Antifungal constituents of Northern prickly ash, Zanthoxylum americanum Mill.

Leaf, fruit, stem, bark and root of Zanthoxylum americanum were investigated for antifungal activity with 11 strains of fungi representing diverse opportunistic and systemic pathogens, including Candida albicans, Cryptococcus neoformans and Aspergillus fumigatus. All extracts demonstrated a broad spectrum of antifungal activity and inhibited at least eight fungal species in a disk diffusion assay (600 microg/disk). Antifungal activity was light-dependent, with fruit and leaf extracts most active in general. The presence of light-mediated compounds, such as psoralen, 8-methoxypsoralen and imperatorin in extracts of different organs was confirmed by RP-HPLC. A high furanocoumarin content was detected in fruit and leaf and low furanocoumarin levels were found in bark and wood. A high positive correlation was observed between total furanocoumarin content and fungal inhibition zones (r2=0.902, p<0.001). The results provide a phytochemical basis for the very widespread use of Z. americanum in indigenous North American ethnomedical tradition for conditions that may be related to fungal infections.     

栒子属（Cotoneaster Medikus）3种植物的比较形态与统计分析

用数量统计的方法对栒子属（Cotoneaster Medikus）植物水栒子（C. multiflorus Bge.）、毛叶水栒子（C. submultiflorus Popov.）和黑果栒子（C. melanocarpus Lodd.）的23个形态指标进行了研究。平均值和变异系数表明不同性状在不同种内的变异程度有所不同,黑果栒子的种内变异幅度较小;方差分析结果显示18个性状的种间差异显著,黑果栒子与其它两者的差异更明显;逐步判别分析筛选出了6个种间划分的关键性状（叶下被毛、花梗被毛、叶基部在中脉处的形状、叶顶端在中脉处的形状、上1/4叶缘的弧向、叶柄长/叶长）,并把82份材料明确分为3组;毛叶水栒子的大部分形态性状具有水栒子和黑果栒子的居间性,但其种级地位合理。     

山茱萸种质资源数量性状评价及相关性分析

对从全国收集的75份山茱萸种质资源,从叶长、叶宽、果实横径、果实纵径、鲜果百粒重、种子千粒重、种子含水量、枣皮灰分、枣皮水分、水溶性浸出物和马钱素含量等表型性状,分析其变异系数和各性状间的相关性.分析结果显示,75份山茱萸种质资源在叶长、叶宽、鲜果百粒重、种子千粒重、枣皮灰分和马钱素含量等性状上的变异系数均高于10％,说明这些性状变化范围较大,个体间性状不稳定,易受环境因素的影响;而果实横径、果实纵径、种子含水量、枣皮水分和水溶性浸出物的变异系数均低于10％,说明这些性状变异较小,表型性状比较稳定.相关性分析结果显示,各性状间都存在一定的相关性,其中果实纵径和果实横径与鲜果百粒重呈显著正相关(0.396和0.312,P ＜0.01),说明果实纵横径是影响果实重量的关键因素;水溶性浸出物大小与果实横径(0.481,P＜0.01)、果实纵径(0.280,P＜0.05)、马钱素含量(0.372,P＜0.01)呈现显著性正相关,表明水溶性浸出物含量的高低与山茱芰有效成分马钱素含量和果实大小及形状密切正相关,这将为种质的筛选、评价和新品种选育提供依据.     

Frugivory by Small Vertebrates Within a Deforested, Dry Tropical Region of Central America

Small vertebrates were inventoried within three habitat types in a degraded dry forest region of Panama. Animals were classified as frugivorous if they were observed foraging on fruit or if fecal samples contained mostly or exclusively seeds. Overall, we found that eight bat species and 21 bird species consumed fruit. The greatest numbers of birds were observed within live fences and bird species richness was greatest within riparian forests. Bat assemblages were not significantly different between habitats. The implication is that ecosystem services such as seed dispersal may still be functional in this landscape.     

山茱萸种质资源数量性状分析及核心种质库评价

对从全国收集的75份山茱萸种质资源,从叶长、叶宽、果实横径、果实纵径、鲜果百粒重、种子千粒重、种子含水量、枣皮灰分、枣皮水分、水溶性浸出物和马钱素含量等表型性状,通过分析其变异系数和各性状间的相关性,采用欧氏系统聚类法抽取核心种质,并对构建的核心种质库进行评价。分析结果显示,75份山茱萸种质资源在叶长、叶宽、鲜果百粒重、种子千粒重、枣皮灰分和马钱素含量等性状上的变异系数均高于10%,说明这些性状变化范围较大,个体间性状不稳定,易受环境因素的影响;而果实横径、果实纵径、种子含水量、枣皮水分和水溶性浸出物的变异系数均低于10%,说明这些性状变异较小,表型性状比较稳定。相关性分析结果显示,各性状间都存在一定的相关性,其中果实纵径和果实横径与鲜果百粒重呈显著正相关(0.396b和0.312b),说明果实纵横径是影响果实重量的关键因素;水溶性浸出物大小与果实横径、果实纵径、马钱素含量呈现显著性正相关(0.481b、0.280a和0.372b),表明水溶性浸出物含量的高低与山茱萸有效成分马钱素含量和果实大小及形状密切正相关,这将为种质的筛选和评价提供依据。通过最小距离逐步抽样法抽出22份种质构成核心种质库（占初始种质库的29.33%）,采用欧氏距离聚类对抽样构成的初级核心种质库进行评价,结果显示,各性状均值t检验均不显著,并且极差符合率（CR%= 90.63%）大于80%,说明抽取的初级核心种质库能够很好地代表原有种质,从而达到了提高种质保存效率的目的,这将为进一步研究山茱萸核心种质库构建和其它药用植物构建核心种质提供参考。     

14C-Studies on Apple Trees. IV. Photosynthate Consumption in Fruits in Relation to the Leaf-Fruit Ratio and to the Leaf-Fruit Position

The photosynthate consumption in apple fruits in relation to the leaf/fruit ratio was studied in sections of branches of the Graasten and Golden Delicious varieties by exposure to ¹⁴CO₂during July and August. A significant, negative correlation was found between the fixation of ¹⁴C in the fruits in terms of percent of the total amount of ¹⁴C absorbed and the leaf/fruit ratio of the branch sections. The leaf area required for the saturation of one fruit was found to be ca. 190 and 230 cm² (14 and 17 leaves) in the case of Golden Delicious, and ca. 400 and 670 cm² (25 and 42 leaves) for Graasten in July and August, respectively, calculated under conditions of large leaf areas per fruit. In such cases a fairly good, reverse proportionality exists between the ¹⁴C fixation in the fruit in terms of percent and the leaf area expressed in multiples of saturation area. At low leaf/fruit ratios, however, the actual saturation area is found to be lower than the theoretically computed one. The translocation of the ¹⁴C assimilated in the leaves of the extension shoots or of spurs without fruits to fruits on other spurs was on the whole promoted by a decreasing leaf/fruit ratio in the parts in question; similarly the greatest transport took place on the side where the leaf/fruit ratio was lowest. The fixation was often greatest in the fruit closest to the treated leaves, hut in a number of cases the value was higher for the second closest or even further removed fruits. In this connection the importance of the size of the fruit and the vascular connections is discussed.     

Litter fall of the paperbark tree (Melaleuca cuticularis) in the marshes of the Blackwood River Estuary,Western Australia

Paperbark low closed forest, dominated by Melaleuca cuticularis, produced 430 g (dry weight), m^?2 of litter over a year, containing some 3.4 g.m^?2 of nitrogen and 77 mg.m^?2 of phosphorus. Twigs and bark made up more than 50% of the total annual litter fall. The twigs and bark contribute most of the nitrogen (54 %) and phosphorus (56%), compared with leaf fall (37% and 35%) and flower and fruit fall (8% and 9%). The fall of leaves, twigs and bark was primarily related to wind, and flower and fruit fall was greatest after flowering. The litter must make a significant contribution to the accretion of peat. Since the forest covers some 200 ha of the lower Blackwood River estuary, it may contribute some 8001 of litter to the ecosystem each year, containing some 6600 kg of nitrogen and 154 kg of phosphorus.     

Constituents from the bark of Tabebuia impetiginosa

The bark of Tabebuia impetiginosa afforded nineteen glycosides, consisting of four iridoid glycosides, two lignan glycosides, two isocoumarin glycosides, three phenylethanoid glycosides and eight phenolic glycosides. Their structures were determined using both spectroscopic and chemical methods. Iridoid glycosides, phenylethanoid glycosides and lignan glycosides had ajugol, osmanthuside H and secoisolariciresinol 4-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside as their structural elements, respectively, whereas the aglycone moieties of the isocoumarin glycosides were considered to be (-)-6-hydroxymellein. Phenolic glycosides had 4-methoxyphenol, 2,4-dimethoxyphenol, 3,4-dimethoxyphenol, 3,4,5-trimethoxyphenol and vanillyl 4-hydroxybenzoate as each aglycone moiety. Additionally, the sugar chains of these isocoumarin glycosides and phenolic glycosides were concluded to be beta-D-apiofuranosyl-(1-->6)-beta-D-glucopyranoside as well as those of osmanthuside H and above phenylethanoid glycosides.     

Relationship between occurrence of Phytophthora cambivora on plants in hardy ornamental nursery stocks and detection of the pathogen from water ponds

Phytophthora cambivora was isolated from rooted bases and roots of Castanea sativa, Chamaecyparis lawsoniana and Cotoneaster spp. as well as from water ponds Located in HNS. In the laboratory trials the species colonised leaf blades and stem parts of 3 tested plant species. Differentiated reaction of tested plant species on P. cambivora was observed.     

Candida nonsorbophila sp. nov., a new ascomycetous yeast species isolated in Thailand

Four yeast strains, RS42, SSK10, ST-520 and ST-521, isolated from water in a mangrove forest, bark of a tree and fruit of Ficus sp., respectively, were found to represent a hitherto undescribed anamorphic species. The four strains are related to Candida sinolaborantium in the D1/D2 domain of the large subunit rRNA gene, but differed by eight nucleotide substitutions and two indels, and for this reason are regarded as members of a separate species. Because ascospore formation was not detected, it is described as a new species of Candida, Candida nonsorbophila sp. nov. The type strain is RS42^T (BCC 25963^T=NBRC 103860^T=CBS 10862^T). This species is distinguished from C. sinolaborantium by the inability to assimilate l -sorbose, l -rhamnose and galactitol, and a higher maximum growth temperature.     

Chemotaxonomic Studies in Ferula of China on the Basis of Flavonoids

Sixteen species of Ferula L. (Umbelliferae) were examined for their leaf flavonoids, and at least 9 glycosides of quercetin, kaempferol and apigenin are detected in 13 species. While most of the constituents reported are common in the Umbelliferae, the unusual one, apigenin-6, 8-C-diglucoside, which was found in Ostericum Hoffm. in an earlier survey has been detected in F. moschata (F. sumbul) The three species (F. sinkiangensis, F. fukangensis and F. krylovii) from which flavonoids have not been found, are all medicinal plants with strong garliky odor due to a high concentration of essential oils containing disulfides. The subgenus Peucedanoides is found to be rich in quercetin glycosides, and the aglycon pattern seems to have some relationship with habitat conditions in the genus: the species occurring in comparatively humid habitats are often large herbs and often characterized by the presence of quercetin, while those growing in dry habitats contain apigening kaepferol, as well as quercetin. Nevertheless, any conclusion with certainty needs examining more species of the genus. It is interesting to note that F. moschata, from which the glycosylapigenin was found, and F. pseudooreoselinum, which probably has a trace amount of kaempferol glycoside, are peculiar in Ferula in their inflorescence morphology. The phytochemic results also raise a suspicion against their systematic position within the genus. F. bungeana, previously placed in the subgenus Peucedanoides, has relatively great similarities with F. syreitschkowii of the subgenus Narthex in their general morphology and fruit anatomy. In the present survey apigenin-7-glycoside is detected from both, and thus it seems more suitable to transfer the former species into the subgenus Narthex. The same compounds have been found in F. licentiana and F. tunshanica, which also share the characters of morphology and anatomy. The fact does support the view that the lattershould be included in F. licentiana as a variety.     

Chemical evidence from the flavonoids relevant to the classification of Mains species

The phenolic compounds of the leaf and bark of Malus species have been examined. The dihydrochalcone phloridzin and a range of flavonoids occur in all barks, but eight compounds were found in only a limited number of species and their distribution shows a relationship with the taxonomy of Malus , providing useful additional characters. The various proposed classifications of Malus species are discussed in the light of this evidence and that of Rehder is found to be in best agreement except for his placing of M'. florentina which, by its chemistry, is clearly related to the section Docyniopsis. The geographical distribution of the distinctive phenolics suggests a wide spreading of early Malus probably from south-east Asia as far as North America and a later diversification confined almost entirely to Eurasia. The different phenolic patterns are discussed and related to proposed phytogenies of Malus.     

栒子属（Cotoneaster Medikus）植物叶表皮微形态特征及其分类学意义

在光学显微镜和扫描电镜下,对栒子属（Cotoneaster Medikus）2组15种植物的叶表皮特征进行了观察,发现疏花组（Sect. Cotoneaster）植物叶表皮细胞多为多边形,垂周壁一般为平直—弓形,气孔均为无规则型;单花组（Sect. Uniflos）植物叶表皮细胞常不规则型,垂周壁多浅波状,气孔除无规则型（anomocytic）外还兼有十字型（staurocytic）、四分体型（tetracytic）和等三体型（isotricytic）。依据气孔周围角质膜特征等叶表皮性状,把15种植物分为W型、S型和I型,其中W型是S型的特化类型,疏花组的种类为W型或S型,单花组的种类为I型。叶表皮微形态特征可以为栒子属植物组及种的分类学处理提供解剖学资料。     

Differences in the fruit maturation stages at which oviposition occurs among insect seed predators feeding on the fruits of five dipterocarp tree species

The seeds of dipterocarp trees are the main food resources for many species of weevils, bark beetles and small moths; however, for most seed‐eating insects on dipterocarp tropical trees, seed utilization patterns remain poorly investigated. This study aimed to determine the fruit maturation stages at which eggs are laid by different insect seed predators feeding on the seeds or fruits of the following five dipterocarp species: Dipterocarpus globosus, Dryobalanops aromatica, Shorea beccariana, S. acuta and S. curtisii, which reproduced during the same period. We investigated the occurrence frequencies of the insect seed predators at various growth stages by collecting both unfallen and fallen fruit on several occasions during the period of seed/fruit maturation in a tropical rainforest in Borneo from September to December 2013. Weevils and bark beetles were the dominant insect seed predators of the five tree species. One or two weevil species of Alcidodes, Damnux and/or Nanophyes preyed on the seeds of each of the five tree species, and one bark beetle species, Coccotrypes gedeanus, preyed on the seeds of all five tree species. Many larvae, pupae and adults of each weevil species were found in pre‐dispersal (unfallen) fruit, whereas bark beetles at various growth stages were found in post‐dispersal (fallen) fruit. These results suggested that, among the dominant insect seed predators of the five dipterocarp species, weevil species oviposit on pre‐dispersal fruit and begin their larval growth before seed dispersal, whereas the oviposition and larval development of bark beetle species occurs in post‐dispersal fruit.     

Qualitative and quantitative changes in nitrogenous compounds in senescing leaf and bark tissues of the apple

Quantitative and qualitative changes in proteins and ethanol-soluble nitrogen were followed in senescing leaf and bark tissues of ‘Golden Delicious’ apple trees (Malus domestica Borkh.). While senescing leaves lost 46% of their proteins, total bark protein increased 240% during senescence. However, the protein nitrogen gain in bark tissue was about the same as the protein nitrogen loss in leaf tissue per unit fresh weight of tissues. The pattern of bark protein accumulation appears to be gradual from early August to November and sequential from lower to higher molecular weight species of proteins. The final electrophoretic profile of total bark proteins was established at the later stages of senescence. By late November, 89% of the nitrogen in the bark tissue was found in proteins with 11% in the ethanol-soluble fractions. The total protein content of dormant bark tissue was 3.5% per gram dry tissue. Fractionation of the total bark proteins by DEAE-cellulose chromatography indicated that the final upsurge of bark proteins observed in November was associated primarily with one group of proteins (Peak III).     

Diet and feeding patterns in the kipunji (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Rungwecebus kipunji</Emphasis>) in Tanzania’s Southern Highlands: a first analysis

The diet and feeding behaviour of the kipunji (Rungwecebus kipunji) was studied over 45 months, the first dietary analysis for this species. During 9498 h of direct observation of 34 kipunji groups, a list of 122 identified foodplants was recorded. The list represents 60 families, including 64 trees, 30 herbs, 9 climbers, 7 shrubs, 6 lianas, 3 grasses and 3 ferns. Kipunji were observed eating bark, young and mature leaves, ripe and unripe fruits, flowers, pith, seed pods, rhizomes, tubers, shoots and stalks. Invertebrates, fungi, moss, lichen, and soil were also eaten. Macaranga capensis var. capensis, an early successional tree, was the most commonly consumed species, with leaves, leaf stalks, pith, flowers and bark all eaten. We demonstrate that the kipunji is an omnivorous dietary generalist, favouring mature and immature leaves, ripe and unripe fruits and bark in similar proportions, with an almost comparable fondness for leaf stalks and flowers. Kipunji appear to be adaptable foragers able to modify their diet seasonally, being more folivorous in the dry season and more frugivorous in the wet. Whereas more ripe fruit is eaten in the wet season, the proportion of unripe fruit remains similar across the year. The proportion of mature leaves and pith increases throughout the dry season at the expense of ripe fruits and bark, and this may compensate nutritionally for the lack of available dry-season ripe fruits. Relatively more pith is eaten in the dry season, more stalks at the end of the dry and beginning of the wet seasons, and bark consumption increases as the rainfall rises.     

The life-history and bionomics of Epitrimerus piri (Acarina: Eriophyidae) on pear

The majority of Epitrimerus piri on pear, cv. Williams' Bon Chretien, moved from their hibernation sites in small permanently dormant buds on spurs and under loose bark to fruit buds between the stages of green cluster and petal fall. Peak numbers of mites occurred in mid-June on fruit and early August on leaves with the return to hibernation beginning in July. Development time from egg hatch to adult was 17–1, 6–9 and 4–8 days at 10, 16 and 22 °C, respectively. Mites were dispersed by wind. They were found only on species in the genera Pyrus, Cydonia and Pyronia. Mite feeding caused browning on the ventral, sides of leaves and russet on fruit which was confined to the calyx end on Williams'. Populations of over 2000 mites/leaf reduced the length and dry weight of new shoots on potted pears by 8 and 14% respectively.     

NET PRIMARY PRODUCTION AND PHENOLOGY ON A SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN WATERSHED

Net primary production (NPP) is an important function of plant communities which has not often been examined seasonally in a forested ecosystem. The major objective of the study was to measure above-ground NPP seasonally and relate it to phenological activity on a hardwood forest watershed at Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory, North Carolina. NPP was estimated as the increase in biomass, estimated from regression equations on diameter. Diameter increases were measured by vernier tree bands. Phenological observations were made on bud break, leaf emergence, flowering, mature fruit, leaf senescence, and leaf fall. The species studied intensively were Acer rubrum, Quercus prinus, Carya glabra, Cornus florida, and Liriodendron tulipifera. Liriodendron was found to be the most productive species per individual, but Quercus prinus was the most productive per unit ground area. The total watershed estimate of aboveground NPP was 8,754 kg ha^-1 yr^-1 and included 47.9% leaves, 33.2% wood, 7.8% bark, 4.8% reproductive tissues, 4.2% loss to consumers, and 2.1% twigs. Increases in leaf biomass were most rapid in the spring, but woody tissue production peaked in June and continued through August. Since leaf production peaked in the spring, the plants' photosynthetic machinery was activated early in the growing season to support woody tissue production, which followed the period of rapid leaf growth, and reproductive activity. Flowering occurred during the leaf expansion period except for Acer rubrum, which flowered before leaf emergence. Fruit maturation occurred during late summer to early fall, when there were no additional biomass increases. Acer rubrum was an exception as its fruit matured during the period of leaf expansion.     

Chlorophyll fluorescence of the trunk rather than leaves indicates visual vitality in Eucalyptus saligna

Leaf chlorophyll fluorescence has been used to assess physiological stress effects in trees for at least 30?years. This paper describes a novel method for indicating tree vitality in Eucalyptus saligna Sm using bark chlorophyll fluorescence. A visual vitality index was successfully verified by comparing it with growth measurements such as total leaf area and above ground biomass. Bark and leaf chlorophyll fluorescence were then compared with the visual vitality index in spring, summer and autumn. The relationship between leaf chlorophyll fluorescence and the visual vitality index was weak, even with the one parameter that did show a relationship. There was good evidence for a statistical relationship between bark chlorophyll fluorescence and visual vitality, which may become a useful tool for tree vitality assessments in this species and possibly other tree species.     

Oak Bark Allometry and Fire Survival Strategies in the Chihuahuan Desert Sky Islands,Texas, USA

Trees may survive fire through persistence of above or below ground structures. Investment in bark aids in above-ground survival while investment in carbohydrate storage aids in recovery through resprouting and is especially important following above-ground tissue loss. We investigated bark allocation and carbohydrate investment in eight common oak (Quercus) species of Sky Island mountain ranges in west Texas. We hypothesized that relative investment in bark and carbohydrates changes with tree age and with fire regime: We predicted delayed investment in bark (positive allometry) and early investment in carbohydrates (negative allometry) under lower frequency, high severity fire regimes found in wetter microclimates. Common oaks of the Texas Trans-Pecos region (Quercus emoryi, Q. gambelii, Q. gravesii, Q. grisea, Q. hypoleucoides, Q. muehlenbergii, and Q. pungens) were sampled in three mountain ranges with historically mixed fire regimes: the Chisos Mountains, the Davis Mountains and the Guadalupe Mountains. Bark thickness was measured on individuals representing the full span of sizes found. Carbohydrate concentration in taproots was measured after initial leaf flush. Bark thickness was compared to bole diameter and allometries were analyzed using major axis regression on log-transformed measurements. We found that bark allocation strategies varied among species that can co-occur but have different habitat preferences. Investment patterns in bark were related to soil moisture preference and drought tolerance and, by proxy, to expected fire regime. Dry site species had shallower allometries with allometric coefficients ranging from less than one (negative allometry) to near one (isometric investment). Wet site species, on the other hand, had larger allometric coefficients, indicating delayed investment to defense. Contrary to our expectation, root carbohydrate concentrations were similar across all species and sizes, suggesting that any differences in below ground storage are likely to be in total volume of storage tissue rather than in carbohydrate concentration.