Daily and seasonal variation in water relations of macchia shrubs and trees in France (Montpellier) and Turkey (Antalya)

Based upon two different research studies in the mediterranean regions of France and Turkey, drought resistance strategies were investigated in a broad group of species. The diurnal and seasonal patterns of the water relations of different lifeforms from the thermo-mediterranean to submediterranean lifezones were compared. Three sites near Montpellier, in Southern France, and five sites near Antalya, Turkey were used for this comparison. Xylem pressure potential and relative stomatal aperture were the key water relations parameters collected in France while these parameters as well as osmotic potential and leaf conductance were studied in Turkey.From the 26 different study species investigated in France, 7 distinct types of stomatal control were observed, with the deciduous lifeforms showing the least control, the sclerophyllous and coniferous evergreens the greatest control and the malacophyllous shrublets intermediate levels of control. Predawn water potential values provided a means of classifying species according to their temporal and spatial utilization of site water reserves. The comparison of turgor potentials (difference between water and osmotic potentials) gave an insight into leaf adaptations to site moisture. Species with high predawn water potentials generally maintain positive turgor even at midday during the summer, whereas species with low predawn values were frequently at zero turgor even at predawn. Phlomis grandiflora was the most extreme species with mid-summer predawns and midday water potentials of –6 MPa and osmotic potentials never more negative than –2.4 MPa.     

The stability of the molybdenum-azotochelin complex and its effect on siderophore production in Azotobacter vinelandii

 Azotobacter vinelandii produces five siderophores with different metal binding properties, depending on the concentrations of Fe(III) and molybdate in the growth medium. The three lower protonation constants of the unusual bis(catecholamide) siderophore azotochelin (L) were determined by a simultaneous spectrophotometric and potentiometric titration as log K ₅=3.65(5), log K ₄=7.41(3) and log K ₃=8.54(4). The metal-ligand equilibrium constant for [MoO₂(L)]^3– was obtained from analysis of the absorbance concentration data: at 20  °C and pH 6.6, log K _eq=4(1). Based on an average log K _a value of 12.1 for the two basic phenolic oxygens of azotochelin, the equilibrium formation constant was converted into the conventional formation constant K _f(MoL) = [MoO₂L^{3 –}]/[MoO₂ ²⁺][L^{5 –}] = 10³⁵ M^–1. To assess the influence of molybdenum-siderophore interactions on metal uptake in A. vinelandii, the dose-response effect of molybdate in the growth medium on siderophore biosynthesis was followed by UV-vis spectroscopy and HPLC. It could be shown that the formation of molybdenum siderophore complexes clearly reduces the concentration of free siderophores available for iron solubilization. Furthermore, in media with initial molybdate concentrations up to 100 μM, the molybdenum azotochelin complex is the predominant molybdenum species, suggesting that azotochelin might also possess sequestering activity towards molybdenum. Even higher molybdate levels result in a complete repression of the synthesis of the tetradentate siderophore azotochelin, while they initiate the alternative release of the more efficient iron chelator, the hexadentate siderophore protochelin. Received: 20 April 1998 / Accepted: 29 June 1998     

Zur Verbreitung der gelben Narzisse (Narcissus pseudonarcissus L.) auf Primär- und Sekundärstandorten in Mittel- und Nordwesteuropa

N. pseudonarcissus und N. poeticus kommen in Nordwest- und Mitteleuropa sekundär in armen Triseteten und Arrhenathereten vor. N. pseudonarcissus hat weitere Vorkommen im Calthion, Molinion und Nardo-Galion; N. poeticus im Mesobromion. Primärstandorte von N. poeticus sind im Caricion ferrugineae, von N. pseudonarcissus im Calamagrostion arundinaceae zu finden Förderlich für die Entwicklung von N. pseudonarcissus ist ein ausgeglichenes Klima mit kühlen Sommern und milden Wintern Auf Grünlandstandorten wird N. pseudonarcissus durch einen phänologi-schen Vorsprung vor den anderen Wiesenarten gefördert; es ist dabei gleichgültig, ob dieser durch Wiesenbewässerung, durch “natural mulch” oder durch ein atlantisches Klima erreicht wird N. pseudonarcissus kommt in Wäldern im Acerion der Vogesen und in Niederwäldern der Ardennen vor. Auch hier ist die bodenklimatische Begünstigung in Abhängigkeit vom Waldtyp und der Exposition der ökologisch wichtigste Faktor     

Spectrophotometric competition study between molybdate and Fe(III) hydroxide onN,N′-bis(2,3-dihydroxybenzoyl)-l-lysine,a naturally occurring siderophore synthesized byAzotobacter vinelandii

The solubilization of Fe(III) hydroxide by the naturally occurring siderophoreN,N-bis(2,3-dihydroxybenzoyl)-l-lysine has been investigated spectrophotometrically in the presence and the absence of a stoichiometric amount of molybdate in aqueous medium at pH 7. In the absence of molybdate the reaction is 50% complete after 115 min. In contrast, the addition of an equimolar amount of molybdate results in an instantaneous formation of the molybdenum siderophore complex and a significant delay in the formation of the corresponding iron complex: 50% of the iron complex is present after 44 h and equilibrium is only reached after 2 weeks. The results are discussed with regard to metal acquisition by the nitrogen fixing cells ofAzotobacter vinelandii.     

A study of the polymorphism and ethnic distribution differences of human serum paraoxonase

The enzyme serum paraoxonase shows a polymorphism in Europeans which is governed by two alleles. The first allele has a gene frequency p_low of 0.716–0.777, and is manifested as a low activity group in homozygotes. More than 50% of all European test subjects can be included in this group. A second allele with a gene frequency q_high of 0.223–0.284 was found in typical European distributions and is manifested in both the form of a second heterozygotic and a third homozygotic group with high activities. The Hardy-Weinberg rule for a two-allele model is valid for the distribution. The gene frequency p_low of the first allele decreases as one moves from Europe in the direction of Africa and Asia. In typical Mongoloid and Negroid collectives, less than 10% of the population can be included in the low-activity group, a group which is not even demonstrable in the Aborigines of Australia. The serum paraoxonase of the Aborigine population shows unimodal distribution. The validity of the Hardy-Weinberg rule for a three-allele model must be rejected in all examined collectives. Human serum paraoxonase shows neither age-related changes in activity nor sex-dependent activity differences.