Vegetation fluctuation in mediterranean dune ponds in relation to rainfall variation and water extraction

Abstract. The structure of dune ponds hygrophytic vegetation has a spatial organisation in belts around the pond basin, closely related to water level and flooding regime. Doñana National Park has an important representation of temporal dune ponds, which are subjected to rainfall fluctuations and may be suffering the impact of water extraction from the neighbouring tourist resort. Permanent transects in a vegetation complex of five dune ponds have been monitored during a eight year period (1990-1997). This period was characterised by a number of dry years (annual rainfall around 300 mm), located between two wet cycles (800-900 mm). Transects were analysed in 1990 (wet period), 1994 (dry) and 1997 (wet) by hierarchical agglomera-tive clustering. During the dry period hygrophytic species showed regression, with a high mortality of some species like Ulex minor, while the xerophytic species advanced to lower areas. Seedlings of some xerophytic species colonised the dry surface of the pond basin. The lowering of the water table varied in the different ponds, ranging from 312 to 190 cm depending on topography and the distance to the pumping area. The new period of flooding during 1995-96 and 1996-97 cycles provided the opportunity for hygrophytic spe cies to re-establish themselves in their original places. This study suggest that changes in vegetation are caused by the interaction between weather conditions and human disturbance (water extractions). In our example man-made disturbance is more marked during the dry periods while wet periods tend to obscure the effects of water extractions. From a management perspective, long-term monitoring of water table and vegetation structure is revealed as a key procedure to the management of land-water ecotones on pressured areas and threatened habitats.     

Resprouting in the Mediterranean‐type shrub Erica australis afffected by soil resource availability

Abstract. Soil resource availability may affect plant regeneration by resprouting in disturbed environments directly, by affecting plant growth rates, or indirectly by determining allocation to storage in the resprouting organs. Allocation to storage may be higher in stressful, low resource‐supply soils, but under such conditions plant growth rates may be lower. These factors could act in opposite directions leading to poorly known effects on resprouting. This paper analyses the role played by soil resources in the production and growth of resprouts after removal of above‐ground plant tissues in the Mediterranean shrub Erica australis. At 13 sites, differing in substrate, we cut the base of the stems of six plants of E. australis and allowed them to resprout and grow for two years. Soils were chemically analysed and plant water potential measured during the summer at all sites to characterize soil resource availability. We used stepwise regression analysis to determine the relationships between the resprouting response [mean site values of the number of resprouts (RN), maximum length (RML) and biomass (RB)] and soil nutrient content and plant water potential at each site. During the first two years of resprouting there were statistically significant differences among sites in the variables characterizing the resprouting response. RML was always different among sites and had little relationship with lignotuber area. RN was less different among sites and was always positively correlated with lignotuber area. RB was different among sites after the two years of growth. During the first months of resprouting, RN and RML were highly and positively related to the water status of the plant during summer. At later dates soil fertility variables came into play, explaining significant amounts of variance of the resprouting variables. Soil extractable cations content was the main variable accounting for RML and RB. Our results indicate that resprout growth of E. australis is positively affected by high water availability at the beginning of the resprouting response and negatively so by high soil extractable cation content at later periods. Some of these factors had previously shown to be related, with an opposite sign, to the development of a relatively larger lignotuber. Indeed, RML and RB measured in the second year of resprouting were significantly and negatively correlated with some indices of biomass allocation to the lignotuber at each site. This indicates that sites favouring allocation to the resprouting organ may not favour resprout growth.     

Effects of simulated feeding by snow geese on Scirpus americanus rhizomes

Summary We simulated the feeding of Greater Snow Geese (Chen caerulescens atlantica) on the rhizomes of three-square bulrush (Scirpus americanus) in a tidal marsh along the St. Lawrence River estuary in Québec. During the spring staging period, aboveground biomass is unavailable and geese feed solely on rhizomes and overwintering buds. An experiment was designed to test the effect of three factors on subsequent growth of Scirpus: the intensity of removal (3 to 77% removal of belowground biomass), the number of bites (1, 2 or 3 sections removed) and the number of adventitious buds removed (1, 2 or 3). Rhizomes were dug out in May, treated and transplanted into 85-1 basins sunk in the marsh and filled with marsh soil freed of all plant material. Growth was observed weekly until the end of the growing season in August. Shoots and rhizomes were then collected, dried and weighed to obtain biomass estimates. The net above- and belowground production of Scirpus was inversely related to the initial rhizome biomass removed. At a high level of removal (>35%), the cumulative number of shoots was significantly reduced as early as two weeks after transplantation. The relative reduction in production of the treated rhizomes compared to the control plants was also related to the intensity of removal. An increased number of bites reduced production and the removal of an increased number of adventitious buds further amplified the effect of removal on rhizome production. These experimental results show that even low intensity of feeding by Snow Geese can reduce the production of Scirpus marshes.     

Enhancement of Stimulation-Evoked Catecholamine Release from Cultured Bovine Adrenal Chromaffin Cells by Forskolin

Acetylcholine (ACh) increased cyclic AMP levels in cultured bovine chromaffin cells with a peak effect at 1 min after the addition. Pretreatment with forskolin (0.3 microM) enhanced the ACh-evoked cyclic AMP increase. The catecholamine (CA) release induced by ACh was enhanced by forskolin, but forskolin alone did not enhance the CA release. The effect of forskolin increased dose-dependently up to 1 microM, but decreased at higher concentrations. Dibutyryl cyclic AMP (DBcAMP) also enhanced ACh-evoked CA release, but the effect was less potent than that of forskolin. Forskolin enhanced both [3H]norepinephrine ([3H]NE) and endogenous CA release evoked by 30 mM K+ from cells that were preloaded with [3H]NE. The effects of forskolin were substantial when CA release was evoked with low concentrations of ACh or excess K+, but decreased with higher concentrations of the stimulants. Forskolin also enhanced the CA release induced by ionomycin and veratrine, or by caffeine in Ca2+-free medium. The potentiation by forskolin of the ACh-evoked CA release was manifest in low Ca2+ concentrations in the medium, but decreased when Ca2+ concentration was increased. These results suggest that cyclic AMP may play a role in the modulation of CA release from chromaffin cells.     

Bathycamptus eckmani gen. et spec. nov. (Copepoda,Harpacticoida) with a review of the taxonomic status of certain other deepwater harpacticoids

Bathycamptus eckmani gen. et spec. nov., which is associated with mudballs produced by the. cirratulid Tharyx luticastellus, is described from bathyal muds in San Diego Trough, off California. ?Heteropsyllus minutus Wells from the Haden Ground, Scotland is considered to be its closest relative and is placed in the same genus. The genera Bathycamptus and Psammocamptus Mielke are regarded as sister groups on the basis of the shared sexual dimorphism shown by P3-P4. Relationships with other marine Canthocamptidae are discussed, and a re-evaluation of the genus Hemimesochra Sars is made. It is concluded that this genus should encompass only the type species H. clavularis Sars. ?Leimia dubia Wells and H. nympha Por are transferred to the new genus Boreolimella, which is closely related to Bathycamptus but not to Leimia Willey. The genus Perucamptus gen. nov. is established to include H. rapiens Becker and shows no clear relationship with the other genera. H. trisetosa Coull is assigned to Caroliiaicola gen. nov., which is regarded as being an advanced member of the Paranannopidae. H. secunda Wells is recognised as belonging to Mesopsyllus Por; whilst H. nixe Por is considered the type species of a new genus Pusillargillus.     

Protein Kinase C of Sympathetic Neuronal Membrane Is Activated by Phorbol Ester-Correlation Between Transmitter Release, 45Ca2+ Uptake, and the Enzyme Activity

The effects of phorbol esters [phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (PDB), 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA), and phorbol 13-acetate] were investigated on the release of [3H]norepinephrine, 45Ca2+ accumulation, and protein kinase C activity in cultured sympathetic neurons of the chick embryo. Sympathetic neurons derived from 10-day-old chick embryo were cultured in serum-free medium supplemented with insulin, transferrin, and nerve growth factor. After 3 days, neurons were loaded with [3H]-norepinephrine and the release of [3H]norepinephrine was determined before and after electrical stimulation. Stimulation at 1 Hz for 15 s increased the release of [3H]-norepinephrine over the nonstimulation period. Stimulation-evoked release gradually declined with time during subsequent stimulation periods. Incubation of neurons in Ca2+-free Krebs solution containing 1 mM EGTA completely blocked stimulation-evoked release of [3H]-norepinephrine. Stimulation-evoked release of [3H]-norepinephrine was markedly facilitated by 3 and 10 nM PDB or TPA. The spontaneous release was also enhanced by PDB and TPA. The net accumulation of 45Ca2+ during stimulation of sympathetic neurons was increased by two- to fourfold in the presence of PDB or TPA. PDB at 1-100 nM produced a concentration-dependent increase in the activation of protein kinase C. PDB at 30 nM increased the activity of protein kinase C of the particulate fraction from 0.09 to 0.58 pmol/min/mg protein. There was no significant change in protein kinase C activity of the cytosolic fraction (0.14 pmol/min/mg versus 0.13 pmol/min/mg protein). The ratio of the particulate to cytosolic protein kinase C increased from a control value of 0.62 to 4.39 after treatment with 30 nM PDB. TPA (10 and 30 nM) also increased protein kinase C activity of the particulate fraction by six- to eightfold. Phorbol 13-acetate had no effect on protein kinase C activity, [3H]norepinephrine release, and 45Ca2+ accumulation. These results provide direct evidence that activation of protein kinase C enhances Ca2+ accumulation, which in turn leads to the facilitation of transmitter release in sympathetic neurons.     

Differences in the Biophysical Properties of the Benzodiazepine/γ-Aminobutyric Acid Receptor Chloride Channel Complex in the Long-Sleep and Short-Sleep Mouse Lines

Significant differences in the thermal stability of benzodiazepine receptors were found in cerebral cortical membranes prepared from the long-sleep (LS) and short-sleep (SS) selected mouse lines. Thus, benzodiazepine receptors from LS mice were heat inactivated (55 degrees C) at a significantly faster rate than those from SS mice. Although gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) reduced the rate of heat inactivation in both lines, the more rapid rate of inactivation in the LS line was maintained. Furthermore, the potency of GABA to enhance [3H]flunitrazepam binding decreased threefold in membranes from LS mice as the incubation temperature was increased from 0 degrees to 37 degrees C, but was unaltered in membranes from SS mice. These differences in the biophysical properties of the benzodiazepine/GABA receptor chloride channel complex ("supramolecular complex"), together with a higher KD for t-[35S]butylbicyclophosphorothionate in membranes from LS compared to SS mice, suggest that the supramolecular complex may modulate the differential sensitivity to some depressants and convulsants in these lines.     

康定虫草主要寄主斜脉蝠蛾的研究

冬虫夏草是一味名贵的中药材.四川康定虫草的主要寄主斜脉蝠蛾翅面色斑多变异,可区分成“黑白斑”和“黄毛斑”两大色斑型.经交配试验和成虫形态特征(触角、口器、翅脉、前足、雌雄外生殖器和鳞片的超微结构等)的观察,证明为同一种,经鉴定是斜脉蝠蛾(Hepialus oblifurcus Chu et Wang)^**.     

色木槭的变异式样及其分类学

色木槭(Aeer mono Maxim.)是分布于亚洲东部的一个变异极大的种。本文报道了7个亚种:色木槭(原亚种)(subsp.mono);海岛色木槭(亚种)(subsp.marmoraturn(Nichols.)T.Z.Hsu);毛萼色木槭(亚种)(subsp.glabrum(Levl.et Vant.)T.Z.Hsu);里光色木槭(亚种)(subsp.trichobasis(Nakai)T.Z.Hsu);金沙色木槭(亚种)(subsp.tricuspis(Rehd.)T.Z.Hsu);弯翅色木槭(亚种)(subsp.incurvaturn(Fang et P.L.Chiu)T.Z.Hsu);粉绿色木槭(亚种)(subsp.glaucum(Koidz.)T.Z.Hsu),讨论了其变异式样和地理分布。