Effects of climatic warming on cold hardiness of some northern woody plants assessed from simulation experiments

Effects of climatic warming on cold hardiness were investigated for some northern woody plants. In the first experiment, seedlings of Norway spruce ( Picea abies [L.] Karst.), Scots pine ( Pinus sylvestris L.) and lodgepole pine ( Pinus contorta Dougl. var. latifolia Engelm.) were exposed to naturally fluctuating temperatures averaging −6°C (ambient) and 0°C (elevated) for 16 weeks in midwinter before they were thawed and re-saturated with water. In lodgepole pine, needle sugar concentrations had decreased by 15%, and the temperature needed to induce 10% injury to needles in terms of electrolyte leakage had increased by 6°C following treatment to elevated as compared with control temperatures. In contrast, Norway spruce and Scots pine showed no effects. The lack of an effect for Scots pine was ascribed to seedlings containing unusually large energy reserves that buffered respiratory expenditure of sugars. A strong, linear relationship between levels of cold hardiness, assessed by the electrolyte leakage method, and sugars was found when combining data from this and previous, similar experiments. In the second experiment, the evergreen dwarf shrub Empetrum hermaphroditum Hagerup was analysed for leaf cold hardiness, using the electrolyte leakage method, and sugar concentrations in late spring and late autumn during the third year of a warming experiment in a subarctic dwarf shrub community. The objective was to test the hypothesis that warming in the growing season alters hardening/dehardening cycles by increasing soil nitrogen mineralization and plant growth. Data found, however, suggested that cold hardening/dehardening cycles were unaffected by warming.     

Short-term effects of simulated environmental change on phenology, leaf traits, and shoot growth of alpine plants on a temperate mountain, northern Japan

In order to assess the responses of circumpolar and semicircumpolar plants growing around their southern distribution margins to artificial warming, we set up 11 open-top chambers (OTCs) on a fell-field (1680 m a.s.l.) in the Taisetsu Mountains, northern Japan. The OTCs increased mean air temperature by 1.3°C through the growing season (June–September) and extended the length of the growing season. We examined phenology and leaf traits of plants in the OTCs and control plots during the first season under artificial warming treatment using two deciduous and three evergreen species. Ledum palustre (evergreen shrub), Vaccinium uliginosum , and Arctous alpinus (deciduous shrubs) showed earlier leaf emergence and/or flowering in the OTCs. Deciduous shrubs had longer individual leaf longevity and an extended foliage period in the OTCs than in the control plots. There were no significant differences in specific leaf area and leaf size for many species between the OTCs and the control plots. Vaccinium vitis-idaea (evergreen shrub), L. palustre, A. alpinus , and Empetrum nigrum (evergreen shrub) had lower leaf nitrogen concentration in the OTCs than in the control plots, whereas it was higher in V. uliginosum . Only E. nigrum showed larger annual shoot growth in the OTCs. No clear differences in response to the warming effect were detected between evergreen and deciduous species in the first season. Circumpolar plants growing in temperate alpine regions may be more affected by season length rather than temperature itself.     

Coastal sand dune stabilization in the Pacific Northwest

Coastal dunes are stabilized in three stages: (1) The initial stage uses sand-stilling grasses established vegetatively. For this purpose, European beachgrass,Ammophila arenaria (L.) Link., is most used, followed by American beachgrass,A. breviligulata Fern., or American dunegrass,Elymus mollis Trin. Large solid plantings must be made with the spacing and number of plants per hill adjusted to the site conditions. Plantings, using Nitrogen fertilizer, are made during the dormant season. (2) Secondary permanent grasses and legumes are seeded 2 years later when sand movement slows and the initial grasses begin to lose their vigor. Most used are seaside lupine,Lupinus littoralis Dougl., purple beachpea,Lathyrus japonicus Willd., seashore bluegrass,Poa macrantha Vasey., and native red fescue,Festuca rubra L. (3) Final control is with woody plants that are well adapted to rough areas. Scotch broom,Cytisus scoparius (L.) Link. Hooker willow,Salix hookeriana Barratt, Nootka rose,Rosa nutkana Prese., and shore pine Pinus contorta Dougl., have been extensively used.Presented at the Seventh International Biometeorological Congress, 17–23 August 1975, College Park, Maryland, U.S.A.     

Seasonal respiration of foliage, fine roots, and woody tissues in relation to growth, tissue N, and photosynthesis

Autotrophic respiration may regulate how ecosystem productivity responds to changes in temperature, atmospheric [CO₂] and N deposition. Estimates of autotrophic respiration are difficult for forest ecosystems, because of the large amount of biomass, different metabolic rates among tissues, and seasonal variation in respiration rates. We examined spatial and seasonal patterns in autotrophic respiration in a Pinus strobus ecosystem, and hypothesized that seasonal patterns in respiration rates at a common temperature would vary with [N] for fully expanded foliage and fine roots, with photosynthesis for foliage, and with growth for woody tissues (stems, branches, and coarse roots). We also hypothesized that differences in [N] would largely explain differences in maintenance or dormant‐season respiration among tissues. For April–November, mean respiration at 15 °C varied from 1.5 to 2.8 μmol kg^?1 s^?1 for fully expanded foliage, 1.7–3.0 for growing foliage, 0.8–1.6 for fine roots, 0.6–1.1 (sapwood) for stems, 0.5–1.8 (sapwood) for branches, and 0.2–1.5 (sapwood) for coarse roots. Growing season variation in respiration for foliage produced the prior year was strongly related to [N] (r² = 0.94), but fine root respiration was not related to [N]. For current‐year needles, respiration did not covary with [N]. Night‐time foliar respiration did not vary in concert with previous‐day photosynthesis for either growing or fully expanded needles. Stem growth explained about one‐third of the seasonal variation in stem respiration (r² = 0.38), and also variation among trees (r² = 0.43). We did not determine the cause of seasonal variation in branch and coarse root respiration, but it is unlikely to be directly related to growth, as the pattern of respiration in coarse roots and branches was not synchronized with stem growth. Seasonal variations in temperature‐corrected respiration rates were not synchronized among tissues, except foliage and branches. Spatial variability in dormant‐season respiration rates was significantly related to tissue N content in foliage (r² = 0.67), stems (r² = 0.45), coarse roots (r² = 0.36), and all tissues combined (r² = 0.83), but not for fine roots and branches. Per unit N, rates for P. strobus varied from 0.22 to 3.4 μmol molN^?1 s^?1 at 15 °C, comparable to those found for other conifers. Accurate estimates of annual autotrophic respiration should reflect seasonal and spatial variation in respiration rates of individual tissues.     

Participation of the cyanide-resistant pathway in respiration of winter rape leaves as affected by plant cold acclimation

Leaf slices sampled from winter rape plants ( Brassica napus L., var. oleifera L., cv. GórczaánAski), grown in cold (5°C), showed an increase in the dark respiration rate (measured at 25°C) as compared to slices cut from control plants (grown at 20/15°C). The effect of low temperature was most pronounced after 4 days of plant growth in the cold. Oxygen uptake by control slices was 60% inhibited by 1 m M KCN and was insensitive to 2.5 m M salicylhydroxamic acid (SHAM). On the contrary, respiration of leaf slices from cold-pretreated plants was more resistant to cyanide (35% inhibition after 4 days of cold treatment) and was 30% inhibited by SHAM. The patterns of cold-induced changes in total respiratory activity and in the estimated activity of alternative pathway were similar. It seems that in leaf slices from plants grown in the cold, the cyanide-resistant, alternative pathway participates in oxygen uptake. Cold treatment of plants also brought about a 4-fold increase in the level of soluble sugars, which reached a maximum on day 4 of exposure to cold. Addition of sucrose to the incubation medium resulted in an immediate increase in oxygen uptake by slices with low endogenous sugar level. The respiration stimulated by sucrose addition was more resistant to cyanide than the basal respiration and it was inhibited by SHAM. It is concluded that the operation of the alternative pathway is responsible for the increased oxygen uptake by the cold-grown winter rape leaves and it may be induced by an increased sugar supply for respiratory processes.     

Respiration and soluble sugar metabolism in sugar pine embryos

Embroys excised from dormant seeds of sugar pine ( Pinus lambertiana Dougl.) incubated at 25°C (non-dormancy-breaking) or stratified at 5°C (dormancy-breaking) were analyzed to determine temperature effects on the relative activities of respiration and fermentative metabolism, the levels of soluble sugers and the activities of the hydrolytic enzymes, invertase and sucrose synthase, as related to the release of dormancy and germinatio. At 25°C, despite a sharp drop in embryo oxygen uptake after 48 h, a simultaneous decline in acetaldehyde and ethanol concentrations indicated that there was not a shift to fermentative metabolism. The concentrations of soluble sugars showed no treatment effects. Embryo invertase (EC 3.2.1.26) activity changed only slightly at either temperature, while stratification was accompanied by a 4-fold increase in sucrose synthase (EC 2.4.1.13) activity (cleavage direction). Upon transfer of stratified seeds to 25°C, embryo sucrose synthase activity rapidly increased almost 10-fold, with the increase beginning prior to germination, while mvertase activity increased 20-fold, concomitant with germination.     

Growth,sugar accumulation,and dark respiration of suspension cell cultures derived from contrasting alfalfa cultivars

Fall dormancy results in decumbent, slow shoot growth of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) in autumn and reduced shoot regrowth rates after herbage removal in summer. Although fall dormancy is used to predict alfalfa adaptation, we possess a poor understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying fall dormancy. Our objective was to examine growth and carbohydrate metabolism of suspension cell cultures derived from contrasting alfalfa cultivars that genetically differed in fall dormancy. Suspension cells were grown in B5h media containing 2% sucrose. Cells derived from fall non-dormant plants accumulated sugars more rapidly after transfer to fresh media and to higher concentrations than did cells derived from fall dormant alfalfa cultivars. Dark respiration rates of cells derived from non-dormant plants were similar to those derived from fall dormant plants when growth was limited at low cell sugar concentrations. However, both cell growth and dark respiration rates increased in cells derived from non-dormant cultivars in response to greater cell sugar concentrations. High growth rates of cells derived from rapid growing, fall non-dormant alfalfa cultivars were associated with rapid sugar uptake and higher cell respiration rates when compared to cells derived from dormant alfalfa cultivars.     

CO2浓度升高对长白山三种树木幼苗叶碳水化合物和氮含量的影响

研究了持续 3个生长季高浓度CO2 处理的长白山主要树种红松、长白赤松和水曲柳幼苗叶 (片 )的蔗糖、果糖、可溶性总糖、淀粉及全氮含量变化 .结果表明 ,前两个生长季 70 0 μmol·mol-1CO2 处理 ,促进了水曲柳和长白赤松幼苗的淀粉累积 ,70 0和 5 0 0 μmol·mol-1CO2 却使红松幼苗的全N含量明显降低 .第三个生长季高浓度CO2 处理的第一周和第二周 ,红松和水曲柳幼苗的淀粉含量增加 ,全N含量降低 ,第八周时 ,水曲柳仍维持原来的变化趋势 .第三个生长季高浓度CO2 处理 ,并未使长白赤松的C、N含量有明显的增减 .CO2 浓度影响了碳水化合物在叶 (片 )中的积累形式     

A method for establishing ectomycorrhiza on conifer seedlings in steady-state conditions of nutrition

Scots pine ( Pinus sylvestris L.), and Norway spruce ( Picea abies (L.) Karst.) seedlings, inoculated with Suillus bovinits (L. ex Fr.) O. Kuntze and Paxillus involutus (Batsch) Fr., were grown on sloping plastic plates in growth units. A circulating nutrient solution flowed continuously over the plates. Nutrients in balanced proportions previously found to be appropriate for conifers, were added at a specified relative addition rate, in exponentially increasing amounts. The conductivity of the solution was kept low and stable (<50 μS cm⁻¹). No carbohydrates were added.
Seedling nitrogen concentration and relative growth rate attained steady states in both inoculated and uninoculated treatments. The fungi infected the short roots within a few days and formed typical mantles and Hartig nets. This occurred in all treatments, including conditions of free access to nutrients, in which the nutrient concentration of the seedlings was optimal. The growth rate of the extramatrical mycelium was very high.     

Foliage influences forced convection heat transfer in conifer branches and buds

Conifer foliage structures affect branch and bud temperature by altering the development and convective resistance of the thermal boundary layer. This paper examines foliage effects on forced convection in branches and buds of Picea glauca (Moench) Voss and Pinus contorta Dougl. Ex. Loud., two species that represent the range of variation in foliage structure among conifers. Forced convection is characterized by a power law relating Nusselt (heat transfer) and Reynolds (boundary layer development) numbers. Data were collected in a laminar flow wind tunnel for free stream velocities of 0.16-6.95 m s(-1). Scaling parameters were compared against literature values for silver cast branch replicas, a bed of real foliage, cylinders, and tube banks. Foliage structures reduced Nusselt numbers (heat transfer) relative to cylinders, which are typically used to approximate leafless branches and buds. Significantly different scaling relationships were observed for all foliage structures considered. Forced convection scaling relationships varied with foliage structure. The scaling relationships reported here account for variation within populations of branches and buds and can be used to characterize forced convection in a forest canopy.     

Measuring and simulating crown respiration of Scots pine with increased temperature and carbon dioxide enrichment

Acclimation to elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration and temperature of respiration by the foliage in the crown of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) trees is measured and modelled. Starting in 1996, individual 20-year-old trees were enclosed in chambers and exposed to either normal ambient conditions (CON), elevated CO2 concentration (EC), elevated temperature (ET) or a combination of EC and ET (ECT). Respiration of individual leaves within the crown was measured in 2000. To extrapolate the response of respiration of individual leaves to the whole crown, a multi-layer model was developed and used to predict daily and annual crown respiration, in which the crown structure and corresponding microclimate data were used as input. Respiration measurements showed that EC led to higher Q10 values (4.6%) relative to CON, but lower basal respiration rates at 20 degrees C [R1.d(20)] (-7.1%) during the main growth season (days 120-240), whereas ET and ECT both reduced Q10 (-12.0 and -9.8%, respectively) throughout the year but increased R1.d(20) (27.2 and 21.6%, respectively) during the period of no-growth, and slightly reduced R1.d(20) (-1.7 and -2.8%, respectively) during the main growth season. Model computations showed that annual crown respiration increased: (1) by 16% in EC, with 92% of this increase attributable to the increase in foliage area; (2) by 35% in ET, with 66% related to the increase in foliage area and 17% to the rise in ambient temperature; and (3) by 27% in the case of ECT, with 43% attributable to the increase in foliage area and 29% to the rise in ambient temperature. Changed respiration parameters for individual leaves, induced by treatments, made only a small contribution to the annual crown respiration compared with the increased foliage area. The effects of changes in crown architecture and nitrogen distribution, caused by treatments, on the daily and annual course of crown respiration are discussed.     

Changes in leaf nitrogen and carbohydrates underlie temperature and CO2 acclimation of dark respiration in five boreal tree species

We tested the hypothesis that acclimation of foliar dark respiration to CO₂ concentration and temperature is associated with adjustments in leaf structure and chemistry. Populus tremuloides Michx. , Betula papyrifera Marsh. , Larix laricina (Du Roi) K. Koch , Pinus banksiana Lamb., and Picea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P. were grown from seed in combined CO₂ (370 or 580 μ mol mol^–1) and temperature treatments (18/12, 24/18, or 30/24 °C). Temperature and CO₂ effects were predominately independent. Specific respiration rates partially acclimated to warmer thermal environments through downward adjustment in the intercept, but not Q ₁₀ of the temperature–response functions. Temperature acclimation of respiration was larger for conifers than broad-leaved species and was associated with pronounced reductions in leaf nitrogen concentrations in conifers at higher growth temperatures. Short-term increases in CO₂ concentration did not inhibit respiration. Growth in the elevated CO₂ concentration reduced leaf nitrogen and increased non-structural carbohydrate concentrations. However, for a given nitrogen concentration, respiration was higher in leaves grown in the elevated CO₂ concentration, as rates increased with increasing carbohydrates. Across species and treatments, respiration rates were a function of both leaf nitrogen and carbohydrate concentrations ( R ² = 0·71, P < 0·0001). Long-term acclimation of foliar dark respiration to temperature and CO₂ concentration is largely associated with changes in nitrogen and carbohydrate concentrations.     

Contents of macro-, microelements and long-lived radionuclides in the medicinal plants belonging to the wetland community of Siberian region,Russia

Studied contents of macro-, microelements and long-lived radionuclides in the following medicinal plants belonging to the wetland community of Siberian region, Russia: Sphagnum fuscum (Schimp.) Klinggr., Sphagnum balticum (Russ.) Russ. ex С. Jens., Polytrichum strictum Brid., Pinus sylvestris L., Pinus sibirica Du Tour, Betula pubescens Ehrh., Andromeda polifolia L., Ledum palustre L., Oxycoccus palustris Pers., Rubus chamaemorus L., Vaccinium uliginosum L., Comarum palustre L., Chamaedaphne calyculata (L.) Moench. Samples were collected in the sphagnum wetlands of Tomsk region and Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug. For the purpose of research, we used roots, shoots and bark of the plants in the Pinophyta and Magnoliophyta species and turf of the Bryophyta species. The content of macro-, microelements in the plants was determined by an atomic emission spectrometer with inductively coupled plasma “iCAP 6300 Duo” of the “Thermo Scientific” company. The specific activities of the long-lived radionuclides Th-232, K-40, Ra-226, Cs-137 were measured by a gamma-ray spectrometric complex with a high purity germanium semiconductor detector by “ORTEC” (AMETEK) and a digital analyser “ORTEC DSPEC LF”. The obtained results of the element content are useful when selecting a medicinal plant species (or part thereof) which may be used in preparation of new medicinal drugs.     

Growth and reproduction of aphids and levels of free amino acids in Scots pine and Norway spruce in an open-air fumigation with ozone

To estimate the susceptibility of conifer seedlings to aphids under future tropospheric ozone levels, Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) seedlings were exposed to ambient and elevated ozone levels in an open-air exposure system. Growth and reproduction of the aphids Schizolachnus pineti and Cinara pinea on Scots pine and Cinara pilicornis on Norway spruce were monitored. Levels of free amino acids in foliage and young shoots were used as indicators of host plant quality. In elevated treatment plots the ozone doses were between 1.2 and 1.7 times the dose in ambient plots in 1990–93. Half of the seedling material in 1992–93 was subjected to nitrogen fertilization treatment to evaluate the effects of increased N deposition. In 1990, population density of S. pineti on pine did not differ between ambient and elevated ozone treatments during growing season, but remained higher in the elevated ozone plot than in the ambient plot at the end of the growing season. This was associated with elevated levels of glutamic acid in foliage. In August 1992, the numbers of S. pineti were consistent between the two ambient ozone plots, but deviated highly between the two ozone-fumigated plots. Glycine concentration in pine foliage was elevated by ozone, but free amino acid concentrations were not related to aphid performance. In 1993, ozone and nitrogen did not significantly affect the relative growth rate (RGR) of S. pineti or C. pinea nymphs on Scots pine, but glutamic acid concentration in foliage was increased by nitrogen fertilization. On Norway spruce, fecundity of C. pilicornis females was higher in elevated ozone treatment, but RGR of nymphs was not affected in 1992. In 1993, RGR of C. pilicornis nymphs was increased by nitrogen fertilization in June, but not affected by ozone. Nitrogen fertilization increased the levels of total free amino acids, aspartic acid, glutamic acid and proline in elongating shoots of Norway spruce, and ozone reduced the concentrations of valine and γ-butyric acid. Our results suggest that availability of nitrogen from soil has a stronger impact on the concentrations of free amino acids in conifer seedlings than ozone. Some episodes of high ozone concentration may increase free amino acids in foliage. Aphid response to ozone was extremely variable, in agreement with previous laboratory experiments. The expected 20–70% increase in ambient concentrations of tropospheric ozone may in some occasions enhance aphid performance on Scots pine and Norway spruce seedlings, but in most cases the ozone effect on the susceptibility of conifer seedlings to sucking insect pests is not important.     

Host plant phenology affects performance of an invasive weevil, Phyllobius oblongus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), in a northern hardwood forest

We investigated how host plant phenology and plant species affected longevity, reproduction, and feeding behavior of an invasive weevil. Phyllobius oblongus L. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is common in northern hardwood forests of the Great Lakes Region. Adults emerge in spring, feed on foliage of woody understory plants, and oviposit in the soil. Preliminary data indicate that adults often feed on sugar maple, Acer saccharum Marshall, foliage early in the season, then feed on other species such as raspberry, Rubus spp. Whether this behavior reflects temporal changes in the quality of A. saccharum tissue or merely subsequent availability of later-season plants is unknown. We tested adult P. oblongus in laboratory assays using young (newly flushed) sugar maple foliage, old (2-3 wk postflush) sugar maple foliage, and raspberry foliage. Raspberry has indeterminate growth, thus always has young foliage available for herbivores. Survival, oviposition, and leaf consumption were recorded. In performance assays under no-choice conditions, mated pairs were provided one type of host foliage for the duration of their lives. In behavioral choice tests, all three host plants were provided simultaneously and leaf area consumption was compared. Adults survived longer on and consumed greater amounts of young maple and raspberry foliage than old maple foliage. P. oblongus preferred young maple foliage to old maple foliage early in the season, however, later in the growing season weevils showed less pronounced feeding preferences. These results suggest how leaf phenology, plant species composition, and feeding plasticity in host utilization may interact to affect P. oblongus population dynamics.     

Growth,nutrition and gas exchange of Pinus resinosa following artificial defoliation

Summary In three experiments, red pine (Pinus resinosa Ait.) seedlings and trees were subjected to artificial defoliations of varying intensities and subsequent growth, gas exchange and nutritional responses were monitored. In Experiment 1, 2-year-old seedlings received 0, 1 or 2 50% defoliations during a single growing season and were maintained in 1 of 3 low nutrient supply treatments. In Experiment 2, response of 4-year-old seedlings was monitored in the year following 0, 25, 50 or 75% defoliation, while in Experiment 3, response of 11-year-old trees was measured 1 year after being defoliated by 0, 33 or 66%. Regardless of intensity of defoliation, or plant size, clipped plants made qualitatively similar allocational and metabolic adjustments over time. First, leaf diffusive conductance and rates of net photosynthesis were stimulated, especially by light to intermediate defoliation. However, there was no effect of defoliation on foliar nitrogen concentration, and elevated gas exchange rates apparently resulted from altered root-shoot dynamics. Second, allocation of new biomass was preferentially shifted towards foliage at the expense of roots, gradually restoring (but undershooting or overshooting) the ratio of foliage: roots of control plants. During the period when foliage: root balance was being restored, the stimulation of needle gas exchange rates disappeared. Plants defoliated by 25% overcompensated in terms of whole plant growth (were larger at harvest than controls), due to shifts in allocation and enhanced photosynthesis. Defoliated plants also stored a proportionally greater share of their carbohydrate reserves in roots than did control plants, even 1 year after clipping.     

Root Respiration and Carbohydrate Status of Two Wheat Genotypes in Response to Hypoxia

To investigate root respiration and carbohydrate status in relationto waterlogging or hypoxia tolerance, root respiration rateand concentrations of soluble sugars in leaves and roots weredetermined for two wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genotypes differingin waterlogging-tolerance under hypoxia (5% O₂) and subsequentresumption of full aeration. Root and shoot growth were reducedby hypoxia to a larger extent for waterlogging-sensitive Coker9835. Root respiration or oxygen consumption rate declined withhypoxia, but recovered after 7 d of resumption of aeration.Respiration rate was greater for sensitive Coker 9835 than fortolerant Jackson within 8 d after hypoxia. The concentrationsof sucrose, glucose and fructose decreased in leaves for bothgenotypes under hypoxia. The concentration of these sugars inroots, however, increased under hypoxia, to a greater degreefor Jackson. An increase in the ratio of root sugar concentrationto shoot sugar concentration was found for Jackson under hypoxicconditions, suggesting that a large amount of carbohydrate waspartitioned to roots under hypoxia. The results indicated thatroot carbohydrate supply was not a limiting factor for rootgrowth and respiration under hypoxia. Plant tolerance to waterloggingof hypoxia appeared to be associated with low root respirationor oxygen consumption rate and high sugar accumulation underhypoxic conditions.Copyright 1995, 1999 Academic Press Oxygen consumption rate, sugar accumulation, Triticum aestivum L., waterlogging tolerance     

华南地区8种常见园林地被植物抗旱性比较研究

以华南地区8种常见园林地被植物为研究对象,在温室内设置盆栽控水试验,分组测定各参试植物的永久萎蔫率,叶片失水率、相对含水量、相对电导率、可溶性糖、脯氨酸以及丙二醛含量等生理生化指标,并用隶属函数法对其抗旱性进行综合评价。结果表明:(1)植物的永久萎蔫率和叶片失水率以鹅掌藤、白蝴蝶相对较低,其植株表现出较强的抗旱性。(2)随着持续干旱时间的延长,8种地被植物的叶片相对含水量呈不同程度下降趋势;叶片相对电导率、MDA含量均有不同程度升高;叶片可溶性糖和脯氨酸含量的变化趋势不一。(3)3种木本植物的抗旱性强弱依次为鹅掌藤>红花龙船花>红背桂,5种草本植物依次为水鬼蕉>蚌兰>白蝴蝶>葱兰>大叶红草。研究表明,植物的永久萎蔫率、叶片失水率、相对含水量、相对电导率、丙二醛含量与其实际抗旱性密切相关,可作为评价园林地被植物抗旱性的有效指标。     

Temperature responses of dark respiration in relation to leaf sugar concentration

Changes in leaf sugar concentrations are a possible mechanism of short‐term adaptation to temperature changes, with natural fluctuations in sugar concentrations in the field expected to modify the heat sensitivity of respiration. We studied temperature‐response curves of leaf dark respiration in the temperate tree Populus tremula (L.) in relation to leaf sugar concentration (1) under natural conditions or (2) leaves with artificially enhanced sugar concentration. Temperature‐response curves were obtained by increasing the leaf temperature at a rate of 1°C min^?1. We demonstrate that respiration, similarly to chlorophyll fluorescence, has a break‐point at high temperature, where respiration starts to increase with a faster rate. The average break‐point temperature (T_RD) was 48.6 ± 0.7°C at natural sugar concentration. Pulse‐chase experiments with ¹⁴CO₂ demonstrated that substrates of respiration were derived mainly from the products of starch degradation. Starch degradation exhibited a similar temperature‐response curve as respiration with a break‐point at high temperatures. Acceleration of starch breakdown may be one of the reasons for the observed high‐temperature rise in respiration. We also demonstrate that enhanced leaf sugar concentrations or enhanced osmotic potential may protect leaf cells from heat stress, i.e. higher sugar concentrations significantly modify the temperature‐response curve of respiration, abolishing the fast increase of respiration. Sugars or enhanced osmotic potential may non‐specifically protect respiratory membranes or may block the high‐temperature increase in starch degradation and consumption in respiratory processes, thus eliminating the break‐points in temperature curves of respiration in sugar‐fed leaves.     

A Comparison of Phenolic Constituents of Pinus monticola Resistant and Susceptible to Cronartium ribicola

Polyphenols and simple phenols in Pinus monticola Dougl. foliage and hark were studied in relation to host resistance to Cronartium ribicola J. C. Fisch. ex Rabenh. More than 50 phenolic substances were detected but no qualitative differences were found between resistant and susceptible trees. Some evidence is given for a quantitative relationship between one polyphenol in white pine foliage and resistance to blister rust. This compound may be a guaiacyl derivative. Differences in phenolics due to tree-to-tree variation, needle age, tissue (foliage versus bark), and season of year are also reported.