The impacts of UV-B radiation on the regeneration of a sub-arctic heath community

The effects of ultraviolet-B radiation on regeneration after disturbance of a natural sub-arctic heathland have been investigated. Areas of pristine dwarf shrub heath were denuded of all above ground biomass in 1992 and exposed to enhanced UV-B (simulating a 15% depletion of the ozone layer). The resulting regenerated stem and leaf growth parameters were measured after four years on three dwarf shrubs, Vaccinium myrtillus, V. uliginosum and V. vitis-idaea and the grass Calamagrostis lapponica; leaves of the three dwarf shrubs were also analysed for UV-absorbing compounds and carbohydrates. Regeneration irrespective of treatment was slow, with Empetrum hermaphroditum failing to regenerate at all. Vaccinium myrtillus showed the most rapid regeneration attaining much of its original biomass in four years. There was a significant interaction between UV-B and year of regeneration in V. myrtillus; annual stem length increment showed an initial stimulation of 75% under enhanced UV-B in the first year of regeneration while a reduction of 16% was observed in the fourth year. Both V. uliginosum and V. vitis-idaea showed a reduction in annual stem length increment as regeneration progressed with a greater than 50% reduction in stem increment in the fourth year of regeneration compared to the first. Vaccinium uliginosum also showed an initial reduction in stem length increment of 40% under enhanced UV-B. None of the species were affected by enhanced UV-B in terms of total regenerated stem and leaf biomass or UV-absorbing compounds in regenerated leaf tissue. Total leaf carbohydrate and the ethanol/water soluble fraction in V. uliginosum were significantly increased by 29% and 31% respectively under enhanced UV-B. This suggests either a stimulation of photosynthesis or a reduction in sink size for photo-assimilates. Results are discussed in the context of the extremely slow regeneration of sub-arctic heath communities and the implications of contrasting UV-B effects on the regenerative ability of different species.     

Culturability of Mycobacterium tuberculosis cells isolated from murine macrophages: a bacterial growth factor promotes recovery

Very little is known about the culturability and viability of mycobacteria following their phagocytosis by macrophages. We therefore studied populations of the avirulent 'Academia' strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolated from murine peritoneal macrophage lysates several days post-infection in vivo. The resulting bacterial suspensions contained a range of morphological types including rods, ovoid forms and coccoid forms. Bacterial viability measured using the MPN method (dilution to extinction in liquid medium) was often much higher than that measured by CFU (plating on solid medium). Viability in the MPN assay was further enhanced when the Micrococcus luteus protein, Rpf, was incorporated into the liquid culture medium at picomolar concentrations. Rpf is an example of a family of autocrine growth factors found throughout the high G+C cohort of Gram-positive bacteria including M. tuberculosis. M. tuberculosis cells obtained from macrophages had altered surface properties, as compared with bacteria grown in vitro. This was indicated by loss of the ability to adsorb bacteriophage DS6A, a reduced tendency to form clumps, acquisition of ethidium bromide stainability following heat treatment, and loss of Rpf-mediated resuscitation following freezing and thawing. These results indicate that a proportion of 'unculturable' M. tuberculosis cells obtained from macrophages is either injured or dormant and that these cells may be recovered or resuscitated using Rpf in liquid medium.     

Anatomical and morphological characterization of mycorrhizas of five strains of Tuber borchii Vittad

 Tilia platyphyllos Scop. plantlets were inoculated in vitro with five Tuber borchii Vittad. strains (1BO, 17BO, 43BO, 71BO and 10RA) to test their intraspecific variability. The ability of the strains to form mycorrhizas varied, with the mean degree of ectomycorrhizal infection ranging from 50.6% (for 1BO) to 82.1% (for 10RA). The anatomical/morphological characteristics of the resulting mycorrhizas were determined. Although the morphological features of the mycorrhizas and the characteristics of the cystidia were similar for all strains tested, differences were found in the anatomical features of the mantle. The form of the mantle cells was examined in the surface and inner layers (6 and 12 μm deep, respectively) by both conventional and confocal microscopy. These cells were polygonal in 1BO, and 71BO, epidermoid in 43BO and intermediate in 17BO and 10RA. The structure of the mantle also varied and thus provided little information with which to identify T. borchii mycorrhizas. Accepted: 7 July 2000     

A weighing method to identify the microbial growth phases in solid-state fermentation tests

A general equation correlating the variation rate of the fermenting medium weight (dry matter) and the cell biomass growth rate in solid-state fermentation tests is proposed with the main purpose of identifying the microbial growth phases. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

UV-B辐射对南亚热带森林木本植物幼苗生长的影响

研究了UV -B辐射对广东省南亚热带森林木本植物九节、鸭脚木、猴耳环、半枫荷、山乌桕和绿化树种大叶合欢幼苗生长的影响。实验结果表明 ,UV -B辐射降低叶片光合色素的含量 ;显著降低幼苗的净光合速率、蒸腾速率和气孔导度 ;降低干物质的增长 ;抑制大叶合欢幼苗根瘤的形成     

夜鹭繁殖习性与生长发育研究

１９９４～１９９８年对夜鹭繁殖习性与生长发育进行了研究。夜鹭于４月中下旬迁到浙江,９月下旬、１０月初迁离,居留期１６５天。巢距地高８．５１ｍ。平均窝卵３．４９枚,孵卵期２２～２６天,育雏期３０～３５天。年繁殖力３．５０只。雏鸟体重生长模型为：Ｗｔ＝５６０１＋ｅ＾－０．２３１（ｔ－１２）（Ｒ＾２＝０．９９）;体长、体重关系式为：Ｗ＝０．０００２４６Ｌ＾２．５０２９。雏鸟体温发育分为３个时期：     

等离子体浸没N+注入豌豆种子的生长发育效应初报

就等离子体浸没离子注入豌豆休眠种子后 ,对其生长发育的遗传学效应进行了研究。结果表明 ,经处理后的种子的萌发率明显下降 ,出苗、生长发育均呈滞后现象 ,且降低了株高。 2 0min为半致死剂量。提出等离子体浸设离子注入可以作为诱变育种的一种经济、有效的诱变方法。     

神经生长因子制备工艺的改进及有关问题的讨论

为了达到规模化生产的目的 ,本文在神经生长因子制备工艺前增加了去脂处理 ,省略了CM (I)柱前的透析 ,并对影响生产收量的因素进行了探讨 ,使实验室结果得以有效放大 ,每 2 0 0 0对鼠颌下腺可提取蛋白 91mg ,总活性达 6 9× 10 7Bu。