溶性融合蛋白通过Ni2+-NTA亲和层析柱纯化,获得纯度较高的融合蛋白。以纯化蛋白作为抗原免疫家兔,得到特异性抗血清。间接ELISA以及western blotting表明,所得抗血清效价和特异性都较高,可以用于检测。为BSV的快速检测以及一些相关后续理论研究工作奠定了一定基础。     

Changes in species composition of European acid grasslands observed along a gradient of nitrogen deposition

Question: Which environmental variables affect floristic species composition of acid grasslands in the Atlantic biogeographic region of Europe along a gradient of atmospheric N deposition? Location: Transect across the Atlantic biogeographic region of Europe including Ireland, Great Britain, Isle of Man, France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, Norway, Denmark and Sweden. Materials and Methods: In 153 acid grasslands we assessed plant and bryophyte species composition, soil chemistry (pH, base cations, metals, nitrate and ammonium concentrations, total C and N, and Olsen plant available phosphorus), climatic variables, N deposition and S deposition. Ordination and variation partitioning were used to determine the relative importance of different drivers on the species composition of the studied grasslands. Results: Climate, soil and deposition variables explained 24% of the total variation in species composition. Variance partitioning showed that soil variables explained the most variation in the data set and that climate and geographic variables accounted for slightly less variation. Deposition variables (N and S deposition) explained 9.8% of the variation in the ordination. Species positively associated with N deposition included Holcus mollis and Leontodon hispidus. Species negatively associated with N deposition included Agrostis curtisii, Leontodon autumnalis, Campanula rotundifolia and Hylocomium splendens. Conclusion: Although secondary to climate gradients and soil biogeochemistry, and not as strong as for species richness, the impact of N and S deposition on species composition can be detected in acid grasslands, influencing community composition both directly and indirectly, presumably through soil‐mediated effects.     

火因子对荒漠化草原草本层片植物群落组成的影响

火烧是世界许多地区关键的生态因子,也是人工和自然生态系统重要的干扰因素和管理工具,对格局与过程有着深刻的影响。采用人为放火试验研究了春季不同时间火烧对典型温带荒漠化草原草本植物群落组成的影响,结果表明:晚春火烧后当年,草本植物层片物种多度显著高于未火烧样地(P<0.05),而晚春火烧后第2年和早春火烧当年草本植物层片物种多度与未火烧样地差异不显著(P>0.05);晚春火烧后当年和第2年及早春火烧后当年,草本植物物种丰富度、多样性和均匀度均有所降低,且晚春火烧对植物群落组成的影响大于早春火烧。晚春火烧当年草本植物层片地上部分生物量显著大于未火烧样地(P<0.05),而晚春火烧后第2年和早春火烧当年草本植物层片地上部分生物量大于未火烧样地,但差异不显著(P>0.05);不同物种多度、高生长对火因子的响应不同。表明春季不同时间火烧处理对荒漠化草原草本植物层片植物群落组成的影响存在差异。     

施氮对几种草地植物生物量及其分配的影响

为了研究施氮对不同草地植物生物量及其分配的影响,以及温带草地生态系统碳交换过程对氮素的响应,在内蒙古太仆寺旗农田-草地生态系统野外站,以4种草地植物:紫花苜蓿(Medicago sativa L.)、高丹草(Sorghum bicolor L.) 、羊草(Leymus chinensis T.)和小叶锦鸡儿(Caragana microphylia L.)为材料,进行了3种氮素水平 的盆栽控制实验。研究结果表明:施氮显著促进了4种植物地上生物量的积累,紫花苜蓿在中氮水平地上生物量最大,较对照增加了24.8%,高丹草、羊草、小叶锦鸡儿在高氮水平地上生物量最大,分别较对照增加了45.6%、39.3%和72.2%。4种植物在中氮水平地下生物量最大,而细根(直径≤2mm)生物量随施氮量的增加显著减少。羊草根茎生物量及其分配比例随施氮量的增加而增大。施氮显著降低了4种植物的根冠比,紫花苜蓿的根冠比在中氮水平时最小,为1.62,高丹草、羊草、小叶锦鸡儿的根冠比在高氮水平时最小,分别为0.57、1.02和0.41。随施氮量的增加,植物地下部分特别是细根的分配比例显著降低,地上部分分配比例显著增加。不同植物对施氮水平的响应不同,相比豆科植物,施氮显著促进禾本科植物生物量积累,并使其生物量分配格局发生显著改变。     

晋西黄土区辽东栎、山杨树干液流比较研究

于2009年生长季(4—10月),应用TDP (Thermal Dissipation Probe) 热扩散探针技术,并结合同步测定的太阳辐射、大气温度、空气饱和水汽压差及大气相对湿度等气象因子,分析了晋西黄土区15年生辽东栎、山杨树干液流的昼夜变化及季节变化规律,建立了液流速率与气象因子的关系模型。结果表明：辽东栎和山杨树干液流速率昼夜变化显著,4月份和7月份峰值出现的时间不一致。4月份两个树种的峰值出现在清晨或夜间,而7月份树种树干液流速率于中午前后达到高峰。4月份两个树种夜间的树干液流速率明显大于白天,山杨的树干液流于中午前后接近于零。4月份,辽东栎和山杨树干液流速率的峰值分别为2.808 cm/h和1.188 cm/h,最小值为0.218 cm/h和0 cm/h,日平均液流速率为1.440 cm/h 和0.516 cm/h; 7月份,辽东栎和山杨树干液流速率的峰值分别为12.276 cm/h和 20.448 cm/h,最小值为0.144 cm/h和0.288 cm/h,日平均液流速率为3.656 cm/h 和6.328 cm/h。7月份阴雨天时,辽东栎的液流速率峰值较晴天小,日平均液流速率是晴天的0.95倍,对山杨是0.75倍。4月份两树种树干液流速率的月平均值最低,只有1.106 cm/h和0.626 cm/h;6月份达最高值5.112 cm/h和8.214 cm/h,分别是4月份的4.62倍和13.12倍。生长季(4—10月)的林分林木总蒸腾耗水量对于辽东栎林为201.14 mm,山杨林为56.43 mm,辽东栎林为山杨林的3.56倍。统计分析表明,影响树干液流速率的主要因子对辽东栎是大气温度和太阳辐射,对山杨是太阳辐射和空气饱和水汽压差。     

高罗王冠虫（Coronocephalus gaoluoensis Wu, 1979）的再研究

标本采自湖南省永顺县万民乡志留系下部Llandovery统Telychian阶秀山组上部,几乎全部为Coronocephalus gaoluoensis Wu,其中有20多块头、胸、尾相连的完整标本。研究发现,Coronocephalus gaoluoensis Wu具有十分特殊的头部构造,其面线前支横切头鞍前叶中前部...     

Identification and siting of native vegetation types on disturbed land: demonstration of statistical methods

Question: How does one best choose native vegetation types and site them in reclamation of disturbed sites ranging from cropland and strip mines? Application: World‐wide, demonstrated in SE Montana. Methods: We assumed that pre‐disturbance native communities are the best targets for revegetation, and that the environmental facet each occupies naturally provides its optimal habitat. Given this assumption, we used pre‐strip‐mine data (800 points from a 88 km² site) to demonstrate statistical methods for identifying native communities, describing them, and determining their environments. Results and conclusions: Classification and pruning analysis provided an objective method for choosing the number of target community types to be used in reclamation. The composition of eight target types, identified with these analyses, was described with a relevé table to provide a species list, target cover levels and support the choice of species to be seeded. As a basis for siting communities, we modeled community presence as a function of topography, slope/aspect, and substrate. Logistic GLMs identified the optimal environment for each community. Classification and Regression Tree (CART) analysis identified the most probable community in each environmental facet. Topography and slope were generally the best predictors in these models. Because our analyses relate native vegetation to undisturbed environments, our results may apply best to sites with minimal substrate disturbance (i.e. better to abandoned cropland than to strip‐mined sites).     

三江源区不同建植期人工草地甘肃马先蒿生物量分配

以三江源区不同建植期人工草地中典型杂草甘肃马先蒿为研究对象,以建植前为对照,比较建植期为5年、10年的垂穗披碱草人工草地中马先蒿形态特征、器官生物量和资源投资状况.结果表明:(1)甘肃马先蒿在不同建植期人工草地中个体形态特征如株高、花柱高、花数目存在显著差异,而根系长、分枝数、叶片数差异不显著;不同阶段各器官生物量发生改变,根系生物量、茎叶生物量、繁殖器官生物量变化差异显著,而总生物量无显著差异.(2)综合建植前与建植后5、10年这3个时期样地中甘肃马先蒿在形态特征与资源投资状况的变化特征发现:总生物量、茎叶生物量、繁殖器官生物量、花数都呈现先下降再上升的V"字形变化趋势,根系生物量、株高逐渐增大,而花序长度则持续下降;资源相对投资比例也随建植期的不同表现出明显的差异,地上部分和地下部分的相对投资随时间的增加而上升,繁殖投资则表现出逐年降低的趋势.(3)以总生物量为个体大小参数,在同一时期内甘肃马先蒿各器官的绝对生物量具有明显的大小依赖性,随着个体大小的增加,茎叶生物量、根系生物量和花生物量均显著增加.但不同建植期人工草地中各器官生物量的个体大小依赖性响应程度不同,其中茎叶生物量和根系生物量的大小依赖程度随建植年限的增加而增加,而花生物量的个体大小依赖性却随建植期的延长而减弱.     

A proposed framework for determining the environmental impact of replacing agricultural grassland with Miscanthus in Ireland

Energy crops offer an opportunity to substantially increase bioenergy resources which can replace rapidly depleting fossil fuel reserves and mitigate the effect of climate change. Energy crops are typically established within traditional agricultural systems such as tillage land or grassland. Associated land use conversion has environmental implications. The aim of this paper is to propose a framework to examine how such environmental implications can be assessed, based on (a) a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) approach which considers potential impacts at different stages of a plan across a wide range of environmental receptors and (b) a literature review. The example we used was that of Miscanthus replacing grassland farming. This scenario is particularly relevant to Ireland, where over 90% of the agricultural land is permanent pasture, but is also applicable to grassland conversion throughout Europe and the United States. Two consecutive phases of land‐use change were identified for assessment, each with a distinct set of environmental impacts. The first was a transition phase, lasting from initial livestock clearance and grassland ploughing until the Miscanthus crop became established (2–3 years). The second phase was the mature crop phase, lasting up to 25 years. Miscanthus cultivation was more likely to impact negatively on the environment during the transition phase than the mature phase, primarily due to abrupt disturbance and the time required for a new equilibrium to establish. However, a literature review of the impact on the environmental receptors revealed that replacing Irish agricultural grassland with Miscanthus had the potential to improve biodiversity, water, air and soil quality, and climatic factors once the crop became established and reached maturity. In order to confirm these findings an appropriate monitoring programme involving objectives and indicators associated with each environmental receptor would need to be developed.