NAD precursors cycle between host tissues and the gut microbiome

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Different patterns of biomass allocation of mature and sapling host tree in response to liana competition in the southern temperate rainforest

Lianas can negatively affect their host tree. The evidence comes from studies in tropical forests, where lianas decrease the growth rate and reproduction of their host tree. This is primarily a consequence of water and nutrient competition, two limiting factors in tropical forests. In contrast, for some areas of southern temperate rainforests the competition for these resources could be less severe, because of the high rainfall and fertile soils. But so far, no study has determined the effect of liana competition over their host tree in southern temperate rainforests. The aim of this study was to evaluate, in field conditions, the effect of liana Cissus striata (Ruiz & Pavon) competition over the growth rate of mature Nothofagus obliqua (Bidr Egefam) host tree. In an experimental approach, we determined whether above‐ and/or below‐ground competition is more important in this interaction. We also looked for compensatory strategies that would allow to trees to respond to liana competition. In field conditions, we found that infested trees have a decrease in their relative growth rate of 26% and a reduction of the leaf area index (LAI) of 20% compared with control trees. In the greenhouse experiment, we found that saplings were water stressed and that there was light competition. Neither competition for water nor light had a significant effect on the growth rate of infested saplings. This could be explained because saplings showed compensatory strategies in response to competition. These strategies were based in the biomass distribution between organs (leaf area, slenderness index) and within leaves (LMA). In conclusion, we found that C. striata has a negative effect over the growth of mature and sapling N. obliqua host trees. This was a consequence of above‐ground and below‐ground competition, but we cannot disentangle which type of competition is more important. Trees respond to liana competition, mature host trees change the canopy architecture and saplings allocate resource between and within organs, which allows them to optimize resource capture.     

Episodic seedling growth in Allosyncarpia ternata,a lignotuberous,monsoon rainforest tree in northern Australia

On the western Arnhem Land Plateau, Northern Territory, Australia, seedlings of the canopy tree Allosyncarpia ternata S.T. Blake typically spend many years (perhaps decades) as small (<1 m), multistemmed plants on the forest floor. In this establishment phase, long periods of apparent inactivity are interrupted by episodes of rapid growth. This paper describes a 5‐year field‐monitoring program to examine the pattern of seedling growth and survival in allosyncarpia forest, and field and shadehouse measurements of lignotuber size. Individual seedlings may produce, each wet season, a number of fast‐growing stems, which then die back in the following dry season. As a result, mean annual above‐ground growth during this life stage is negligible. With each wet season, however, the seedling extends its below ground parts – a large lignotuber and a deep root system. After a number of years, when the lignotuber has grown large enough to sustain massive shoot growth, when a suitable light gap becomes available, and presumably when roots reach reliable dry‐season water supplies, the seedling grows rapidly. Thus, the shortage of saplings in allosyncarpia forest is due to the short time that individual plants spend at that particular growth‐stage, rather than to any dysfunction in recruitment.     

宿主遗传背景与肠道微生物互作研究进展

“微生物”这一名词指非常小的生物，如古菌、细菌、原生生物、真菌和病毒，肠道“微生物组”表示的是肠道微生物集合体。它们实际上共享宿主的身体空间，但作为宿主健康和疾病的决定因素却几乎被忽视。作为信息的集合，微生物组包括微生物的基因组数据、结构元件、代谢物和环境条件。最近对肠道微生物组的研究表明，微生物群落在维持宿主稳态和调节宿主表型上发挥着重要作用。随着包括二代测序(next-generation sequencing, NGS)在内的新技术的出现以及微生物群落序列谱等深入测定技术出现，人们对肠道微生物组与宿主遗传背景之间的关系有了许多见解。本文通过肠道微生物组学的概述，基于全基因组关联分析技术建立肠道微生物组学与宿主遗传之间联系，并对宿主遗传学与肠道微生物组的关系及未来发展前景进行探讨。     

Measurement of tree diversity in the Nigerian rainforest

The diversity of trees 5 cm in diameter and above at breast height was studied at five sites within the Nigerian rainforest. The sites were Gambari, Oban, Omo, Owan and Sapoba forest reserves. Diversity was measured in terms of similarity and heterogeneity and explored at beta and gamma levels. Over 315 species were encountered during the study. In terms of species richness, there are 80, 226, 163, 137 and 159 species in Gambari, Oban, Omo, Owan and Sapoba, respectively. The occurrence of the species showed that, while 26 species are common to all the sites, 62, 17, 15, 8 and 6 species are restricted to Oban, Omo, Sapoba, Gambari and Owan, respectively. Ordination by detrended correspondence analysis indicated gradients along the first two axes. The first axis reflecting rainfall gradient which decreases from Oban through to Sapoba, Owan and Gambari. The second axis showed a separation of Omo, and Owan and Sapoba. This suggests a gradient of soil parent materials, the former site is on the basement complex while the latter is on the cretaceous rock. It is suggested that each forest should be managed based on its particular characteristics, such as species composition and abundance. Thus, forests with high species diversity but fewer numbers of individuals, such as in Oban, should be earmarked for conservation while species-rich forests with relatively more economic species, as in Sapoba and Omo, should be managed for sustained timber production. Floristically poor forest, such as those in Gambari and Owan, should be converted to plantations of fast growing species but with care taken to avoid exposing such sites to soil erosion.     

Divergent host plant preference causes assortative mating between sympatric host races of the ladybird beetle,Henosepilachna diekei

Divergent host preference (i.e. host fidelity) plays a significant role in the speciation process in phytophagous insects. However, how and to what extent this divergence reduces gene flow between populations has rarely been measured. Here, we estimated the intensity of assortative mating caused solely by host fidelity in two host races of the phytophagous ladybird beetle Henosepilachna diekei, specialized on Mikania micrantha (Asteraceae) and Leucas lavandulifolia (Lamiaceae) in West Java, Indonesia. These host races mated randomly in the absence of host plants under laboratory conditions, but demonstrated nearly complete assortative mating in field cages with the two host plants, by spending almost all of their time on their respective host plants. The frequency of assortative mating in the field cages was not affected drastically by host plant patch structure. These results suggest that fidelity to the different host plants yields directly almost complete reproductive isolation between the host races by limiting the habitat on the respective host plant. In addition, the high host fidelity also ensures female oviposition on the original host plant. As larvae cannot survive on non‐host plants, a positive association between female oviposition preference and larval performance on the host plant on which the beetles are specialized will further facilitate the evolution of host fidelity. © 2013 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2013, 110 , 606–614.     

Mycorrhizal status of some plants of the Araucaria forest and the Atlantic rainforest in Santa Catarina, Brazil

 In Brazil, the Araucaria forest and the Atlantic rainforest are two threatened ecosystems, with 10% or less of their original areas presently existing. To assess the mycorrhizal status in these forests, roots of 29 native species, belonging to 19 families, were collected throughout the year from different regions of Santa Catarina, Brazil. Roots were washed, and then cut in a cryo-microtome to seek ectomycorrhizal colonization. Other roots were stained before being examined for vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizas (VAM). Patterns of colonization were identified and photographed. All plants presented evidence of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization. No evidence of ectomycorrhizal colonization was found. Vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization patterns varied from single intracellular aseptate hyphae, coils, and/or appressoria, to vesicles and/or arbuscules. Results confirmed that VAM hosts are predominant in South American forests while ectomycorrhizas are extremely rare even among genera known as ectomycorrhizal in other regions of the humid tropics. Accepted: 27 August 2000     

Divergent host plant specialization as the critical driving force in speciation between populations of a phytophagous ladybird beetle

Detecting the isolating barrier that arises earliest in speciation is critically important to understanding the mechanism of species formation. We tested isolating barriers between host races of a phytophagous ladybird beetle, Henosepilachna diekei (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae: Epilachnine), that occur sympatrically on distinct host plants. We conducted field surveys for the distribution of the beetles and host plants, rearing experiments to measure six potential isolating factors (adult host preference, adult and larval host performance, sexual isolation, egg hatchability, F(1) hybrid inviability, and sexual selection against F(1) hybrids), and molecular analyses of mitochondrial ND2 and the nuclear ITS2 sequences. We found significant genetic divergence between the host races, and extremely divergent host preference (i.e. habitat isolation) and host performance (i.e. immigrant inviability), but no other isolating barriers. The fidelity to particular host plants arises first and alone can prevent gene flow between differentiating populations of phytophagous specialists.     

Elevational turnover in the composition of leaf miners and their interactions with host plants in Australian subtropical rainforest

Leaf miners are specialist herbivorous insects that are potentially vulnerable to environmental change because of their dependency on particular host plants. Little, however, is known about how climate affects the distribution of leaf miner communities and their interactions with host plants. Elevational gradients are useful tools for understanding how ecological communities respond to local clines in climate. Given that plant communities are known to undergo elevational turnover in response to changes in climatic conditions, we expect that leaf miner species will also change with elevation. We repeatedly hand collected leaf miners along three elevational gradients in subtropical rainforest in eastern Australia. Individual leaf miners were counted and identified to species, and their host plants were recorded. We tested if leaf miner species richness and the number of unique interactions among leaf miner and host plant species were affected by elevation. We also tested if the composition of leaf miner species and the composition of interactions between leaf miners and host plants showed a relationship with elevation. The rarefied number of unique leaf miner–host plant interactions significantly decreased with elevation, with a slight peak at approx. 700 m a.s.l., while neither rarefied or observed species richness (species density) of leaf miners nor observed numbers of unique interactions (interaction density) were significantly affected by elevation. The composition of leaf miner species and the composition of leaf miner–host plant interactions (occurrence of pairwise interactions) were significantly related to elevation. Elevational turnover in leaf miner species composition indicated that different species varied in their response to changes in biotic and/or abiotic conditions imposed by increasing elevation. Through our analyses, we identified four leaf miner species that may be locally vulnerable to climate change, as a result of their restricted elevational distribution and level of host specificity.     

滇东南热带雨林种子植物区系的初步研究

通过对滇东南地区热带雨林植被的初步调查 ,统计滇东南热带雨林种子植物区系有种子植物 119科 ,378属 ,6 73种 (包括变种和亚种 )。种子植物分布区类型组成是主产热带和亚热带的科占 82 .35% ;热带分布属占非世界属数的 93.87% ;典型热带分布种占总种数的 75.93%。热带分布属中以亚洲热带分布属最多 ,占非世界属数的 4 0 .2 7% ;典型热带分布种中以热带亚洲分布及其变型越南 (印度支那 )至云南 (华南 )分布占比例最高 ,分别为 71.4 7%和 16 .34 %。分布区类型分析表明滇东南热带雨林种子植物区系具有热带亚洲区系的特点 ,属于古热带植物区中的马来亚森林植物亚区之中的北部湾区系。进一步分析表明此区系具热带北缘的性质。分布区类型的组成也表明此区系古特有种丰富。     

A comparison of foliar nutrient concentration in trees from monsoon rainforest and savanna in northern Australia

Abstract Analysis of foliar nutrient concentrations revealed that two mesophyllic monsoon rainforest trees had higher concentrations of most nutrients in leaves than eight savanna species. One of the tested monsoon rainforest species with sclerophyllous leaves had similar nutrient concentrations to the savanna tree species. There were positive or no significant correlations between live foliar nutrient concentration and the percentage of nutrients withdrawn prior to litterfall. The nutrient concentration of litter was similar for most nutrients among tree species of monsoon rainforest or savanna. The results of this study suggest that the relative fertility of surface soils of monsoon rainforest compared with savanna is not determined by contrasting nutrient cycling strategies whereby monsoon rainforest tree species enrich their soils with relatively nutrient rich leaf litter relative to savanna tree species.     

不同离体寄主及其成熟度对亚洲柑桔木虱存活的影响

【目的】亚洲柑桔木虱Diaphorina citri Kuwayama的虫口密度及活动与柑桔黄龙病的田间传播、流行有十分密切的关系,寻找合适的室内饲养条件能够便于观察和研究其生物学特性和传病机制。【方法】本文以九里香Murraya exotica(L.)Mant.、酸桔Citrus sunki Hort.ex Tanaka和马水桔Citrus reticulata Blanco.cv.Mashuiju 3种寄主植物不同成熟度离体梢为研究材料,(1)比较亚洲柑桔木虱卵分别在3种寄主植株和离体嫩梢上的孵化率;(2)比较3种寄主不同成熟度离体梢对各龄若虫存活率和蜕皮的影响;(3)比较3种寄主不同成熟度离体梢对成虫存活率的影响。【结果】(1)亚洲柑桔木虱在植株嫩梢上卵的孵化率高于离体嫩梢,九里香表现最明显;(2)低龄若虫在叶片未完全展开的离体嫩梢上存活率最高,而高龄若虫在完全展开的嫩梢上最高;(3)用离体成熟梢饲养柑桔木虱成虫存活率高于离体嫩梢,酸桔和马水桔离体梢饲养的存活率较九里香高。【结论】用寄主植物离体梢饲养的亚洲柑桔木虱卵孵化率和若虫、成虫存活率都较高而且较稳定,该方法可用于这种木虱的室内繁殖中。     

Photosynthesis rates of selected tree species in lowland dipterocarp rainforest of Sabah, Malaysia

 Diurnal courses of net photosynthesis, transpiration and water potential of leaves of ten woody species from the natural lowland dipterocarp forests in Sabah (North Borneo, Malaysia) and one exotic tree species were studied in the field. The indigenous species represent different ecological niches and successional stages in the various layers of the dipterocarp forest, such as pioneers, trees of the understorey or main canopy and emergents. Diurnal changes in CO₂ exchange and transpiration reflected primarily differences in irradiance. The diurnal courses of water potential mainly tracked the rate of transpiratory water loss. Light-dependency describes most of the diurnal variations of leaves’ gas exchange. Light response curves of net photosynthesis of the investigated species of the Dipterocapaceae were almost equal (light saturated assimilation rate, A_max: 5.0–7.2 μmol CO₂ m^–2 s^–1), while those of the other species exhibited remarkable differences (A_max: 5.5–14.2 μmol CO₂ m^–2 s^–1). Leaf area, chlorophyll content and specific leaf dry weight as the reference parameters for assimilation gave a general ranking of the A_max, which is highest for the pioneering species, less for the understorey trees and lowest for emergents. Light compensation points and light saturation of net photosynthesis were attained mainly between 6 and 9 μmol photons m^–2 s^–1 and between 230 and 534 μmol photons m^–2 s^–1, respectively, but were higher for pioneering species. Photosynthetic performance may be a diagnostic feature of the successional and ecological status of species, i.e. to characterize pioneering species from understorey species or from emergents of the dipterocarp forest. Received: 3 March 1997 / Accepted: 15 December 1997     

Shoot growth and tree architecture of saplings of the major canopy dominants in a warm-temperate rainforest

Sapling density, shoot growth, and sapling architecture were studied in five major canopy dominants both under closed canopy and gaps in a warm-temperate rainforest. The five species showed wide variations in distribution, shoot growth, and sapling architecture. Distylium racemosum and Quercus acuta had significantly higher sapling densities under closed canopy than in gaps. Castanopsis sieboldii and Machilus thunbergii had significantly higher sapling densities in gaps than under closed canopy. Quercus salicina showed no significant difference in sapling density between the two habitats. Under closed canopy, C. sieboldii and M. thunbergii had wider crowns than the other species. Distylium racemosum had the greatest number of terminal shoots among the species. Quercus acuta had a branchless small crown. Quercus salicina showed intermediate values in crown width, depth and the number of terminal shoots among the species. Distylium racemosum showed the greatest height-growth rate among the species under the closed canopy, but was the slowest in gaps. Castanopsis sieboldii and M. thunbergii showed the greatest height-growth rates among the species in gaps. Quercus salicina showed the slowest height-growth rates both under closed canopy and gaps. All of the five species showed low mortality under closed canopy. For the major canopy dominants: (i) sapling architecture may not be an important factor in determining mortality but it may be important for height-growth rate; and (ii) sprouting helps saplings to survive until gap formation and facilitates rapid growth in the gaps.     

Impact of human foraging on tree diversity,composition, and abundance in a tropical rainforest

Tropical forest tree communities are structured by a range of large-scale drivers including elevation, certain high-impact anthropogenic activities (e.g., deforestation), and fires. However, low-impact human activities such as foraging may also be subtly but notably altering the composition of tropical forest tree communities. The study assessed the (i) differences in species diversity, patterns of relative abundance, and pairwise beta diversity between trees with edible and inedible fruits and seeds along an elevation gradient, and (ii) impact of human foraging on the forest tree communities in Oban Division of Cross River National Park, Nigeria. Fifteen permanent 40 by 40 m plots were established along an elevational gradient (120–460 m above mean sea level). All trees of 0.1 m diameter at breast height (dbh) and above were measured, identified, and, with the aid of structured questionnaires, classified into those with edible and inedible fruits/seeds. A total of 35 edible species with density of 128 stems/hectare and basal area of 11.99 m²/hectare, and 109 inedible species with density of 364 stems/hectare and basal area of 22.42 m²/hectare were sampled. However, the evenness of edible and inedible species was similar at pooled and plot levels. For inedible species, there was a positive relationship between pairwise beta diversity and elevation, and this was driven mainly by turnover. In contrast, edible species exhibited a non-significant trend between elevation and beta diversity. Thus, the study showed that human foraging of edible fruits may have subtly influenced patterns of species diversity and community structure in this tropical forest.     

Contribution of tree species to the biodiversity of a 1ha Old World rainforest in Brunei, Borneo

Tree biodiversity data is presented for a 1-ha permanent study plot on a low slope position of the Kuala Belalong valley in Temburong District, Brunei, Borneo. This is the first study in the region to document the tree flora of a low slope. All trees 5cm at 1.3m were mapped, measurements of dbh and height taken, and identified to species and morpho-species level. The total and relative values of each family for density, diversity, dominance and Importance Value Indices were calculated. A total of 1062 stems were recorded on the plot (1019 live, 43 dead) with a total of 278 species representing 110 genera in 49 families. The most ecologically significant family as determined by the Family Importance Value (FIV) was Euphorbiaceae with a value of 40 and'the'most significant species, using the Importance Value (IV), was morpho-speciesFordia splendissima with an IV of 29. The total basal area of all living trees was 31.43m². Forest structure was marked by a few tall (>45m) emergents, for example,Koompassia excelsa, Crypteronia griffithii and two species of the Dipterocarpaceae family, however, lower understorey and sub-canopy species dominated the plot with the average height of all individuals over the hectare being 11m.     

Development of eight polymorphic microsatellites for an Australasian rainforest tree species,Cryptocarya mackinnoniana (Lauraceae)

We developed eight microsatellite markers for Cryptocarya mackinnoniana to study the spatial genetic structure and ecological correlates of parentage in secondary rainforests in Australia's Wet Tropics. The microsatellite loci were screened in 99 trees, and 623 seedlings < 0.24 m tall, at a site extending from primary rainforest into adjacent 50‐year‐old secondary rainforest. The eight loci were polymorphic, exhibiting between three and 11 alleles, and gene diversity (H_E) from 0.25 to 0.84. For the trees, no departures from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium were detected, except at locus Cm03, which had an estimated null allele frequency of 0.0903. No locus combinations exhibited linkage disequilibrium.     

棉花型和黄瓜型棉蚜对寄主植物的适合度

采用寄主转换建立生命表及触角电位 (EAG)方法比较了棉蚜两寄主专化型 (棉花型和黄瓜型 )对不同夏季作物的适合度。结果表明 ,棉花型蚜转到黄瓜上及黄瓜型蚜转接到棉花上均不能正常产仔繁殖和建立种群。两种蚜型均不能在茄子和苋菜上建立种群。黄瓜型蚜能在豇豆上建立种群 ,但棉花型蚜不能 ,表现出两种寄主型棉蚜对夏寄主利用上存在显著差异。受棉蚜为害 12～ 36 h后的黄瓜或棉花植株仍不适合于棉花型或黄瓜型蚜 ,表现出黄瓜型蚜不能在被棉花型蚜为害过的棉株上正常存活和繁殖 ,棉花型蚜也不能在被黄瓜型蚜为害过的黄瓜苗上存活和繁殖。两种寄主型蚜对不同寄主叶片丙酮提取物的触角电位表明 ,黄瓜型蚜对棉花、哈密瓜和马铃薯叶片提取物的反应显著强于棉花型蚜 ,而对黄瓜和甜瓜叶片提取物的反应上两种蚜型差异不显著。文中同时对棉花型和黄瓜型棉蚜产生的生态机制进行了讨论。     

西双版纳热带雨林土壤与叶片生态化学计量特征的干湿度效应

基于地理格局对西双版纳热带雨林的干湿度梯度效应和生态化学计量学的研究思路,结合野外试验监测和室内分析,对西双版纳热带雨林土壤-植物系统元素化学计量特征对海拔和干湿度效应响应进行了研究探讨,结果发现:西双版纳热带雨林土壤和叶片碳氮磷化学计量特征均不同程度的受到海拔和干湿季影响。季雨林与山地雨林的水热梯度受海拔梯度重要影响,随海拔梯度升高,土壤含水率变化显著,且含水率在干湿季均对土壤有机碳(SOC)存在显著影响(P0.01),雨季其对土壤全氮(STN)和土壤全磷(STP)的影响要显著于干季;叶片全磷(TP)随含水率的增大而升高,而叶片全氮(TN)在干季会随含水率的升高而增大,雨季含水率升高到一定程度时会抑制TN含量的增加并出现单峰现象;而土壤C/P与海拔和干季土壤含水率的极显著相关性(P0.01)及干季叶片C/N与叶片含水率的显著相关关系(P0.05)说明,干季水分匮乏条件下,土壤含水率影响土壤P的矿化度和植物对P的吸收利用水平,而且叶片C/N对反馈植物水分含量具有明显指示作用。因此,水热梯度是土壤-叶片系统碳氮磷生态化学计量特征变化的重要驱动因素。此外,全球变化区域响应方面,多雨高温可能会削弱季雨林叶片C的同化能力,且叶N含量降低,但受氮沉降的影响,对C/N的影响尚无法确定;由于P循环对其他元素的耦合作用,雨林土壤-叶片系统的元素循环周期将会被缩短,但干季山地雨林植物生态系统P的限制作用有可能会减弱。     

Effects of herbivory on growth and survival of seedlings of a rainforest tree,Alphitonia whitei (Rhamnaceae)

This study examined the effects of insect herbivory on growth and mortality of seedlings of a mid- successional rainforest tree, Alphitonia whitei Braid. Two experiments were conducted in which seedlings were exposed to 0% and 50% natural defoliation by insect herbivores and placed in light gaps in simple notophyll vine forest at Paluma, near Townsville, North Queensland. In the first experiment, insect herbivory significantly increased mortality of 2-month-old seedlings. Smaller seedlings had significantly greater mortality rates than larger seedlings, irrespective of herbivory. A significantly greater proportion of smaller seedlings died from being smothered by fallen leaves and soil as a result of digging by vertebrates than for larger seedlings. In the second experiment, the effects of seedling age were examined by comparing 2-month and 4-month-old seedlings. Mortality rates were significantly influenced by seedling age, with eight times greater survival of older seedlings than of younger seedlings. Although insect herbivory was correlated with a significant decrease in shoot mass and a significant increase in root:shoot ratio, there was no effect of insect herbivory on seedling survival in the second experiment. Thus, mortality rates were greater for seedlings if they were young or small (which indirectly results from insect herbivory), because small, young seedlings were more susceptibile to other mortality factors, such as burial by fallen debris and digging by vertebrates.