Inoculation with native soil improves seedling survival and reduces non-native reinvasion in a grassland restoration

Losses of grasslands have been largely attributed to widespread land-use changes, such as conversion to row-crop agriculture. The remaining tallgrass prairie faces further losses due to biological invasions by non-native plant species, often with resultant ecosystem degradation. Of critical concern for conservation, restoration of native grasslands has been met with little success following eradication of non-native plants. In addition to the direct and indirect effects of non-native invasive plants on beneficial soil microbes, management practices targeting invasive species may also negatively affect subsequent restoration efforts. To assess mechanisms limiting germination and survival of native species and to improve native species establishment, we established six replicate plots of each of the following four treatments: (1) inoculated with freshly collected prairie soil with native seeds; (2) inoculated with steam-pasteurized soil with native seeds; (3) noninoculated with native seeds; or (4) noninoculated/nonseeded control. Inoculation with whole soil did not improve seed germination; however, addition of whole soil significantly improved native species survival, compared to pasteurized soil or noninoculated treatments. Inoculation with whole soil significantly decreased reestablishment of non-native invasive Bothriochloa bladhii (Caucasian bluestem); at the end of the growing season, plots receiving whole soil consisted of approximately 30% B. bladhii cover, compared to approximately 80% in plots receiving no soil inoculum. Our results suggest invasion and eradication efforts negatively affect arbuscular mycorrhizal hyphal and spore abundances and soil aggregate stability, and inoculation with locally adapted soil microbial communities can improve metrics of restoration success, including plant species richness and diversity, while decreasing reinvasion by non-native species.     

Photosynthetic and biochemical traits change in the green-tide-forming macroalga Ulva pertusa during sporulation1

The physiological and biochemical changes in the green macroalga Ulva pertusa during the progression of sporulation have been characterized. The transition from the vegetative to the sporulation stage was accompanied by an increase in chlorophyll a (Chl a), chlorophyll b (Chl b), and carotenoid content, as well as an increase in DPPH scavenging and responsiveness to diphenylamine. However, oxygen evolution and maximum electron transport rate decreased. The discrepancy between photosynthetic performance and pigment content might relate to the self-shading of spores within a sporangium. Spore-forming U. pertusa thalli were low-light-adapted, due to an increase in the number of photosynthetic units. Decreased electron transport during sporulation might trigger sporulation, as for some cyanobacteria and other Ulva spp., via oxidization of the plastoquinone pool and cyclic phosphorylation, thus producing ATP to generate carbon and nitrogen skeletons required for spores. It is thus concluded that carotenoids function both in spore initiation and/or maturation and in their photoprotection.     

Can the Study of Natural Vegetation Succession Assist in the Control of Soil Erosion on Abandoned Croplands on the Loess Plateau,China?

In the Loess Plateau, China, arable cultivation of slope lands is common and associated with serious soil erosion. Planting trees or grass may control erosion, but planted species may consume more soil water and can threaten long‐term ecosystem sustainability. Natural vegetation succession is an alternative ecological solution to restore degraded land, but there is a time cost, given that the establishment of natural vegetation, adequate to prevent soil erosion, is a longer process than planting. The aims of this study were to identify the environmental factors controlling the type of vegetation established on abandoned cropland and to identify candidate species that might be sown soon after abandonment to accelerate vegetation succession and establishment of natural vegetation to prevent soil erosion. A field survey of thirty‐three 2 × 2–m plots was carried out in July 2003, recording age since abandonment, vegetation cover, and frequency of species together with major environmental and soil variables. Data were analyzed using correspondence analysis, classification tree analysis, and species response curves. Four vegetation types were identified and the data analysis confirmed the importance of time since abandonment, total P, and soil water in controlling the type of vegetation established. Among the dominant species in the three late‐successional vegetation types, the most appropriate candidates for accelerating and directing vegetation succession were King Ranch bluestem (Bothriochloa ischaemum) and Lespedeza davurica (Leguminosae). These species possess combinations of the following characteristics: tolerance of low water and nutrient availability, fibrous root system and strong lateral vegetative spread, and a persistent seed bank.     

UV-B辐射增强对海洋大型藻与微型藻种群生长关系的影响

选用孔石莼和青岛大扁藻为海洋大型藻和微型藻的代表,通过室内添加模拟试验研究了UV-B辐射增强对孔石莼(重量固定)与青岛大扁藻(密度不同)种群生长关系的影响。结果表明:(1)在单养情况下,4个UV-B辐射剂量都对孔石莼的生长产生抑制作用;对青岛大扁藻生长的影响却不同,低剂量(U-1)的UV-B辐射对青岛大扁藻的生长有促进作用,而高剂量的UV-B辐射则有显著的抑制作用;且因初始接种密度不同而各异。(2)在共养情况下,微藻对孔石莼的生长表现出一定的抑制作用,随着微藻初始接种密度的增加,其抑制作用亦增加;反之,在共培养的初始阶段(6 d内)孔石莼对微藻的生长也有抑制作用,但后期阶段(9 d后)表现出促进作用。(3)在共培养的同时附加UV-B辐射处理,随着初始接种密度的增加,青岛大扁藻对孔石莼生长的抑制作用更加明显;同时,与共养相比较,孔石莼对微藻生长的抑制作用亦趋于明显。     

盐度、光照和营养盐对孔石莼(Ulva pertusa)光合作用的影响

通过测定光合作用产氧速率研究了孔石莼Ulvapertusa不育性变种在不同盐度、光强度和营养盐水平下的光合作用特性.结果表明,盐度可影响光合作用速率,在2710lx光强下孔石莼在盐度20‰左右有最大光合作用速率;光合作用参数Pm为79.62O2,μg/cm2*h,Is为191.08μE/m2*s,IC为10.12μE/m2*s;对营养盐(NH4+-N,NO2--N,PO43--P)的吸收特征可用Michaelis-Menten方程描述,低光强(106lx)下氨氮超过0.07mmol/L时可抑制孔石莼的光合作用.     

UV‐B INDUCTION OF UV‐B PROTECTION IN ULVA PERTUSA (CHLOROPHYTA)1

The green macroalga Ulva pertusa Kjellman produced UV‐B absorbing compounds with a prominent absorption maximum at 294 nm in response only to UV‐B, and the amounts induced were proportional to the UV‐B doses. Under a 12:12‐h light:dark regime, the production of UV‐absorbing compounds occurred only during the exposure periods with little turnover in the dark. There was significant reduction in growth in parallel with the production of UV‐B absorbing compounds. The polychromatic action spectrum for the induction of UV‐B absorbing compounds in U. pertusa exhibits a major peak at 292 nm with a smaller peak at 311.5 nm. No significant induction was detected above 354.5 nm, and radiation below 285 nm caused significant reduction in the levels of UV‐B absorbing compounds. After UV‐B irradiation at 1.0 W·m^?2 for 9 h, the optimal photosynthetic quantum yield of the samples with UV‐B absorbing compounds slightly increased relative to the initial value, whereas that of thalli lacking the compounds declined to 30%–34% of the initial followed by subsequent recovery in dim light of up to 84%–85% of the initial value. There was a positive and significant relationship between the amount of UV‐B absorbing compounds with antioxidant activity as determined by the α,α‐diphenyl‐β‐picrylhydrazyl scavenging assay. In addition to mat‐forming characteristics and light‐driven photorepair, the existence and antioxidant capacity of UV‐B absorbing compounds may confer U. pertusa a greater selective advantage over other macroalgae, thereby enabling them to thrive in the presence of intense UV‐B radiation.     

采用稳定碳同位素法分析白羊草在不同干旱胁迫下的水分利用效率

本研究以黄土高原乡土草种白羊草(Bothriochloa ischaemum(L.)Keng.)为研究对象,采用盆栽控制实验,比较白羊草在3个水分处理(CK80%FC、MS60%FC和SS 40%FC)下的生物量积累和分配模式、瞬时水分利用效率(WUE)、不同部位(新叶、老叶、茎、细根、粗根)的稳定碳同位素组成(δ~(13)C)和碳同位素分辨率(Δ~(13)C)及其相互关系,以及干旱胁迫下影响水分利用效率的主导环境因子。结果表明:1)重度干旱胁迫显著降低植物整体生物量,显著增加根冠比和细根生物量比例;2)随着干旱胁迫加剧,白羊草各器官的δ~(13)C均呈上升趋势,Δ~(13)C呈减小趋势,SS处理不同器官δ~(13)C和Δ~(13)C没有显著差异,CK和MS处理的各器官δ~(13)C均值表现分别为细根粗根老叶新叶茎、细根新叶老叶粗根茎,CK和MS处理Δ~(13)C的值总体呈根叶茎。3)新叶的δ~(13)CNL和Δ~(13)CNL与WUE的相关系数均最大,说明利用稳定碳同位素方法测定白羊草水分利用效率具有可行性。4)不同水分处理的WUE的主导影响因子不同,CK、MS、SS水分处理WUE分别受到叶面温度、大气水汽压亏缺和空气温度的影响最大。为采用稳定碳同位素方法指示白羊草水分利用效率可行性及阐明植物的胁迫响应机制提供理论依据。     

Chromosome number in South American species of Bothriochloa (Poaceae: Andropogoneae) and evolutionary history of the genus

Mitotic chromosome number of 14 taxa of Bothriochloa native to Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay were surveyed. Chromosome numbers of B. eurylemma, B. meridionalis and B. velutina are reported for the first time, with 2n = 6x = 60, and this ploidy level is the most common among the studied taxa. In addition, new cytotypes were found for B. alta (2n = 60), B. barbinodis (2n = 60), B. exaristata (2n = 80), B. laguroides var. torreyana (2n = 80), B. longipaniculata (2n = 60 and 80), B. perforata (2n = 60) and B. springfieldii (2n = 60). These numbers differ from those reported in the literature.     

BACTERIA THAT INDUCE MORPHOGENESIS IN ULVA PERTUSA (CHLOROPHYTA) GROWN UNDER AXENIC CONDITIONS1

Marine foliaceous green macroalgae such as Ulva lose their typical morphology when cultured aseptically in defined synthetic media. However, after reinfection by certain marine bacteria (isolated from unialgal cultures of Ulva pertusa Kjellman), the organisms regain their typical foliaceous or tubular morphology. To investigate the morphogenesis (MG) induced in U. pertusa by bacteria, we isolated and identified bacteria with MG activity on U. pertusa and studied the distribution of such bacteria in seawater and on various marine macroalgae. We isolated 1555 bacterial strains from 18 species of marine macroalgae (six Chlorophyta, five Phaeophyta, and seven Rhodophyta), from seawater and from sediment collected at the beach at Omaezaki, Shizuoka Prefecture; Japan. Of these, 676 bacterial strains (43.5%) showed MG activity. They were classified into six bacterial groups, Flavobacterium, Vibrio, Pseudomonas, Deleya, Escherichia, and gram-positive cocci. These bacteria were ubiquitous among the samples and were not specific to U. pertusa. Several plant growth regulators had no MG activity. Filter-sterilized supernatants of culture media of MG-active bacteria strains did not induce MG. Cocultivation of Ulva with active bacterial strains is so far the only way to induce the MG effect, which suggests that for MG direct contact between Ulva and the bacterial strain is necessary.     

Tolerances of Old World bluestems to an acid soil high in exchangeable aluminum

Summary Twenty-nine genotypes of Old World bluestems (Bothriochloa intermedia, B. ischaemum andB. caucasica) were screened for Al tolerance in greenhouse pots of acid Tatum subsoil which was unlimed at pH 4.1 and limed at pH 5.3. Three strains of weeping lovegrass (Eragrostis curvula) and El Reno side-oats grama grass (Bouteloua curtipendula) were also included as indicators of acid and alkaline soil tolerance, respectively. At pH 4.1 only 5 of the 29 bluestems and the 3 weeping lovegrasses produced measurable yields of tops or roots. The remaining 24 bluestems and side-oats grama either died or barely remained alive (due to frequent watering) with no appreciable growth. Weeping lovegrass was significantly more tolerant to the acid soil than any of the bluestems; relative top yields (pH 4.1/pH 5.3) were 101, 94 and 79% for the FQ71, common and FQ22 strains, respectively. Among the 5 bluestems that survived at pH 4.1, relative top yields ranged from 19 to 46%. Bluestems PI 300860 and PI 300857 (bothB. intermedia) appeared more tolerant than PI 300886 (B. intermedia) and PI 312442 (B. caucasica) with PI 300858 (B. intermedia) being intermediate; however, all 5 showed promise for use on acid soils that are high in exchangeable Al. Genotypes that failed to grow at pH 4.1 included members ofB. intermedia, B. ischaemum andB. caucasica. Some of these, such as PI 300825 (B. intermedia) and PI 300765 (B. caucasica), were among the highest yielders at pH 5.3. None of the 10 genotypes ofB. ischaemum survived at pH 4.1.