Speciation of phytate ion in aqueous solution. Sequestration of magnesium and calcium by phytate at different temperatures and ionic strengths, in NaCl(aq)

The formation and stability of Mg(2+) and Ca(2+)-phytate complexes was studied potentiometrically using an ISE-H(+) electrode. Measurements were performed at 10 degrees C and 25 degrees C in NaCl(aq) in the ionic strength range 0.1< or =I< or =0.75 mol L(-1). For both magnesium and calcium systems, the formation of ten M(i)PhyH(j)((12-2i-j)-) species was observed in the range 3< or =pH< or =7 with i=1, 2, 3 and j=3, 4, 5 (and i=3, j=2). These species are quite stable; here we report for example some quantitative data for the species Ca(i)PhyH(3)((9-2i)-), i=1, 2, 3 (equilibrium iCa(2+)+H(j)Phy((12-j)-)=Ca(i)PhyH(j)((12-j-2i)-): K(ij)) at I=0.25 mol L(-1) and t=25 degrees C: logK(13)=3.42, logK(23)=6.47 and logK(33)=9.41. The speciation of the Ca(2+)-phytate system was also checked by ISE-Ca(2+) measurements. Dependence on ionic strength was modeled using a simple Debye-Hückel type equation and formation constants were calculated at infinite dilution. The stability constants of complexes formed at pH>7 were estimated using an empirical predictive equation. The sequestering ability of phytate towards Mg(2+) and Ca(2+) was calculated in different experimental conditions and compared with those of other chelating agents.     

Ligand-exchangeability of 2-coordinate phosphinegold(I) complexes with AuSP and AuNP cores showing selective antimicrobial activities against Gram-positive bacteria. Crystal structures of [Au(2-Hmpa)(PPh(3))] and [Au(6-Hmna)(PPh(3))] (2-H(2)mpa=2-mercaptopropionic acid, 6-H(2)mna=6-mercaptonicotinic acid)

Selective and effective antimicrobial activities against Gram-positive bacteria (B. subtilis and/or S. aureus) were found in 2-coordinate gold(I)-PPh(3) complexes with AuSP and AuNP cores, i.e. [Au(L)(PPh(3))] (HL=2-H(2)mna [H(2)mna=mercaptonicotinic acid] 3, D-H(2)pen [H(2)pen=penicillamine] 4, D,L-H(2)pen 5, 4-H(2)mba [H(2)mba=mercaptobenzoic acid] 8, Hpz [Hpz=pyrazole] 9, Him [Him=imidazole] 10, 1,2,3-Htriz [Htriz=triazole] 11, 1,2,4-Htriz 12, Htetz [Htetz=tetrazole] 13), whereas no activity was observed in 2-coordinate AuSP core complexes [Au(2-Hmba)(PPh(3))] 6 and [Au(3-Hmba)(PPh(3))] 7. The two novel AuSP core complexes, [Au(2-Hmpa)(PPh(3))] [H(2)mpa=mercaptopropionic acid] 1 and [Au(6-Hmna)(PPh(3))] 2, were prepared and characterized by elemental analysis, FT-IR, TG/DTA, and ((31)P, 1H and 13C) NMR spectroscopy. The crystal structures of 1 and 2 were determined as a supramolecular arrangement of the 2-coordinate AuSP core. Both 1 and 2 significantly showed antibacterial activities. As a model reaction of phosphinegold (I) complexes with the cysteine residue in the biological ligands, we examined if the ligand exchange reactions of the aromatic anions L(1)(-) in [Au(L(1))(PPh(3))] (HL(1)=6-H(2)mna 2, 2-H(2)mna 3, 2-H(2)mba 6, Hpz 9, Him 10, 1,2,3-Htriz 11, 1,2,4-Htriz 12) with aliphatic thiols HL(2) (HL(2)=2-H(2)mpa, D-H(2)pen) occurred under the mild conditions and, also, if the 'reverse' reactions, namely, the ligand exchange reactions of the thiolate anions in [Au(2-Hmpa)(PPh(3))] 1, [Au(D-Hpen)(PPh(3))] 4 and [Au(2-Hmba)(PPh(3))] 6 with the free ligands HL(1) took place under similar conditions. In this work, a relationship of the ligand-exchangeability among 2-coordinate gold(I) complexes (1-4, 6, 9-12) was revealed. Complex 6 was substitution-inert, whereas complexes 1-4 and 9-12 were substitution-labile. The ligand-exchangeability of Au-S and Au-N bonds in the 2-coordinate phosphinegold(I) complexes with AuSP and AuNP cores to form new AuSP cores, with retention of the Au-P bond, was closely related to the observed activities against Gram-positive bacteria, and the ease of the ligand-exchange reaction was strongly related to the intensity of the activities.     

人Trim5α嵌合体蛋白与HIV-1gag蛋白体外分子间相互作用的鉴定

目的:表达和纯化人TRIM5α嵌合体蛋白［TRIM5α-H(R328-332)］,并探讨该蛋白和HIV-1gag间的相互作用。方法:将构建的TRIM5α嵌合体pET-28a-TRIM5α-H(R328-332),转化大肠杆菌BL21(DE3) ,获得重组表达质粒pETTRIM5α-H(R328-332),30℃下经IPTG诱导,该融合蛋白在大肠杆菌BL21(DE3)中表达。获得的重组的蛋白再经过纯化,SDS-PAGE分析重组蛋白,并用免疫共沉淀技术和ELISA等检测重组蛋白与HIV-1 gag间的相互作用。结果:构建的重组质粒在大肠杆菌中获得表达,重组TRIM5α-H(R328-332)蛋白经纯化复性后,通过免疫共沉淀和ELISA等技术,证明TRIM5α-H(R328-332)蛋白能够与HIV-1gag间的相互作用。 结论:在大肠杆菌表达系统中成功表达了重组TRIM5α-H(R328-332)蛋白,并且证实其在体外与HIV-1gag有结合作用。[摘要]　目的:表达和纯化人Trim5α嵌合体蛋白[Trim5α H(R328-332)],并探讨该蛋白和HIV-1gag间的相互作用。方法:将构建的Trim5α嵌合体pET 28a Trim5α H(R328-332),转化大肠杆菌BL21(DE3) ,获得重组表达质粒pETTrim5α H(R328-332),30℃下经IPTG诱导,该融合蛋白在大肠杆菌BL21(DE3)中表达。获得的重组的蛋白再经过纯化,用SDS-聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳(SDS-PAGE)分析重组蛋白,并用免疫共沉淀技术、His pull down和ELISA等检测重组蛋白与HIV-1gag间的相互作用。结果:构建的重组质粒在大肠杆菌中获得表达,经纯化后的重组Trim5α H(R328-332)蛋白纯度可达90%以上。通过免疫共沉淀、GST pull down和ELISA等技术,证明Trim5α H(R328-332)蛋白能够与HIV-1gag间的相互作用。 结论:本实验在大肠杆菌表达系统中成功表达了重组Trim5α H(R328-332)蛋白,并且证实其在体外与HIV-1gag有结合作用。     

基于Huffman编码的群落结构复杂性

Anand和Orlóci (1996)提出用Huffman编码的平均码长来衡量群落结构总复杂性,用12阶Rényi熵测度群落无序结构复杂性,用两者之差测度群落有序结构复杂性。这是一种与基于生物多样性的复杂性测度完全不同,至少在思路上不同的结构复杂性测度,但对于这种测度的性质研究还不多。该文模拟建立了具有代表性的各种结构的群落400多万个,计算了这些群落的复杂性测度,对其性质进行了研究。结果表明:1)群落结构总复杂性、无序结构复杂性和有序结构复杂性受群落多样性、变异程度、优势种组成等影响。其中,群落结构总复杂性与Shannon-Wiener指数高度相关(决定系数>0.99),完全可由群落组成的多样性决定。群落无序结构复杂性与群落优势种对数比例或变异系数关系最大,与群落优势种对数比例之间的决定系数>0.99。2)该群落有序结构复杂性可表示为群落生物多样性和优势种对数比例的线性组合。在生态意义上可看作主要由群落中非优势种的组成比例决定,而组成多样性能解释41%~46%的群落有序结构复杂性。3)群落组成物种总数的增加会导致群落复杂性的测度有所增加,但没有像文献(Anand & Orlóci,1996)中描述的那么大,且组成总数对结构复杂性与多样性和优势种的关系等没有影响。     

晋西土石山区森林次生演替过程中群落结构及复杂性

在晋西黄土高原中阳县土石山区阴坡地段,选择4种典型群落次生演替阶段样地,研究了森林次生演替过程中群落结构和群落复杂性的变化规律.结果表明,群落演替过程中,群落高度级结构及径级结构呈现明显的变化规律,高大个体在群落中所占比例逐渐增加,低高度级和小径级个体数量则呈先增加后减少的趋势.按高度级结构计算的群落树种组成复杂性H(X)、层次结构复杂性H(Y|X)、群落总体复杂性H(X,Y)均呈先增加后减小的趋势:H(X)指数值在演替初期阶段为2.96,演替中期增加到3.85,至乔木林阶段又降低为3.75;H(Y|X)指数值演替初期为1.27,演替中期增加为1.66,至乔木林阶段则为1.37.     

Habitat preference of the striped legless lizard: Implications of grazing by native herbivores and livestock for conservation of grassland biota

Across the globe, many species of reptile are threatened with extinction, with changes in grazing pressure as a significant factor in their decline. Few studies have investigated the role of native herbivores, yet studying natural grazers may provide insight into natural grazing regimes, not apparent in studies of domestic livestock. In this study, we investigate the habitat requirements of a threatened Australian grassland reptile, the striped legless lizard, Delma impar, in grasslands grazed by a native herbivore, the eastern grey kangaroo Macropus giganteus. Delma impar appears sensitive to habitat change resulting from altered grazing intensity, but a lack of information hinders implementation of appropriate grazing regimes. To address this gap, we investigated habitat preferences of D. impar at multiple spatial scales across a grazing gradient. We found that the occurrence of D. impar was not affected by the size of grassland remnants, but was negatively related to the density of native grazers. This result was likely a consequence of the negative effect of high grazing intensity on grass structural complexity, as the probability of encountering a D. impar was positively related to grass structural complexity at the fine scale (1 m²). We recommend that conservation efforts should avoid high intensity grazing (equivalent to > 1.3 kangaroos/ha), yet ensure enough grazing disturbance is maintained to promote the formation of complex grass structures. We also recommend that small floristically degraded and fragmented grassland habitat should be included in conservation efforts. These recommendations will likely benefit a number of faunal species in grasslands grazed by domestic and native grazers. Importantly, our data highlight the need for managing grazing regimes, even in environments dominated by native herbivores.     

岷江干旱河谷植物群落的复杂性

通过对岷江干旱河谷植被及环境因子的系统取样调查,研究了该地区植物群落复杂性及其与环境因子的关系,探讨了群落复杂性与多样性、均匀度、物种丰富度之间的关系.随着海拔的增加,群落总复杂性和结构复杂性均表现为“高-低-高”的变化趋势,表明高海拔和低海拔段有较高的复杂性,中海拔段复杂性较低;位于干旱河谷核心区的样带3、4较北部过渡区样带1、2和南部过渡区样带5、6有着较低的群落总复杂性;不同坡位、坡形及坡向,群落总复杂性和结构复杂性,均表现为上坡位＞下坡位＞中坡位,凹坡＞平破＞凸坡,阴坡＞半阴半阳坡＞阳坡.华帚菊-小黄素馨灌丛的总复杂性最高,西南野丁香灌丛、驼绒藜灌丛的总复杂性最低,橿子栎灌丛和群小花滇紫草灌丛的结构复杂性较高; 群落总复杂性与有机质、全N、土壤含水量、水解N、速效K呈现出显著的二次曲线关系,与全K、全P、速效P、pH值没有明显的相关关系.总复杂性与多样性、均匀度、物种丰富度的关系密切,均呈现显著的线性正相关关系.均匀度和结构复杂性呈现极显著的线性负相关,表明结构复杂性随均匀度的增加而减小.作为群落总复杂性与多样性的区分,结构复杂性对群落内物种数的变化较为敏感,不仅与均匀度有关,还与群落物种数量有关.结构复杂性和多样性作为群落总复杂性的两个组成部分,对总复杂性的影响随着研究区域和群落的不同而不同.     

Divergent changes in plant community composition under 3-decade grazing exclusion in continental steppe

An understanding of the factors controlling plant community composition will allow improved prediction of the responses of plant communities to natural and anthropogenic environmental change. Using monitoring data from 1980 to 2009, we quantified the changes in community composition in Leymus chinensis and Stipa grandis dominated grasslands in Inner Mongolia under long-term grazing-exclusion and free-grazing conditions, respectively. We demonstrated that the practice of long-term grazing exclusion has significant effects on the heterogeneity, the dominant species, and the community composition in the two grasslands. The community composition of L. chinensis and S. grandis grasslands exhibited directional changes with time under long-term grazing exclusion. Under free grazing, the L. chinensis community changed directionally with time, but the pattern of change was stochastic in the S. grandis community. We attributed the divergent responses to long-term grazing exclusion in the S. grandis and L. chinensis grasslands to litter accumulation and changes in the microenvironment after grazing exclusion, which collectively altered the growth and regeneration of the dominant species. The changes in the grazed grasslands were primarily determined by the selective feeding of sheep during long-term heavy grazing. Overall, the responses of the community composition of the Inner Mongolian grasslands to long-term grazing exclusion and heavy grazing were divergent, and depended primarily on the grassland type. Our findings provide new insights into the role of grazing in the maintenance of community structure and function and therefore have important implications for grassland management.     

Ordering of human chromosome 3p markers by radiation hybrid mapping.

To construct a panel of radiation hybrids (RHs) for human chromosome 3p mapping, mouse microcell hybrid cells, A9(neo3/t)-5, containing a single copy of human chromosome 3p with pSV2neo plasmid DNA integrated at 3p21-p22 were irradiated and fused to mouse A9 cells. A panel of 96 RHs that retain several sizes and portions of human chromosome 3p segments was used to map 25 DNA markers for chromosome 3p. Eight of them, H28, H29, H32, H33, H35, H38, H48, and H64, were cloned from Alu-primed PCR products using A9(neo3/t)-5 cell DNA as a template. The most likely order of the 24 markers, except for H28, based on the statistical ordering method proposed by Falk, was cen-D3S4-D3S3-D3S30-H29-D3S13-D3S2-+ ++H48-D3F15S2-D3S32-D3S23-CCK-H35-H33- D3S11-D3S12-RARB-THRB(ERBA2-pBH302)- H64-H38-RAF1-D3S18-H32-D3S22-pter. The order and location of these markers were in good agreement with those previously determined by other mapping methods, suggesting that a panel of these 96 RHs is a valuable source for a rapid mapping of human chromosome 3p markers.     

Solution chemistry and cytotoxic properties of novel organogold(III) compounds

The solution behaviour of some novel organogold(III) compounds was investigated, and their cytotoxic properties evaluated against a few human tumour cell lines (A2780/S, A2780/R, MCF7, HT29 and A549). Specifically, the following compounds were considered: [Au(bipy(dmb)-H)(2,6-xylidine-H)][PF(6)] (AuXyl) and [Au(bipy(dmb)-H)(p-toluidine-H)][PF(6)] (AuTol) (in which bipy(dmb)=6-(1,1-dimethylbenzyl)-2,2'-bipyridine), [Au(py(dmb)-H)(AcO)(2)] (AuPyAcO) (in which py(dmb)=2-(1,1-dimethylbenzyl)-pyridine) and [Au(pz(Ph)-H)Cl(3)]K (AuPzCl) (in which pz(Ph)=1-phenylpyrazole). The solution chemistry of these compounds, under physiological-like conditions, was investigated through UV-vis absorption and (1)H NMR spectroscopies. Significant cytotoxic effects in vitro were observed in selected cases.     

Plant community complexity in the arid valley of Minjiang River, southwestern China

Biocomplexity theory is becoming increasingly important in understanding natural vegetation dynamics and interrelation among all components of the ecosystem. In this study, based on the field investigation of plant species and environmental factors (altitude, microtopography, soil water content, and soil nutrients) in an arid valley of the upper reaches of Minjiang River, Sichuan Province, southwestern China, plant community complexity and its relationship with environmental factors, community diversity, species evenness and richness were studied. Both total and structural complexities of the communities showed a “high- low-high” tendency with the increase in altitude of the area, which meant that the complexity of communities was the highest at the sites of low and high altitude, whereas it was the lowest at the sites of intermediate altitude. It was found that the total community complexity had significant quadratic correlations with soil organic matter (SOM) content, total nitrogen (N), hydrolyzable N, soil water content, and available potassium (K), whereas it had no significant correlations with soil total K, total phosphorus (P), available P, and pH value. The total community complexity positively correlated with community diversity, species evenness and species richness, whereas the structural complexity negatively correlated with the community evenness. Of the two components of the total community complexity, namely, the structural complexity and the structural diversity, the structural complexity was more sensitive than the structural diversity to the changes of species in the community, which was not only related to the community evenness but also to the community richness. The relative contribution of both the structural complexity and the structural diversity to the total complexity would be different for different study areas or ecosystems.     

气候平均值变化对辽宁水稻延迟型冷害评估结果的影响

5-9月平均气温和的距平值(ΔT_5-9)是评估东北地区水稻延迟型冷害的常用指标,但5-9月平均气温和的气候平均值(∑T_5-9)统计年代的变化,是否会影响辽宁水稻延迟型冷害评估结果,还有待进一步研究.本文利用中华人民共和国气象行业标准《水稻冷害评估技术规范》(QX/T 182-2013)和补充后的（ΔT_5-9）,通过计算辽宁52个气象站1961-1990(S₁)、1971-2000(S₂)、1981-2010(S₃)和1961-2010年(S₄)4个气候年代的∑T_5-9,分别利用冷害发生站数与评估总站数的比值(IOC)和发生频率对辽宁水稻低温冷害时空变化进行分析.结果表明: 1961-2010年,辽宁各地水稻生长季的热量条件(即∑T_5-9)明显增加并发生了显著的时空变化;利用二次多项式模型对原有的水稻延迟型冷害评估气象指标进行补充完善.S2和S4的气候平均值对研究区水稻延迟型冷害时空规律的判识结果较为相似,但并不完全相同,基于S3气候平均值计算的IOC变异系数均低于其他3个气候平均值计算的IOC变异系数.与水稻典型减产年相比,利用S3气候平均值评估研究期间辽宁水稻延迟型冷害的结果更符合实际情况,可为准确评估气候变化背景下辽宁水稻延迟型冷害时空变化规律提供依据.     

Analysis of Grassland Vegetation of the Southwest Heilongjiang Steppe （China） Using the Power Law

In 1997, we conducted a vegetation survey in three semi-arid natural grasslands （steppes） with different livestock grazing intensities in Southwest Heilongjiang Province, China, The dominant grassland species was the grass Stipa baicalensis Roshev. Grasslands with light, intermediate, and heavy grazing intensities were located 10, 5, and 2 km from a village, respectively. Villagers use the steppe to raise cattle, horses, sheep, and goats. Each of the three grasslands was surveyed by placing 100 quadrats （50 cm×50 cm） along a 50 m line transect. Each quadrat was divided into four equal areas （25 cm×25 cm; S-quadrats） and all plant species occurring in each of these smaller areas were identified and recorded. These data were summarized into frequency distributions and the percentage of S-quadrats containing a given species and the variance of each species were estimated. The power law was applied to these estimates. The power law was used to evaluate the spatial heterogeneity and frequency of occurrence for each species in the grassland community. The lightly grazed grassland exhibited high spatial heterogeneity （caused by large plant size）, the highest species diversity, and a high occurrence of S. baicalensis. In contrast, the heavily grazed grassland exhibited high spatial heterogeneity （caused by patchy populations of small plant size）, low species diversity, and a low occurrence of S. baicalensis. We judged that the heavily grazed grassland was overgrazed and exclusion of livestock from the degraded areas is necessary for recovery.     

放牧和水淹干扰对松嫩平原碱化草地空间格局影响的分形分析

对东北松嫩平原碱化草地植物群落空间格局的分形性质进行了分析,分别用边长面积指数和Ｋｏｒｃａｋ相对斑块化指数估计了斑块边界复杂性和斑块面积大小频率分布格局。结果表明：随放牧强度增加,占优势的羊草（Ｌｅｙｍｕｓｃｈｉｎｅｎｓｉｓ（Ｔｒｉｎ．）Ｔｚｒｅｌ）斑块的斑块化加剧,而斑块的边界在中度放牧时最不规则;在水淹地,占优势的羊草斑块和次优势的碱茅（Ｐｕｃｉｎｅｌｉａｓｐｐ．）斑块、獐茅（Ａｅｌｕｒｏｐｕｓｌｉｔｏｒａｌｉｓ（Ｇｏｕａｎ）Ｐａｒｌ．ｖａｒ．ｓｉｎｅｎｓｉｓＤｅｂｅａｕｘ）斑块的斑块边界复杂性和斑块化程度比未水淹地都低,说明水淹降低了群落复合体内的异质性;在水淹地,优势斑块的边长面积指数和Ｋｏｒｃａｋ指数均低于次优势种,但在重度放牧地结果正好相反,可能是由于两种样地处于不同的演替阶段;而且,斑块边界复杂性符合同一尺度规律,在现有的面积范围内没有尺度转换,斑块面积大小的频率分布格局则存在尺度转换点。     

群落结构复杂性的测度方法研究进展

该文对群落结构复杂性的测度方法的研究进展状况进行了综述。根据测度方法建立的方法基础,将现有的方法分成3类:基于多样性的复杂性测度、基于计算复杂性的测度和基于几何学特征的复杂性测度。对每类测度方法进行了介绍,对其优缺点进行了评述。同时提出了未来研究中应给予重视的问题。结果表明,现有群落结构复杂性的测度方法普遍存在区分能力差的问题,对于基于多样性的结构复杂性测度,目前还缺乏确定各测度属性权重的客观方法;现有的一些基于计算复杂性的结构测度与多样性指标关系过于密切,还不完善,同时其生态学的意义还不明确,而另一些计算复杂性指标还缺乏实际检验。今后,如何建立既具有区分力、又与多样性在概念和数值上都有一定区别的群落结构的计算复杂性的测度方法、如何科学合理地确定复杂性测度中的属性权重以及如何建立结构复杂性的测度和功能过程之间的联系等都是需要深入和系统研究的。由于方法的相似性,有关群落结构复杂性的测度方法也可以应用到其它尺度上的结构复杂性的研究中。     

A new digital method of data collection for spatial point pattern analysis in grassland communities

A major objective of plant ecology research is to determine the underlying processes responsible for the observed spatial distribution patterns of plant species. Plants can be approximated as points in space for this purpose, and thus, spatial point pattern analysis has become increasingly popular in ecological research. The basic piece of data for point pattern analysis is a point location of an ecological object in some study region. Therefore, point pattern analysis can only be performed if data can be collected. However, due to the lack of a convenient sampling method, a few previous studies have used point pattern analysis to examine the spatial patterns of grassland species. This is unfortunate because being able to explore point patterns in grassland systems has widespread implications for population dynamics, community‐level patterns, and ecological processes. In this study, we developed a new method to measure individual coordinates of species in grassland communities. This method records plant growing positions via digital picture samples that have been sub‐blocked within a geographical information system (GIS). Here, we tested out the new method by measuring the individual coordinates of Stipa grandis in grazed and ungrazed S. grandis communities in a temperate steppe ecosystem in China. Furthermore, we analyzed the pattern of S. grandis by using the pair correlation function g(r) with both a homogeneous Poisson process and a heterogeneous Poisson process. Our results showed that individuals of S. grandis were overdispersed according to the homogeneous Poisson process at 0–0.16 m in the ungrazed community, while they were clustered at 0.19 m according to the homogeneous and heterogeneous Poisson processes in the grazed community. These results suggest that competitive interactions dominated the ungrazed community, while facilitative interactions dominated the grazed community. In sum, we successfully executed a new sampling method, using digital photography and a geographical information system, to collect experimental data on the spatial point patterns for the populations in this grassland community.     

Isolation of protoplasts by means of a “species-specific” autolysine inChlamydomonas

Summary Prior to fusion, gametes ofChlamydomonas reinhardii discard their cell walls. This naturally occuring phenomenon has provided the basis for a method of protoplast isolation from both gametes and vegetative cells within the genusChlamydomonas. When synchronized cultures of compatibleChlamydomonas gametes are mixed it is possible, after removal of the cells, to obtain a solution having a high cell wall lytic activity. That vegetative and gamete cells after treatment with this gamete-autolysine are indeed protoplasts has been proved by various light and electron microscopical methods.The species specifity of this autolysine, its difference to the previously described sporangialautolysine (Schlösser 1966) and furthermore its use in the large scale production of protoplasts is also described. Since this wall autolysine is a factor produced by the cells themselves at a particular stage in their life cycle it represents a non-foreign agent in contrast to all other enzymic methods previously employed for protoplast isolation.     

Effect of grazing on community structure and productivity of a Uruguayan grassland

Grasslands and their grazers provide some of the most compelling examples for studying the relationship between diversity, productivity, and disturbance. In this study, we analyzed the impact of grazing-induced changes in species composition and community structure upon the productivity of a grassland in the Campos region, Uruguay. We compared three treatments: a continuously grazed area, a 9-year old exclosure to domestic herbivores, and grazing-simulated plots inside the exclosure, which were clipped so that their standing biomass resembled that of the grazed area. We studied the community composition of the grazed and ungrazed situations, and determined biomass and above-ground net primary production (ANPP) of the three treatments during 1 year. Grazed plots had higher species richness and diversity than the exclosure. Grazing resulted in the replacement of some cool-season, tussock grasses by warm-season, prostrate grasses. ANPP was 51% higher under grazing than in the exclosure, but the grazing-simulated plots inside the exclosure were the most productive treatment, 29% higher than the grazed plots. Thus, two components of grazing effect may be postulated for this grassland. The structural component resulted in higher ANPP, probably due to the elimination of standing dead biomass. The species composition component resulted in lower ANPP once the structural component was controlled, probably due to the shift to warm-season phenology and prostrate habit. Our findings contrast with a similar experiment carried out in the neighbouring Flooding Pampa region, which suggests that the relationship between grazing and community structure and function is difficult to generalize.     

Grazing‐induced changes in plant–soil feedback alter plant biomass allocation

Large vertebrate herbivores, as well as plant–soil feedback interactions are important drivers of plant performance, plant community composition and vegetation dynamics in terrestrial ecosystems. However, it is poorly understood whether and how large vertebrate herbivores and plant–soil feedback effects interact. Here, we study the response of grassland plant species to grazing‐induced legacy effects in the soil and we explore whether these plant responses can help us to understand long‐term vegetation dynamics in the field. In a greenhouse experiment we tested the response of four grassland plant species, Agrostis capillaris, Festuca rubra, Holcus lanatus and Rumex acetosa, to field‐conditioned soils from grazed and ungrazed grassland. We relate these responses to long‐term vegetation data from a grassland exclosure experiment in the field. In the greenhouse experiment, we found that total biomass production and biomass allocation to roots was higher in soils from grazed than from ungrazed plots. There were only few relationships between plant production in the greenhouse and the abundance of conspecifics in the field. Spatiotemporal patterns in plant community composition were more stable in grazed than ungrazed grassland plots, but were not related to plant–soil feedbacks effects and biomass allocation patterns. We conclude that grazing‐induced soil legacy effects mainly influenced plant biomass allocation patterns, but could not explain altered vegetation dynamics in grazed grasslands. Consequently, the direct effects of grazing on plant community composition (e.g. through modifying light competition or differences in grazing tolerance) appear to overrule indirect effects through changes in plant–soil feedback.