Spatial pattern of central African rainforests can be predicted from average tree size

When considering all trees irrespective of their species, natural tropical rain forests typically exhibit spatial patterns that range from random to regular. The regularity is often interpreted as a footprint of tree competition. Using 23 permanent sample plots totalling 61 ha in the rain forests of central Africa, we characterized their spatial patterns and modelled those that exhibited regularity by a Strauss point process. This Strauss process is obtained as a Markov point process whose interaction function is an exponential function of a competition index commonly used in forestry. The parameter of this Strauss process characterizes the strength of competition. The 23 plots in central Africa differed in tree density and basal area, and could be discriminated depending on the type of spatial patterns: plots having a large basal area with respect to their density had a non regular pattern, whereas those having a small basal area with respect to their density had a regular pattern. For those plots that exhibited regularity, average tree size could be used to predict the strength of competition. The parameter of the Strauss process was significantly related to the average size by a linear relationship, such that competition decreases as average tree size increases. This relationship extrapolated to a null value of the Strauss parameter when average tree size reaches 32 cm in diameter. This relationship between average tree size and spatial pattern is a testable feature for future studies on the relationship between competition and spatial pattern in natural forests.     

小兴安岭阔叶红松林木本植物种-面积关系

种-面积关系研究是了解植物群落结构的重要途径,是群落生态学的基本问题。不同的研究方法对种-面积关系影响很大。利用黑龙江省小兴安岭两个10.4 hm2样地和5个1.0 hm2样地的调查数据,采用移动窗口法确定各样地的最小取样面积,避免了巢式取样法及随机样方法的不足。并采用4种种-面积关系模型进行拟合,评价各关系模型的适合度。在此基础上,基于最小面积进行模拟随机取样,探讨取样大小对物种数估计精度的影响。研究结果表明:由于拟合曲线模型的适用性及曲线外推可靠性问题的存在,采用拟合曲线的方法所估计的最小面积与实际值偏差较大。实际调查得到的各样地最小面积40 m×40 m—45 m×45 m,说明小兴安岭地区阔叶红松林群落所需的最小面积基本一致,但各样地群落结构的差异却在对取样数量的要求上体现出来。其中丰林与大亮子河样地物种数分布相对均匀,所需最小样方数量较少;而方正与胜山样地物种数分布异质性较大,差异的机理还有待于进一步研究。     

Chilling Sensitivity in Plants: Do the Activation Energies of Growth Processes Show an Abrupt Change at a Critical Temperature?

The rates of increase in dry weight, leaf area, and length ofhypocotyl plus radicle of mung bean (Vigna radiata L.) and morningglory (Pharbitis nil Chois) all show marked responses to decreasingtemperature, although when drawn as Arrhenius plots these responsesresemble smooth curves rather than sets of intersecting straightlines. Chilling sensitivity was shown to be dependent on temperature,light intensity, and the previous history of the plant. It isargued on theoretical grounds that changes in membrane lipidmobility would not be expected to cause abrupt changes in theslope of such Arrhenius plots at either the enzyme or wholeplant level.     

Species–area curves indicate the importance of habitats’ contributions to regional biodiversity

We examined species–area curves, species composition and similarity (Jaccard's coefficients), and species richness in 17 vegetation types to develop a composite index of a vegetation type's contribution to regional species richness. We collected data from 1 to 1000 m² scales in 147 nested plots in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, USA to compare three species–area curve models’ abilities to estimate the number of species observed in each vegetation type. The log(species)–log(area) curve had the largest adjusted coefficients of determination (r² values) in 12 of the 17 types, followed by the species–log(area) curve with five of the highest values. When the slopes of the curves were corrected for species overlap among plots with Jaccard's coefficients, the species–log(area) curves estimated values closest to those observed. We combined information from species–area curves and measures of heterogeneity with information on the area covered by each vegetation type and found that the types making the greatest contributions to regional biodiversity covered the smallest areas. This approach may provide an accurate and relatively rapid way to rank hotspots of plant diversity within regions of interest.     

Estimating species – area relationships by modeling abundance and frequency subject to incomplete sampling

Models and data used to describe species–area relationships confound sampling with ecological process as they fail to acknowledge that estimates of species richness arise due to sampling. This compromises our ability to make ecological inferences from and about species–area relationships. We develop and illustrate hierarchical community models of abundance and frequency to estimate species richness. The models we propose separate sampling from ecological processes by explicitly accounting for the fact that sampled patches are seldom completely covered by sampling plots and that individuals present in the sampling plots are imperfectly detected. We propose a multispecies abundance model in which community assembly is treated as the summation of an ensemble of species‐level Poisson processes and estimate patch‐level species richness as a derived parameter. We use sampling process models appropriate for specific survey methods. We propose a multispecies frequency model that treats the number of plots in which a species occurs as a binomial process. We illustrate these models using data collected in surveys of early‐successional bird species and plants in young forest plantation patches. Results indicate that only mature forest plant species deviated from the constant density hypothesis, but the null model suggested that the deviations were too small to alter the form of species–area relationships. Nevertheless, results from simulations clearly show that the aggregate pattern of individual species density–area relationships and occurrence probability–area relationships can alter the form of species–area relationships. The plant community model estimated that only half of the species present in the regional species pool were encountered during the survey. The modeling framework we propose explicitly accounts for sampling processes so that ecological processes can be examined free of sampling artefacts. Our modeling approach is extensible and could be applied to a variety of study designs and allows the inclusion of additional environmental covariates.     

Perturbations of liver plasma membranes induced by Ca2+ are detected using a fatty acid spin label and adenylate cyclase as membrane probes

Ca2+ decreased the lipid fluidity of rat liver plasma membranes labeled with 5-nitroxide stearate, I(12,3), as indicated by the order parameter (S). These effects form a reversible, saturable process with an association constant of 1 x 10(3) M-1. Arrhenius-type plots of S indicated that the lipid phase separation, present in the external leaflet of native membranes between 28 and 19 degrees C, is perturbed by mM Ca2+ such that the high temperature onset is elevated to 32-34 degrees C. Fluoride-stimulated adenylate cyclase was similarly inhibited by Ca2+ (ID50 = 1 mM) for the enzyme in membrane-bound or solubilized states. The glucagon-stimulated activity was more sensitive to Ca2+ inhibition with an ID50 of 0.2 mM. These inhibitory effects are due neither to perturbations of glucagon binding to its receptor nor to fluidity changes, but are instead attributed to direct Ca2+-enzyme interactions. Such binding desensitizes the enzyme to fluidity alterations induced by temperature elevation or benzyl alcohol addition. With Ca2+, Arrhenius plots of glucagon-stimulated activity indicated breaks at 32 and 16 degrees C, whereas those of fluoride-stimulated activity showed one break at 17 degrees C. Without Ca2+, Arrhenius plots exhibited one break at 28 degrees C for glucagon-stimulated activity, whereas fluoride-stimulated plots were linear. We propose that Ca2+ achieves these effects through asymmetric perturbations of the membrane lipid structure.     

A nested-intensity design for surveying plant diversity

Managers of natural landscapes need cost-efficient, accurate, and precise systems to inventory plant diversity. We investigated a nested-intensity sampling design to assess local and landscape-scale heterogeneity of plant species richness in aspen stands in southern Colorado, USA. The nested-intensity design used three vegetation sampling techniques: the Modified-Whittaker, a 1000-m² multiple-scale plot (n = 8); a 100-m² multiple-scale Intensive plot (n = 15); and a 100-m² single-scale Extensive plot (n = 28). The large Modified-Whittaker plot (1000 m²) recorded greater species richness per plot than the other two sampling techniques (P < 0.001), estimated cover of a greater number of species in 1-m² subplots (P < 0.018), and captured 32 species missed by the smaller, more numerous 100-m² plots of the other designs. The Intensive plots extended the environmental gradient sampled, capturing 17 species missed by the other techniques, and improved species–area calculations. The greater number of Extensive plots further expanded the gradient sampled, and captured 18 additional species. The multi-scale Modified-Whittaker and Intensive designs allowed quantification of the slopes of species–area curves in the single-scale Extensive plots. Multiple linear regressions were able to predict the slope of species–area curves (adj R ² = 0.64, P < 0.001) at each Extensive plot, allowing comparison of species richness at each sample location. Comparison of species–accumulation curves generated with each technique suggested that small, single-scale plot techniques might be very misleading because they underestimate species richness by missing locally rare species at every site. A combination of large and small multi-scale and single-scale plots greatly improves our understanding of native and exotic plant diversity patterns.     

云冷杉针阔混交林叶面积指数的空间异质性

叶面积指数(Leaf area index,LAI)是森林生态过程的关键参数和描述森林冠层结构的重要指标。用半球摄影技术对吉林省汪清林业局金沟岭林场的10块1 hm2云冷杉针阔混交林的LAI进行测定,采用地统计学的半变异函数和普通克里格法对研究区的LAI的空间异质性进行了分析。结果表明:10块样地的10 m×10 m小样方内以及样地间的LAI离散程度较小,但分布有一定的规律。LAI的空间相关性存在不确定性,可由线性、孔状、高斯3种模型有效的描述,空间相关性存在的尺度范围变异大,中等和强空间相关性的影响范围在15—155m之间,10块样地LAI的空间相关性的影响范围平均为65.637m。普通克里格插值结果显示,LAI的空间分布呈明显的条带状和斑块状的梯度变化。LAI与林分平均胸径、林分平均高和林分平均冠长呈显著负相关,与林分平均冠幅、林分密度以及树种个数呈显著正相关。研究结果可为不同尺度云冷杉针阔混交林LAI的估计提供依据。     

Phylogenetic and functional diversity area relationships in two temperate forests

Phylogenetic diversity (PD, the diversity of lineages) and functional diversity (FD, the diversity of functional traits or groups in a biological community) reflect important yet poorly understood attributes of species assemblages. Until recently, few studies have examined the spatial variation of PD and FD in natural communities. Yet the relationships between PD and FD and area (termed PDAR and FDAR), like the analogous species–area relationship (SAR), have received less attention and may provide insights into the mechanisms that shape the composition and dynamics of ecological communities. In this study, we used four spatial point process models to evaluate the likely roles of the random placement of species, habitat filtering, dispersal limitation, and the combined effects of habitat filtering and dispersal limitation in producing observed PDARs and FDARs in two large, fully mapped temperate forest research plots in northeast China and in north‐central USA. We found that the dispersal limitation hypothesis provided a good approximation of the accumulation of PD and FD with increasing area, as it did for the species area curves. PDAR and FDAR patterns were highly correlated with the SAR. We interpret this as evidence that species interactions, which are often influenced by phylogenetic and functional similarity, may be relatively unimportant in structuring temperate forest tree assemblages at this scale. However, the scale‐dependent departures of the PDAR and FDAR that emerged for the dispersal limitation hypothesis agree with operation of competitive exclusion at small scales and habitat filtering at larger scales. Our analysis illustrates how emergent community patterns in fully mapped temperate forest plots can be influenced by multiple underlying processes at different spatial scales.     

Regulation of tryptophan synthase by temperature, monovalent cations, and an allosteric ligand. Evidence from Arrhenius plots, absorption spectra, and primary kinetic isotope effects

To investigate the linkage between enzyme conformation and catalysis, we have determined the effects of temperature on catalytic properties of the tryptophan synthase alpha(2)beta(2) complex and beta(2) subunit in the absence or presence of different monovalent cations (Cs(+), Na(+), and GuH(+)) and of an allosteric ligand, alpha-glycerol 3-phosphate. Arrhenius plots of the activity data between 5 and 50 degrees C are nonlinear in the presence of certain ligands but not others. The conditions that yield nonlinear Arrhenius plots also yield temperature-dependent changes in the equilibrium distribution of enzyme-substrate intermediates and in primary kinetic isotope effects. The results provide evidence that the nonlinear Arrhenius plots are caused by a temperature-dependent conformational change that precedes the rate-limiting step in catalysis. Thermodynamic analysis of the data associated with the conformational change shows that the activation energies are much higher at low temperatures than at high temperatures. We correlate the results with a model in which the enzyme is converted by increased temperature under certain conditions from a low-activity "open" conformation to a high-activity "closed" conformation. The allosteric ligand and different monovalent cations, including GuH(+), which also acts as a chaotropic agent, affect the equilibrium between the open and closed forms. The large positive entropy changes in the conformational conversion suggest that the closed conformation results from tightened hydrophobic interactions that exclude water from the active site of the beta subunit.     

Arrhenius plots of acetylcholinesterase activity in mammalian erythrocytes and in Torpedo electric organ. Effect of solubilization by proteinases and by a phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C.

The temperature-dependence of the catalytic activity of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) from rat erythrocyte-ghost membranes and from Torpedo electric-organ membranes was examined. In the case of rat erythrocyte AChE, a non-linear Arrhenius plot was observed both before and after solubilization by a phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C or by proteinase treatment. Similarly, no significant differences were observed in Arrhenius plots of Torpedo electric-organ AChE before or after solubilization. These results support our suggestion that the catalytic subunit of AChE does not penetrate deeply into the lipid bilayer of the plasma membrane and also suggest that care must be taken in ascribing break points in Arrhenius plots of membrane-bound enzymes to changes in their lipid environment.     

Species richness and range size of the terrestrial mammals of the world: biological signal within mathematical constraints

We explore global spatial diversity patterns for terrestrial mammals using as a tool range-diversity plots. These plots display simultaneously information about the number of species in localities and their spatial covariance in composition. These are highly informative, as we show by linking range-diversity plots with maps and by highlighting the correspondences between well defined regions of the plots with geographical regions or with taxonomic groups. Range-diversity plots are mathematically constrained by the lines of maximum and minimum mean covariance in species composition. We show how regions in the range-diversity plot corresponding to the line of maximum covariance correspond to large continental masses, and regions near the lower limit of the range-diversity plot correspond to archipelagos and mountain ranges. We show how curves of constant covariance correspond to nested faunas. Finally, we show that the observed distribution of the covariance range has significantly longer tails than random, with clear geographic correspondences. At the scale of our data we found that range-diversity plots reveal biodiversity patterns that cannot be replicated by null models, and correspond to conspicuous terrain features and taxonomic groupings.     

Pore formation by Staphylococcus aureus alpha-toxin in lipid bilayers

Staphylococcus aureus -toxin forms ionic channels of large size in lipid bilayer membranes. We have developed two methods for studying the mechanism of pore formation. One is based on measurement of the ionic current flowing through a planar lipid membrane after exposure to the toxin; the other is based on measuring the release of the fluorescent complex Tb-Dipicolinic acid from large unilamellar vesicles under similar conditions.Both methods indicate that the pore formation process is complex, showing an initial delay followed by non-linear kinetics. The power dependence of the pore formation rate on the toxin concentration in planar bilayers indicates that an aggregation mechanism underlies the channel assembly. Arrhenius plots, obtained with both techniques, show no deviation from linearity up to 50°C and the derived activation energies are found to be comparable to those for the binding and the lysis of rabbit erythrocytes by the same toxin.The temperature dependence of the conductance induced in planar bilayers by a large number of toxin channels indicates that the pores are filled with aqueous solution. The analysis of single conductance events shows that a heterogeneous population of pores exist and that smaller channels are preferred at low temperature. We attribute this heterogeneity to the existence of pores resulting from the aggregation of different numbers of monomers.     

The convenience of the use of allosteric "probes" for the study of lipid--protein interactions in biological membranes: thermodynamic considerations.

One of the most commonly used methods to study enzyme (protein)-structure interactions at a more specific level is the use of the Arrhenius plots to detect the influence of the “environment” on the enzyme. We want to point out here that the use of a suitable “allosteric enzyme” would be a more sensitive method to detect influences of the environment than the study of Arrhenius plots. According to simple thermodynamic considerations, a change of more than 2.8 kcal/mol in the interaction between enzyme and membrane would be needed to give a noticeable change in the position of the break (T_i) of the corresponding Arrhenius plot. On the other hand, feeble changes in the membrane-enzyme interaction, of the order of 0·7–0·8 kcal/mol, would be enough to give a significant change in the values of n (Hill coefficient).     

Plot size matters: Toward comparable species richness estimates across plot‐based inventories

To understand the state and trends in biodiversity beyond the scope of monitoring programs, biodiversity indicators must be comparable across inventories. Species richness (SR) is one of the most widely used biodiversity indicators. However, as SR increases with the size of the area sampled, inventories using different plot sizes are hardly comparable. This study aims at producing a methodological framework that enables SR comparisons across plot‐based inventories with differing plot sizes. We used National Forest Inventory (NFI) data from Norway, Slovakia, Spain, and Switzerland to build sample‐based rarefaction curves by randomly incrementally aggregating plots, representing the relationship between SR and sampled area. As aggregated plots can be far apart and subject to different environmental conditions, we estimated the amount of environmental heterogeneity (EH) introduced in the aggregation process. By correcting for this EH, we produced adjusted rarefaction curves mimicking the sampling of environmentally homogeneous forest stands, thus reducing the effect of plot size and enabling reliable SR comparisons between inventories. Models were built using the Conway–Maxell–Poisson distribution to account for the underdispersed SR data. Our method successfully corrected for the EH introduced during the aggregation process in all countries, with better performances in Norway and Switzerland. We further found that SR comparisons across countries based on the country‐specific NFI plot sizes are misleading, and that our approach offers an opportunity to harmonize pan‐European SR monitoring. Our method provides reliable and comparable SR estimates for inventories that use different plot sizes. Our approach can be applied to any plot‐based inventory and count data other than SR, thus allowing a more comprehensive assessment of biodiversity across various scales and ecosystems.     

Changes in thermodependence of the tyrosine transaminating activity in mitochondria of Drosophila melanogaster larvae due to environmental stress

1. The form of Arrhenius plots of enzyme in mitochondria isolated from Drosophila melanogaster larvae exposed to heat shock, ethanol, or ethanol and heat shock, solubilized with charged detergents was analysed. 2. Heat shock and ethanol caused different changes in membrane microenvironment of the tyrosine transaminating activity, which found expression in different forms of Arrhenius plots, and different values of activation energy of enzyme. 3. The Arrhenius plots of the enzyme from mitochondria of larvae exposed both to ethanol and heat shock, solubilized with charged detergents, were similar to those observed for mitochondria from organisms exposed only to ethanol.     

Temporal variation in selection accelerates mutational decay by Muller's ratchet

Asexual species accumulate deleterious mutations through an irreversible process known as Muller's ratchet. Attempts to quantify the rate of the ratchet have ignored the role of temporal environmental heterogeneity even though it is common in nature and has the potential to affect overall ratchet rate. Here we examine Muller's ratchet in the context of conditional neutrality (i.e., mutations that are deleterious in some environmental conditions but neutral in others) as well as more subtle changes in the strength (but not sign) of selection. We find that temporal variation increases the rate of the ratchet (mutation accumulation) and the rate of fitness decline over that of populations experiencing constant selection of equivalent average strength. Temporal autocorrelation magnifies the effects of temporal heterogeneity and can allow the ratchet to operate at large population sizes in which it would be halted under constant selection. Classic studies of Muller's ratchet show that the rate of fitness decline is maximized when selection is of a low but intermediate strength. This relationship changes quantitatively with all forms of temporal heterogeneity studied and changes qualitatively when there is temporal autocorrelation in selection. In particular, the rate of fitness decline can increase indefinitely with the strength of selection with some forms of temporal heterogeneity. Our finding that temporal autocorrelation in selection dramatically increases ratchet rate and rate of fitness decline may help to explain the paucity of asexual taxa.     

Light-induced conductivity changes in purple membrane suspensions.

Small light-induced changes in the conductivity of light-adapted purple membrane suspended in strong electrolyte solutions were detected. The method used involved modulated light and a phase sensitive detector and it allowed us to detect accurately changes as small as 0.0001% in the conductivity of the suspension. The light-induced conductivity changes turned out to be composed of at least two different event: a small fast increase in conductivity (tau approximately 2 ms) followed by a slower and larger decrease in this parameter (tau = 70 ms-80 ms). The effects of pH and temperature on these changes were studied. Both events reached maximal values around neutral pH and approached zero at both high and low pH's. Heating the suspension decreased the photoconductivity change and Arrhenius plots of the data showed breaks around 31 degrees C. It is suggested that the conductivity changes reflect changes in the surface charge of the membrane and can be used to follow the kinetics of the conformational changes occurring in the system.     

Tryptophan fluorescence of mitochondrial complex III reconstituted in phosphatidylcholine bilayers

The tryptophan intrinsic fluorescence of mitochondrial complex III reconstituted in phosphatidylcholine bilayers was examined at different temperatures. Absorption and emission maxima occur at 277 and 332 nm, irrespective of temperature or lipid:protein ratio even if there are indications (from fluorescence quenching) of protein conformational changes as a function of lipid:protein ratio. Low values of Trp fluorescence quantum yield in complex III (0.008-0.010) are probably due to the neighborhood of the heme groups. The temperature-dependent decrease of fluorescence intensity is nonlinear; the corresponding Arrhenius plots show "breaks" or discontinuities that could be interpreted as thermally dependent changes in protein conformation. However, no temperature-dependent changes in fluorescence quenching have been observed that may be related to protein conformational changes. In addition, Arrhenius plots of the fluorescence intensity of simple molecules, such as Trp or 1-anilino-8-naphthalene sulfonate in the presence of aqueous phospholipid dispersions, also show breaks in the same temperature range. Stern-Volmer plots of acrylamide and iodide quenching were also nonlinear, indicating large differences in quenching constants for the various tryptophanyl residues. The quenching results also suggest that, at high lipid:protein ratios, the microviscosity of the protein matrix is higher than that in lipid-poor systems. Comparison of quenching efficiencies of iodide and acrylamide suggest that no significant fraction of the fluorophores occurs in the neighborhood of charged residues.