Diel methane emission patterns from Scirpus lacustris and Phragmites australis

In mature Phragmites australis and Scirpus lacustris vegetated sediment methane was emitted almost exclusively by plant-mediated transport, whereas in unvegetated, but otherwise identical sediment, methane was emitted almost exclusively by ebullition. Diel variations in methane emission, with highest emission rates at daytime and emission peaks following sunrise, were demonstrated for Phragmites and Scirpus. The diel difference and magnitude of the emission peaks were much smaller for Scirpus than for Phragmites. In contrast to Phragmites, methane concentrations within Scirpus stems did not change significantly over the diel period. These patterns are consistent with a two-way transport mechanism for Phragmites (convective at daytime and diffusive at night-time) and an all day diffusive mechanism for Scirpus. The patterns could not be accounted for by diel variation in air and sediment temperature, plant transpiration, or photosynthetically coupled methane production. Comparison of the experimentally derived ratio of methane emission in helium and nitrogen under light and dark conditions with the theoretical derived ratio (calculated according to the kinetic theory of gases) confirmed the exploitation of the different transport mechanism for Phragmites and Scirpus. Methane emission from Phragmites correlated significantly with incident light, which probably drove the pressure differential associated with thermally induced convection. Decrease of the radial resistance of Scirpus stems for methane transport under light compared to dark conditions, in combination with morphological characteristics of the plant species, suggested that stomatal aperture, regulated by light, controls methane emission from Scirpus. Diel variation in bubble emission from the non-vegetated sediment coincided with sediment temperature changes. The results have important implications for sampling and scaling strategies for estimating methane emission from wetlands.     

Wood chip soil amendments in restored wetlands affect plant growth by reducing compaction and increasing dissolved phenolics

Adding chipped wood to soil ameliorates compaction, allowing faster plant growth that is critical to successful wetland restorations. Following the filling and planting of an erosion gully in Halstead Meadow, Sequoia National Park, the tallest leaf height and maximum clone width of transplanted Scirpus microcarpus seedlings were negatively correlated with soil compaction. Plant height decreased by 9.8 cm and width decreased by 11.9 cm per MPa of soil compaction (range of 0.74–4.50 MPa). We experimentally amended mineral soil in a test trench and found that every 0.10 cm³/cm³ addition of wood chips (range of 0.00–0.75 cm³/cm³) reduced compaction by 0.174 MPa. Had the Halstead Meadow gully fill contained an equivalent volume of wood chips to the reference area soil organic matter content (0.64 cm³/cm³), we predict compaction would have been reduced by 1.11 MPa, increasing individual transplant width spread by 36%, approximately doubling the vegetated area after two growing seasons. In a greenhouse phytometer experiment, conifer bark leachate (phenolics 211 mg/L) significantly reduced plant growth and, in the presence of added nutrients, increased the production of the enzyme polyphenol oxidase (PPO). However, phenolics concentration in bark‐free conifer wood leachate (12 mg/L), similar to field‐sampled concentrations, did not affect plant growth or PPO production. Pure conifer bark is not recommended as a soil amendment, but the addition of low‐bark‐content wood chips to gully fill may be a feasible and effective means of reducing soil compaction, accelerating plant establishment, and lowering wetland restoration project costs.     

水位变化对高原湿地湖滨带优势植物水葱的生长胁迫

干旱等引起的水位变化使大面积湖泊湿地湖滨带退化消失,其对湿地植物及其群落的影响是近年来的研究热点,对生长于零地面水位环境水葱(实验组)的生长特性(相对生长速率、基茎、分枝数)和抗性相关物质(茎丙二醛、脯氨酸含量)进行研究,与正常水环境(淹水约20 cm)下生长的水葱(对照组)进行对比,以揭示地面水位变为零(干旱)对水葱生长产生的影响。结果表明:不同实验时间段,水葱的相对生长速率不同,5月,实验组和对照组分别为2.00 cm·d-1和3.18 cm·d-1;6月中上旬,分别为2.35 cm·d-1和2.44 cm·d-1;6月中下旬,分别为0.95 cm·d-1和0.99 cm·d-1;7月之后,分别为0.02 cm·d-1和0.05 cm·d-1。实验组水葱平均分枝数为2.94枝/丛,对照组为4.86枝/丛;实验组水葱基径为5.15 mm,对照组为7.33 mm;实验组水葱茎的相对含水量为73.28%,对照组为75.28%;实验组水葱平均丙二醛、脯氨酸含量分别为10.27μg·kg-1和9.44μmol·kg-1,对照组分别为6.46μg·kg-1和6.40μmol·kg-1。实验组和对照组水葱除了茎相对含水量差异不显著,其余指标均差异显著(对照组优于实验组),这表明地面水位变为零相对不利于生葱生长,会降低主要植物为水葱的湿地生态系统的生产力,最终加速该种湿地生态系统退化演替。研究结果可为揭示气候变化(干旱)对湿地挺水植物的生长以及对高原湿地生态系统的影响提供科学依据。     

Helophyte germination in a Mediterranean salt marsh: Gut‐passage by ducks changes seed response to salinity

Question: In seeds which are regularly consumed by waterbirds in the field, how does gut‐passage modify their response to salinity gradients? Location: Doñana National Park salt marsh, south‐west of Spain. Methods: Seeds of Scirpus litoralis and Scirpus maritimus were collected and force fed to mallards (Anas platyrhynchos). Both the ingested seeds (passage) and non‐ingested seeds (controls) were exposed, in germination chambers, to a salinity range similar to that observed in the field (0–32 dS/m). After 30 days, the total percentage germination, the duration of the dormancy period and the germination speed were computed. The response of the different germination parameters to ingestion and salinity was analyzed using generalized lineal models. Recovery tests on seeds that did not germinate in the various treatments and tests of the effect of ingestion on the intrinsic variability in seed response were also performed. Results: An increase in salinity reduced germinability and increased the length of dormancy, while gut pas sage increased the intrinsic variability of the temporal seed response in both species. In S. litoralis there was a significant interaction between the effects of salinity and passage on germination rate. Passage increased germination rate at low salinities (≤2 dS/m) but decreased it at high salinities (≥4 dS/m). Conclusion: Gut‐passage by ducks significantly changes seed response to salinity. The outcome of plant‐animal interactions can be influenced by environmental gradients. Studies of germination in response to gut passage that do not take such gradients into account may produce misleading results.     

Local competitive effects of introduced Spartina alterniflora on Scirpus mariqueter at Dongtan of Chongming Island, the Yangtze River estuary and their potential ecological consequences

Dongtan of Chongming Island, Shanghai, China is a wetland of international importance, in which dominant vegetation is Scirpus mariqueter community that supports a great diversity of bird species. Spartina alterniflora, native to the eastern and gulf coasts of the USA, was intentionally introduced to the tidelands of Dongtan in May 2001. Field work were conducted at Dongtan from March 2002 to May 2003 to determine how introduced S. alterniflora affects S. mariqueter population dynamics. The results obtained here show that S. alterniflorahad strong competitive effects on S. mariqueter, and that the introduction of S. alterniflora to S. mariqueter community resulted in a significant decreases of S. mariqueter's abundance, coverage, seed and fresh corm output after two growing seasons. A concomitant consequence might be the decline in bird diversity. It is suggested that further introduction of S. alterniflora should be avoided to conserve the wetlands and their associated birds. A plan for controlling further spread of existing S. alterniflora populations in the Yangtze River estuary is urgently needed.     

水体阿特拉津残留对水葱生物量及生理特性的影响

利用营养液水培法, 研究了5个阿特拉津(atrazine)浓度(1、2、4、8和16 mg·L^-1)下水葱(Scirpus tabernaemontani)鲜重、叶片相对含水量(RWC)、丙二醛(MDA)含量、过氧化物酶(POD)活性、根系活力和叶绿素含量等的变化。结果表明, 水葱在阿特拉津胁迫下, 鲜重、RWC、叶绿素含量均有不同程度的下降, 根系活力和POD活性降低, 同时MDA含量上升, 膜脂过氧化程度加剧。由于阿特拉津的降解, 这种不良影响随处理时间的延长而减弱。但其对叶绿素含量的影响具持久性; 培养60天内, 叶绿素含量仍显著低于正常水平。阿特拉津浓度越高, 对水葱的植物毒性越高, 当浓度高于8 mg·L^-1时, 水葱的生长和生理活动受到显著影响(p < 0.05); 低于1 mg·L^-1时, 与对照无显著差异。     

Litter Decomposition of Scirpus maritimus L. in a Mediterranean Coastal Marsh: Importance of the Meiofauna during the Initial Phases of Detached Leaves Decomposition

Growth, senescence and decomposition rates of Scirpus maritimus were studied in a Mediterranean brackish wetland. Plant tussocks were tagged in March, 2002 and were totally dead by September, 2002. Decomposition rates were determined over 360 days using litter bag technique and mass loss, nutrient dynamics, fungal biomass, meiofauna and macroorganisms were determined. Decomposition rate of detached S. maritimus litter was 0.00196 (k, day^–1) with a 54% of mass lost observed in 1 year. The pattern of mass loss was characterized by an initial phase of fast loss of organic matter with high density of meiofauna and a decrease of oxygen content, followed by two slower phases, with no significant losses from 50 to 180 days and with 21% of mass lost from 180 to 360 days. Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) content of plant litter increased during decomposition process whereas atomic C:N and C:P ratios decreased, suggesting a nutrient immobilization on plant detritus. Fungal biomass measured as ergosterol content decreased after submersion of leaves, indicating that their importance in litter decomoposition decreases in submerged leaves during the first days of decomposition. An inverse relationship (r = –0.79, P < 0.005) was observed between ergosterol content and nematodes density on S. maritimus litter. Our results suggest that in Mediterranean brackish marshes, where large amounts of dead organic matter is accumulated over the sediment surface, decomposition process is greatly affected by extremely high temperatures in summer that, if water is available, accelerates microbial activity decreasing oxygen content thus slowing decomposition. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

山东藨草属(广义)植物果皮微形态特征及其分类学意义

利用光学显微镜和扫描电镜对山东产藤草属Scirpus L.(广义)11个类群的坚果果皮微形态进行了观察和研究,该属11种的微形态可以分为4个类型,即:Ⅰ波形网状纹饰,Ⅱ网瘤状复合纹饰,Ⅲ平滑型纹饰,Ⅳ横长网状纹饰.研究结果支持将藤草属Scirpus L.(广义)中藨草亚属Subgen.Scirpus的具球茎藨草组Sect.Bolboschoenus Ascheron、藨草组Sect.Scirpus和丝状刚毛藤草组Sect.Trichophorum (Pers.) Darl.分别提升为三棱草属Bolboschoenus( Ascheron) Palla和蔗草属Scirpus L.以及将藤草属Scirpus L.(广义)中秆苞蔗草亚属Subgen.lsolepis的湖边藨草组Sect.Schoenoplectus Reichb.和藨草组Sect.Actaeogeton Reichb提升为水葱属Schoenoplectus( Rchb.)Palla的处理意见.认为应在水葱属下设立湖边水葱组Sect.Schoenoplectus ( Reichb.)F.Z.Li & L.N Liu,藨草组Sect.Actaeogeton( Reichb.)F.Z Li & L.N.Liu,剑苞藤草组Sect.Ehrenbergii F.Z.Li & L.N.Liu.支持将青岛藤草Scirpus trisetosus Tang et Wang作为藤草Scirpus triqueter L.异名处理的意见.并对山东藨草属种类的学名进行了订证.     

荆三棱化学成分的研究（I）

我们前期从红花锦鸡儿(Caragana rosea)中发现两个具有抗HIV活性成分seirpusin A和B(含量仅约百万分之一),为了寻找富含该化合物的新的植物资源,我们对产于黑龙江省的荆三棱(Scirpus yagara)的化学成分进行了研究,从其乙醇提取物的乙酸乙酯萃取部位分离到6个化合物.通过1H NMR分析及与对照品TLC比较,分别鉴定为:白桦醇(1),对羟基桂皮酸(2),scirpusin A(3),白藜芦醇(4),piceatannol(5)及scirpusin B(6).其中,化合物scirpusin A和B,在该植物中含量丰富(含量分别为0.017%和0.013%).     

Effects of oxygen level on metabolism and development of seedlings of Trapa natans and two ecologically related species

Seeds of the water plant Trapa natans L. (water chestnut) can germinate in strict anoxia. The seedlings show seminal roots growing upwards while shoot buds remain quiescent until O₂ becomes available. Trapa seedlings are highly tolerant to anoxia. The rate of ethanol fermentation was 21.2 μmol (g FW)⁻¹ h⁻¹, while production of lactate was negligible and lower than that of succinate. The seminal root of Trapa compares better to the rice coleoptile rather than to the rice root, both functionally and as to the metabolic response to anoxia. The anaerobic germination of Nuphar luteum L. and Scirpus mucronatus L. was also characterized by a limited developmental program.