Phosphoglucoisomerase variation in Trifolium repens

An electrophoretic survey carried out at the PGI/2 locus of white clover revealed the existence of five alleles. These alleles were shown to be controlled by single co-dominant genes, behaving in a normal Mendelian manner. The results also indicate that white clover behaves as an amphidiploid, in which one of its parental species is normally homozygous for the c allele at the PGI/2 locus, whilst the other parent has a multi-allelic series at this locus.     

Scavenger Enzyme Activities in Subcellular Fractions of White Clover (Trifolium repens L.) under PEG-induced Water Stress

Scavenger enzyme activities in subcellular fractions under polyethylene glycol (PEG)-induced water stress in white clover (Trifolium repens L.) were studied. Water stress decreased ascorbic acid (AA) content and catalase (CAT) activity and increased the contents of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) (measure of lipid peroxidation), and activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), its various isozymes, ascorbate peroxidase (APOX), and glutathione reductase (GR) in cellular cytosol, chloroplasts, mitochondria, and peroxisomes of Trifolium repens leaves. In both the PEG-treated plants and the control, chloroplastic fractions showed the highest total SOD, APOX, and GR activities, followed by mitochondrial fractions in the case of total SOD and GR activities, whereas cytosolic fractions had the second greatest APOX activity. However, CAT activity was the highest in peroxisomes, followed by the cytosol, mitochondria, and chloroplasts in decreasing order. Although Mn-SOD activity was highest in mitochondrial fractions, residual activity was also observed in cytosolic fractions. Cu/Zn-SOD and Fe-SOD were observed in all subcellular fractions; however, the activities were the highest in chloroplastic fractions for both isoforms. Total Cu/Zn-SOD activity, the sum of activities observed in all fractions, was higher than other SOD isoforms. These results suggest that cytosolic and chloroplastic APOX, chloroplastic and mitochondrial GR, mitochondrial Mn-SOD, cytosolic and chloroplastic Cu/Zn-SOD, and chloroplastic Fe-SOD are the major scavenger enzymes, whereas cellular CAT may play a minor role in scavenging of O₂⁻ and H₂O₂ produced under PEG-induced water stress in Trifolium repens.     

Photosynthesis, Transpiration, Leaf Temperature, and Stomatal Activity of Cotton Plants under Varying Water Potentials

Cotton plants, Gossypium hirsutum L. were grown in a growth room under incident radiation levels of 65, 35, and 17 Langleys per hour to determine the effects of vapor pressure deficits (VPD's) of 2, 9, and 17 mm Hg at high soil water potential, and the effects of decreasing soil water potential and reirrigation on transpiration, leaf temperature, stomatal activity, photosynthesis, and respiration at a VPD of 9 mm Hg.

Transpiration was positively correlated with radiation level, air VPD and soil water potential. Reirrigation following stress led to slow recovery, which may be related to root damage occurring during stress. Leaf water potential decreased with, but not as fast as, soil water potential.

Leaf temperature was usually positively correlated with light intensity and negatively correlated with transpiration, air VPD, and soil water. At high soil water, leaf temperatures ranged from a fraction of 1 to a few degrees above ambient, except at medium and low light and a VPD of 19 mm Hg when they were slightly below ambient, probably because of increased transpirational cooling. During low soil water leaf temperatures as high as 3.4° above ambient were recorded. Reirrigation reduced leaf temperature before appreciably increasing transpiration. The upper leaf surface tended to be warmer than the lower at the beginning of the day and when soil water was adequate; otherwise there was little difference or the lower surface was warmer. This pattern seemed to reflect transpiration cooling and leaf position effects.

Although stomata were more numerous in the lower than the upper epidermis, most of the time a greater percentage of the upper were open. With sufficient soil water present, stomata opened with light and closed with darkness. Fewer stomata opened under low than high light intensity and under even moderate, as compared with high soil water. It required several days following reirrigation for stomata to regain original activity levels.

Apparent photosynthesis of cotton leaves occasionally oscillated with variable amplitude and frequency. When soil water was adequate, photosynthesis was nearly proportional to light intensity, with some indication of higher rates at higher VPD's. As soil water decreased, photosynthesis first increased and then markedly decreased. Following reirrigation, photosynthesis rapidly recovered.

Respiration was slowed moderately by decreasing soil water but increased before watering. Respiration slowed with increasing leaf age only on leaves that were previously under high light intensity.

     

白三叶和红三叶对人工融冻胁迫的生理响应差异

采用人工模拟融冻胁迫方法,通过测定白三叶(Trifolium repens)和红三叶(T.prat-ense)在融冻胁迫中叶片细胞膜透性、MDA含量、抗氧化酶(SOD、POD、CAT)活力、渗透调节物(脯氨酸、可溶性糖和蛋白质)含量变化,以揭示未来气候变化对三叶草的影响。结果表明,经历融冻胁迫循环后抗冻力强的白三叶植株能恢复生长,而抗冻力弱的红三叶枯萎死亡。在融冻阶段,两三叶草叶片细胞膜透性增大、抗氧化酶活力增高、MDA和渗透调节物含量大幅增加;在冻融阶段,两三叶草叶片细胞膜透性降低、MDA含量下降、抗氧化酶活力降低。但在融冻胁迫循环中,白三叶叶片POD和CAT活力高于红三叶,脯氨酸含量较红三叶高5倍,但细胞膜透性低于红三叶。白三叶在-5℃抗逆生理指标达到最大值,而红三叶在-10℃。白三叶对环境温度变化反应敏感,在-5℃通过快速激活抗氧化酶系统和积累渗透调节物以抑制膜脂过氧化和维护细胞水分平衡在融冻适应上起重要作用。白三叶具有较强的抗融冻能力,是未来值得应用推广的优良园林绿化植物。     

Water Relations of White Clover (Trifolium repens): Water Potential Gradients and Plant Morphology

Water potential, osmotic potential, pressure potential and relativewater content were measured in stolons and leaves of white cloverplants grown under a range of conditions of water supply andevaporative demand. The importance of adventitious roots fromthe nodes was examined. Gradients along stolons were alwaysextremely small, of the order of only 01 MPa. Stolon up waterpotential was representative of plant water status regardlessof stolon length, presence/absence of nodal roots, degree ofwater stress and evaporative demand. It is concluded that waterconduction along stolons was very good. Gradients were foundto exist along petioles; they may have a greater resistanceto water flow than stolons. The relationship between water fluxand stem anatomy, and the importance of differential flow ratesthrough stolons and petioles to plant behaviour during waterstress, are discussed. Trifolium repens L., white clover, water relations     

Phosphate and Membrane Electropotentials in Trifolium repens L.

In Trifolium repens L. there were immediate transient depolarizationsof the membrane electropotential (E_vo) when KH₂PO₄ was addedto phosphate-free media, but these were of the same magnitudeas the controls (K²SO⁴ and KCI). Furthermore, the extents ofdepolarization were the same as the expected effect of the addedK⁺ calculated using the Goldman equation. There was no significantdepolarization on adding H₃PO₄ to buffered media. Consequently,there was no evidence for a depolarization caused by phosphate.This result provides evidence that the H⁺–H₂PO₄ symportin roots of T. repens operates with a stoichiometry of 1: 1. In a group of control plants ( + P plants) and a group whichwere stressed by reducing the supply of phosphate (– Pplants), the – P plants had lower values for E_vo than+P plants (– 118 mV and – 130 mV, respectively).The absence of phosphate from the measurement media also reducedE_vo (mean effect = 9 mV). A significant difference in E_vo between– P and + P plants persisted when phosphate was addedto – P plants. The electropotential difference acrossthe tonoplast (E_vo) in – P plants became more positivewith time. Key words: White clover, membrane transport, roots, tonoplast, symport     

酸水浸泡下钙盐溶液浸种的白三叶'海法'种子萌发特性初探

研究5～25 mmol·L-1CaCl2溶液浸种的白三叶品种'海法'种子萌发特性的结果表明,酸水胁迫下经CaCl2溶液浸种过的白三叶种子的发芽势、发芽率、发芽指教、活力指数以及幼苗鲜重和干重均增大,且均随着溶液中CaCl2浓度的上升而增大,白三叶种子浸种以15～20mmol·L-1CaCl2的效果为最佳.     

Competition between cyanogenic and acyanogenic morphs of Trifolium repens

Summary To investigate the cost of the dimorphic cyanogenic system in Trifolium repens L., genotypes of the cyanogenic (T_c) and acyanogenic (T_a) morphs were grown in mixtures over a range of ratios and in pure stands at two levels of total density (low in a first experiment, high in a second experiment). The principles of the competition analysis employed were those related to the inverse linear model response. The morphs were compared using two interaction indices, the substitution rate and the relative resource total (RRT). The relative fitness of the two morphs, i.e. biomass and number of flowers per plant, suggests that the T_a morph has a competitive advantage over the T_c morph.     

Environment-induced Modifications to Root Longevity in Lolium perenne and Trifolium repens

Understanding how environmental factors affect the longevityof roots is essential if root mortality linked nutrient cyclingprocesses within ecosystems are to be understood, and the impactof natural and anthropogenic climate change properly evaluated.In this study the longevity of roots at two geographically andclimatically distinct sites were compared to identify the scaleof change that can occur due to environmental differences. Minirhizotrontubes were inserted into swards sown with the same variety ofLolium perenne and Trifolium repens at sites in the UK and Italy.Roots were viewed using a video camera and digitized imagesof roots generated at intervals. From these images the lifehistory of individual roots was determined and compared. Therewere few differences in patterns of longevity between differentspecies at the same site. Major differences, however, were observedbetween roots of the same species at different sites. For example,73% of Trifolium repens roots failed to survive for 21 d inItaly compared to only 29% at the UK site. Similarly, over 84%of Lolium perenne roots failed to survive for more than 21 din Italy compared to 38% in the UK. These data suggest thatenvironmental factors can have a major impact on root longevity.Copyright 2000 Annals of Botany Company Climate change, Lolium perenne L., minirhizotron, perennial ryegrass, root longevity, Trifolium repens L., white clover     

白车轴草和紫花苜蓿根瘤的显微及超微结构

通过对白车轴草(Trifolium repens Linn.)和紫花苜蓿(Medicago sativa Linn.)根瘤的显微及超微结构进行观察,发现其根瘤显微结构都由4部分组成,由外向内依次为：保护层、皮层、鞘细胞层和中心组织(侵染组织)。在中心组织的侵染细胞中,分布有大量的线粒体、高尔基体、核糖体及内质网,白车轴草根瘤侵染细胞中的细菌圆形或椭圆形,有明显的周膜、细菌细胞壁和质膜,在细菌发育过程中,周膜活动旺盛,有时相邻细菌的周膜发生融合,在周膜附近常分布有大量的内质网、高尔基体以及高尔基体小泡,似与周膜融合有关。紫花苜蓿细菌椭圆形、长棒形,甚至有的细菌呈分枝状。二者细菌细胞质中分布着大量的核糖体和纤维状的核物质。在白车轴草中还有染色很深的多聚磷酸盐颗粒。     

Genetic variation in clonal traits of Trifolium repens and species interactions

Plants exhibit a great variety of types of clonal growth. Moderate variation in clonal traits often exists even within species. The consequences of these variations for species interaction are of great interests to ecologists. In this paper, I address the small-leaved (phalanx) to large-leaved (guerrilla) variation in white clover ( Trifolium repens ), and discuss its consequences for species and genotype coexistence. I also address the clonal and sexual resource allocation variants within the large-leaved type. Small-leaved and large-leaved genotypes differ in various aspects of clonal growth. The large-leaved genotype displays greater phenotypic plasticity but is less physiologically integrated than the small-leaved genotype. We examined the consequences in a grazed sward, where white clover and zoysia grass coexist. In this sward, white clover is patchily distributed. We first tested the hypothesis that the large-leaved genotype is more advantageous in growth than the small-leaved genotype. Results from both common garden and competition experiments supported the hypothesis. Second, we tested the hypothesis that within large-leaved plants, the clonal subtype (which invests more resources to stolons but less in flower heads than the sexual one) is more advantageous than the sexual one because it is more competitive. This hypothesis was rejected. Both subtypes coexisted in the sward. This is probably because the sexual subtype is superior for interpatch migration than the clonal one. Both subtypes differ in advantages they offer for between-patch and within-patch processes, which promotes their coexistence. Finally, field monitoring of the behavior of a large-leaved clone is described. This monitoring was conducted in a moderately grazed sward, where microenvironmental heterogeneity is extremely high in time and space.     

The inheritance of cyanoglucoside content in Trifolium repens L.

A four generation backcross breeding program was undertaken. Analysis of the levels of cyanoglucoside in Acac progeny shows that the level of cyanoglucoside (linamarin and lotaustralin) is inherited and that part of the inherited variation in cyanoglucoside levels is attributable to the existence of different Ac alleles in the parent plant. In vitro microsomal cyanoglucoside biosynthetic activity was measured in a high-level and a low-level parent plant. There was no evidence for the presence of microsomes with different qualitative properties in the two plants. The Ac locus was shown to segregate independently of the S incompatibility locus.This research was supported in part by SERC Grant GRA 95550.     

Ovule abortion in white clover (Trifolium repens L.)

Plants of white clover ( Trifolium repens L.) cv. Olwen were grown in an open glasshouse maintained at a mean temperature of 20^oC and ovule growth and seed production measured. Differences in the rate of growth of ovules within ovaries were observed as early as 2 days after pollination. Ovules reached a maximum size after 8 days with the smallest only half the size of the largest. After 8 days, the smallest ovules became flaccid and shrivelled. Ovule position within the ovary had little effect on the frequency of seed set and although there was an apparently higher probability that central ovules produced a seed than those nearer the peduncle or style this was not statistically significant. Inflorescence position and floret position on the inflorescence had a significant effect on the number of seeds per floret and seed weight; the first formed inflorescences and the first florets to be pollinated on each inflorescence had more seeds per floret and heavier seeds and fewer florets with no seed than later pollinated florets. There were also differences between florets within the same whorl. The role of a number of factors which may influence floret site utilisation are discussed.     

Variation in growth attributes of contrasting populations of Trifolium repens

A range of growth attributes was measured in seedlings of 10 Trifolium repens populations, differing in leaf size and origin, grown in three temperature and two glasshouse environments. Growth rates of large leaf types of Mediterranean origin were higher than those of smaller leaf types at 10°C. However, the greater temperature response of the smaller leaf types resulted in higher growth rates for S.100 and S.184 than for a large leaf type from Israel at 20°C. The increase of growth rate with temperature was associated with changes in leaf area ratio and net assimilation rate between 10° and 15°C but only with changes in net assimilation rate between 15° and 20°C. Within each temperature environment, population differences in growth rate were related to differences in net assimilation rate rather than leaf expansion. At low temperature a greater proportion of dry matter was distributed to leaf tissue in large leaf types particularly those of Mediterranean origin but they showed a proportionately smaller increase in allocation to leaves with increasing temperature compared with small leaf types. In the glasshouse environments growth rates in spring were more than double those in the autumn. This difference was associated with net assimilation rates which were about five times greater in the spring environment. However, leaf area ratios in the spring were only half those in the autumn. These differences in leaf area ratio between the glasshouse environments were closely related to differences in specific leaf area but not to differences in distribution of dry matter to leaf tissue which was greater in the spring environment.     

Surface Potentials and the Calculated Selectivity of Ion Channels

Ion channels catalyze the transport of ions across biological membranes. A proper understanding of ion-channel functioning is essential to our knowledge of cell physiology, and, in this context, ion-channel selectivity is a key concept. The extent to which a channel permeates two ion species, a and b, is expressed by the permeability ratio, P_a/P_b. This paper addresses a complication in the calculation of P_a/P_b that is related to the existence of surface potentials (ψ) and that so far has not been fully appreciated. This paper shows the rather surprising effect of ψ on the calculated P_a/P_b of a channel that is permeable to two ion species of different valence. If we ignore ψ, we conclude, for instance, P_a > P_b. If we implement ψ in the calculation of P_a/P_b, we may, however, conclude exactly the reverse, i.e., P_a < P_b. Because electrostatic potentials arise at the surface of essentially all biological membranes, this paper argues for a more critical evaluation of ion channel selectivity measurements.     

不同光照强度下豆链格孢菌对白车轴草生理生化特性的影响

通过盆栽实验研究了不同光照强度下,接种豆链格孢菌(Alternariaazukiae(hara)comb.nov)对白车轴草(TrifoliumrepensL.)叶组织细胞膜透性、色素含量、丙二醛(MDA)含量、蛋白质含量、脯氨酸含量以及超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)、过氧化物酶(POD)和过氧化氢酶(CAT)活性的影响。结果表明:豆链格孢菌使白车轴草叶组织细胞膜透性上升,电导率显著升高,膜脂过氧化加强,MDA水平上升,色素含量、蛋白质含量以及脯氨酸含量下降。随着处理光照强度的减弱,以上各生理指标的变化趋势更为明显,电导率和MDA含量均与光照强度显著负相关,而色素含量、蛋白质含量及脯氨酸含量均与光照强度显著正相关。接种豆链格孢菌后,色素含量明显下降,且弱光下(75%遮阳),豆链格孢菌对白车轴草叶片色素含量的影响更为明显,对照组的叶绿素a、叶绿素b、叶绿素(a b)和类胡萝卜素含量均显著高于接种组的色素含量。在豆链格孢菌的刺激下,活性氧清除系统遭到破坏,保护酶系统失衡,其中SOD和CAT活性显著下降,而POD活性却明显上升,并且SOD、POD和CAT三种酶活性均与光照强度存在着明显的负相关系。