Intraspecific variation in the response of Themeda triandra to defoliation: the effect of time of recovery and growth rates on compensatory growth

Summary The response to a single defoliation was studied on three clones of Themeda triandra collected in the short, mid, and tall grassland regions of the Serengeti National Park (Tanzania). These sites represent a gradient of decreasing grazing intensity. Growth, allocation pattern, and several morphometric traits were monitored during an 80-day period. Clipped plants of the short and medium clones fully compensated for the reduction of biomass, while plants of the tall clone showed overcompensation. During the first two weeks after clipping, clipped plants showed lower relative growth rates than unclipped ones, whereas the opposite was observed later on. Clipped plants compensated for the removal of leaf area by producing new leaves with lower specific weights and higher nitrogen content. They also produced more, smaller tillers. Although clipped plants mobilized nonstructural carbohydrates from roots and crowns, this did not account for a significant amount of growth. Relative growth rates of unclipped plants of the short clone were higher. The relative growth rate of the short clone diminished less after clipping, but also exhibited the lowest increase later. The tall clone was the most negatively affected early, but showed the highest compensation later. Compared to the other clones, the short ecotype showed many of the characteristics that defoliation induced in each individual of any clone: higher allocation to leaf area production, higher relative growth rate, higher number but smaller size of tillers, and lower leaf specific weights.     

Effect of stress and time for recovery on the amount of compensatory growth after grazing

Summary We tested the hypothesis that the amount of compensatory growth after defoliation is affected by the level of stress at which plants grow when defoliated and by the length of time for recovery. Growth response to defoliation went from partial compensation when plants were growing at high relative growth rates (RGR) to overcompensation when plants were more stressed and growing at low RGR. Defoliation released plants from the limitation imposed by the accumulation of old and dead tissue and this release overrode the negative effect of biomass loss. Compensatory growth resulted from a higher RGR aboveground that was not associated with a reduction in RGR belowground. Time available for recovery had a major impact on the outcome of defoliation. With a short time for recovery, RGR was decreased by defoliation because an immediate increase in net assimilation rate was overridden by a reduction in the ratio of leaf area to plant weight. After defoliation, this ratio increased quickly due to a larger allocation to leaf growth and lower leaf specific weights, resulting in higher RGR. We conclude that the compensatory response to grazing depends on the type and level of stress limiting growth. Allocation and physiological responses to stress may positively or negatively affect the response to grazing and, simultaneously, grazing may alleviate or aggravate the effects of different types of stress.     

Autumn stomatal closure in six conifer species of the Central Rocky Mountains

Summary Environmental and water relations parameters during fall were monitored for six conifer tree species common to the central Rocky Mountains growing naturally at the same location (Pinus contorta, Pinus ponderosa, Pinus flexilus, Pseudotsuga menziesii, Abies lasiocarpa, Picea engelmannii). Subsequent to what appeared to be the beginning of seasonal stomatal closure, leaf conductance to water vapor declined sharply following the onset of freezing air temperatures at night. A coincident rapid decline in morning xylem pressure potentials (_p) also occurred which resulted in values that were considerably below afternoon _p. Continuing decreases in maximum leaf conductance during the day were highly correlated with corresponding decreases in minimum nocturnal air temperatures of the preceding night. By mid-December, morning _p returned to values very near afternoon _p and were only slightly lower than before the onset of subfreezing nights. A preliminary model is proposed which interprets the qualitative interaction between air and soil temperatures, soil and plant water potentials, and leaf conductance during seasonal stomatal closure in fall.     

Enteroviral and Mumps Meningitis in Toronto, 1963

Virological investigations of 115 children with the aseptic meningitis syndrome during 1963 resulted in the isolation of enteroviruses from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and/or feces of 21 of 48 children who had no association with mumps. For the third successive year, Echo 9 was the dominant enterovirus in cases of aseptic meningitis in Toronto children, but no rashes were associated with Echo 9 meningitis during 1963, in contradistinction to previous years. Mumps virus was isolated from CSF of 25 patients by inoculation of rhesus monkey kidney cultures, and rising or elevated mumps antihemagglutinin titres in paired sera from a further 33 cases provided laboratory evidence of infection with mumps virus in 58 of 67 patients with mumps meningoencephalitis. No enlargement of salivary glands was noted in 20 laboratory-proved cases of mumps meningoencephalitis. Enteroviral meningitis occurred principally during summer, but the peak of mumps meningoencephalitis occurred during late winter.     

Comparative effects of trichothecene mycotoxins on bovine platelet function: Acetyl T-2 toxin,a more potent inhibitor than T-2 toxin

The effects of the trichothecene mycotoxins (acetyl T-2 toxin, T-2 toxin, HT-2 toxin, palmityl T-2 toxin, diacetoxyscirpenol (DAS), deoxynivalenol (DON), and T-2 tetraol) on bovine platelet function were examined in homologous plasma stimulated with platelet activating factor (PAF). The mycotoxins inhibited platelet function with the following order of potency: acetyl T-2 toxin > palmityl T-2 toxin = DAS > HT-2 toxin = T-2 toxin. While T-2 tetraol was completely ineffective as an inhibitor, DON exhibited minimal inhibitory activity at concentrations above 10×10^?4M. The stability of the platelet aggregates formed was significantly reduced in all mycotoxin treated platelets compared to that of the untreated PAF controls. It is suggested that the increased sensitivity of PAF stimulated bovine platelets to the more lipophilic mycotoxins may be related to their more efficient partitioning into the platelet membrane compared to the more hydrophilic compounds.     

Phylogenetic relationships among transposon-like elements in human and primate DNA

A THE-1 sequence in intron 7 of the human dystrophin gene has been found to represent a new subfamily of THE-1 elements. The sequence is closely related to the MstII family of repetitive sequences and is more like single-copy sequences found in the galago genome than any other THE-1 sequence previously reported. This new THE-1 sequence has been compared with two other complete THE-1 sequences and three related long-terminal repeat elements that we have previously found in intron 7 of the dystrophin gene, and with members of the same family from elsewhere in the primate genome. Parsimony and deletion analysis show that the cluster of THE-1 sequences in intron 7 of the dystrophin gene has arisen from at least three individual insertion events, rather than from the insertion and duplication of a single progenitor sequence. Correspondence to: G.B. Petersen     

The effects of clipping and fertilization on nitrogen nutrition and allocation by mycorrhizal and nonmycorrhizal Panicum coloratum L., a C4 grass

Summary Mycorrhizal and nonmycorrhizal plants of Panicum coloratum L. were grown in a factorial treatment design under two nitrogen levels and two clipping heights with an unclipped control. The nitrogen concentration in different plant components was determined following 9 weeks of growth under experimental conditions. Mycorrhizal infection increased green leaf and sheath nitrogen concentration by a relatively small, but significant percentage and had no effect on nitrogen allocation to the various plant components. Clipping increased leaf nitrogen concentration but inhibited growth to the extent that, when compared with the unclipped controls, less nitrogen remained in residual plant biomass with up to half of the total nitrogen allocated to offtake (the material removed by clipping). Plants receiving the higher nitrogen fertilization had higher tissue concentration of N and more N allocated to above-ground living tissues. Mycorrhizal infection interacted with clipping height and also with N availability significantly. Infection was unable to ameliorate the negative effects of the most severe clipping regime and of the low nitrogen availability on leaf and sheath N content. This is possibly due to mycorrhizal demand for carbohydrates competing with the carbohydrate requirement of roots for nitrogen uptake.     

Net charge transport during sodium-dependent calcium extrusion in isolated salamander rod outer segments

The light-sensitive current and the current associated with the extrusion of internal Ca2+ in exchange for external Na+ have been recorded from detached rod outer segments from the salamander retina by the use of the whole-cell voltage clamp technique. No significant current-carrying mechanisms are present in the outer segment membrane apart from the light-sensitive conductance and the Na:Ca,K exchange, and exchange currents can therefore be recorded directly without the use of subtraction procedures or pharmacological blockers. The charge moved by the exchange was studied by loading outer segments with a known amount of calcium and then recording the exchange current on return to a Na(+)-containing solution. Calcium is not sequestered to any significant extent in a slowly exchanging internal store, as the charge recovered is unaffected if admission of the Na(+)-containing solution is delayed for 40 s. The number of charges flowing into the cell in exchange for each Ca2+ ion extruded was found not to deviate significantly from one over a wide range of ionic conditions and membrane potentials. These results show that the stoichiometry of the exchange is fixed over a wide range of conditions, and that the size of the inward exchange current is therefore directly proportional to the rate of Ca2+ efflux through the carrier.     

吐鲁番市胃食管反流病发生相关危险因素分析（附280例报道）

目的：探讨280例胃食管反流病（GERD）的分布特点及危险因素。方法：对临床诊断和胃镜确诊的280例GERD患者进行临床和风险因子相关性分析。结果：不论汉族还是维族,男性患者比例均明显高于女性;汉族患者高发年龄段早于维族患者（z=-2．939,P=0．003,）;汉族和维族患者占反流性食管炎和Barrett食管比例分别为42．4％、81_3％及56．5％、18．8％,其中汉族患者Barrett食管比例较高（X2=14．358,P=0．000）;肥胖、习惯性便秘、重体力活动者、饮食习惯不良在维族患者中的比例较高（P〈0．001）。结论：GERD与性别、年龄密切相关,男性多于女性,汉族患者发病年龄高峰旱于维族患者;汉族患者Barrett食管发生比例高于维族患者;肥胖、习惯性便秘、重体力活动、饮食习惯不良可能是GERD尤其是维族人群GERD的危险因素。