外源NH+4对穗花狐尾藻根系形态和养分吸收的影响

在温室内进行静态实验,以原沉积物(CK)和分别添加0.24%和0.48%氯化铵(SN1和SN2)的沉积物作为底质培养沉水植物,探讨了高NH4+环境中穗花狐尾藻的根系形态特征及营养物质积累与干物质分配策略。结果表明,穗花狐尾藻主根直径(0.432-0.518mm)与主根/侧根比率(1.50-4.39)均随着沉积物NH4+含量升高呈现增大趋势,但单株主根总长(31.64-171.67cm)则在高NH4+环境中显著变短;其中,SN2处理中穗花狐尾藻主根数量(8.17条/株)显著低于SN1(14.67条/株)和CK(14.33条/株)处理,而SN1与CK处理之间差异不显著。SN1和SN2处理中穗花狐尾藻植株全氮含量(55.98和55.19mg/g)均显著高于CK(42.89mg/g)处理,而SN1和SN2处理中穗花狐尾藻植株全磷含量(1.63和1.53mg/g)则比CK处理中(3.71mg/g)显著降低。穗花狐尾藻植株干物质积累量(168.17-405.81mg/株)和全磷积累量(0.25-1.51mg/株)均随沉积物NH4+含量升高而显著下降,但植株全氮积累量(9.12-21.08mg/株)则表现为:SN1CKSN2。全氮和全磷在叶片中的分配率都随着沉积物NH+含量升高而显著降低,而在根系和茎秆中分配率则显著增加。     

The submerged macrophytes in Lake Maarsseveen I: Changes in species composition and biomass over a six year period

The submerged macrophytes of Lake Maarsseveen I were surveyed in 1983 using SCUBA diving techniques. Only 40% of the characeans and 75% of the angiosperms detected in 1977 remained. The area colonized by submerged macrophytes was 0.45% in 1983, compared with 25.10% in 1977. The observed decreases were largely attributable to a shift of the plantcolonized areas to shallower depths. By 1983, most of the earlier predominant vegetation types had disappeared and the biomass had decreased. The decline in submerged vegetation may be attributed to increasing eutrophication, fish populations and recreational activities.     

Nutrient foraging traits in 10 co-occurring plant species of contrasting life forms

1 Responses to spatial heterogeneity of soil nutrients were tested in 10 plant species that differ in life form and successional status, but which co-occur in the South Carolina coastal plain. The morphological responses of the root system were tested by assessing scale (represented by root mass and root length densities), precision (preferential proliferation of roots in nutrient-rich patches compared with less fertile patches) and discrimination (ability to detect and proliferate within the richest patches when patches vary in nutrient concentration). We also investigated sensitivity (growth benefits gained as spatial heterogeneity of nutrients increases, measured as total biomass).
2 Ten individuals of each species were grown in pots under four treatments that had differing nutrient distribution but the same overall nutrient addition. Plants were harvested when roots reached pot edge.
3 We observed high variation between species in scale, precision and sensitivity. No significant discrimination responses were observed, although greatest root mass density occurred at intermediate fertility levels for all species.
4 We rejected the hypothesis that scale and precision are negatively correlated. Indeed, in herbaceous species alone, scale and precision were positively correlated.
5 Sensitivity was not closely related to precision, indicating that proliferation of roots in fertile patches does not always yield growth benefits in heterogeneous soils. Further, some sensitive species had very low precision, suggesting that a positive growth response in heterogeneous environments may be related to plasticity in physiology or root life span, rather than morphology.
6 Plant life form was not correlated with precision or sensitivity. However, scale of response was greater in herbs than in woody plants, possibly because the two life forms develop root systems at different rates.     

Competitive ability of two Brassica varieties in relation to biomass allocation and morphological plasticity under varying nutrient availability

Green cabbage (Brassica campestris, leafy variety) and turnip (Brassica campestris var. rapifera, rooty variety) were grown in both monocultures and mixtures at three nutrient levels to investigate their responses to nutrient availability with respect to biomass allocation, morphological plasticity and competitive ability. Their allocation parameters and leaf morphological traits were affected by both nutrient availability and developmental stage. Both of the varieties had a smaller biomass allocation to leaf blades, but a greater allocation to petioles at high nutrient levels. Root:shoot ratio (RSR) of green cabbage decreased with increasing nutrient availability, whereas that of turnip increased. Turnip had a smaller leaf blade weight ratio (LBWR) than cabbage, being compensated for by larger leaf area ratio (LAR) and specific leaf area (SLA). Leaf area ratio and SLA of both the varieties increased with increasing nutrient availability as did their mean dry weights. The mean dry weight of turnip was slightly greater than that of green cabbage in their respective monocultures, while that of green cabbage was greater than that of turnip in their 1:1 mixture. Therefore, green cabbage, having inherently greater biomass allocation to leaves, was generally more competitive than turnip with more biomass allocation to roots, especially at higher nutrient levels. However, within a variety, morphological plasticity (variation in LAR and SLA) was more important than the plasticity in biomass allocation (e.g. variation in RSR and LBWR) in determining competitive ability. The implication of our results is that competition models based on biomass allocation pattern alone may fail to predict competitive outcomes and that such models should also take morphological plasticity into full account.     

Signalling mechanisms underlying the morphological responses of the root system to nitrogen in Arabidopsis thaliana

Plants display considerable developmental plasticity in response to changing environmental conditions. The adaptations of the root system to variations in N supply are an excellent example of such developmental plasticity. In Arabidopsis, four morphological adaptations to the N supply have been characterized: (i) a localized stimulatory effect of external nitrate on lateral root elongation; (ii) a systemic inhibitory effect of high tissue nitrate concentrations on the activation of lateral root meristems; (iii) a suppression of lateral root initiation by high C:N ratios, and (iv) an inhibition of primary root growth and stimulation of root branching by external L-glutamate. These responses have provided valuable experimental systems for the study of N signalling in plants. This article will highlight some recent progress made in this direction from studies using the Arabidopsis root system. One recent development of note has been the emerging evidence of a regulatory role of nitrate transporters in some of the responses. It has been reported that the AtNRT1.1 (CHL1) dual-affinity nitrate transporter acts upstream of the ANR1 MADS box gene in mediating the stimulatory effect of a localized nitrate supply on lateral root proliferation. The AtNRT2.1 high-affinity nitrate transporter seems to be involved in the repression of lateral root initiation by high C:N ratios. The systemic inhibitory effect of high nitrate supply on lateral root development, which is mediated by abscisic acid (ABA), may be linked to the recently identified ABA receptor, FCA. The newly discovered root architectural response to external L-glutamate potentially offers a valuable experimental tool for studying the biological function of plant glutamate receptors and amino acid signalling.     

初始克隆分株数对大米草表型可塑性及生物量分配的影响

克隆植物大米草 (Spartina anglica) 目前在我国出现了严重的自然衰退 (Dieback),为了阐明大米草衰退的机理,分析影响大米草形态可塑性的因素与自然衰退之间的相关性,以期为近缘植物互花米草 (S. alterniflora) 这一爆发种群的生物控制提供借鉴,对3种不同初始克隆分株数 (单克隆、三克隆和五克隆) 大米草的克隆生长、生物量累积与分配和异速生长特征进行了野外栽培试验。研究结果表明,初始克隆分株数对间隔子长度影响较弱;初始多克隆的分支强度高于初始单克隆;初始三克隆和五克隆在总生物量 (7.921 5~10.431 7 g 和 8.903 9~10.431 7 g)、地上生物量 (3.396 1~4.255 8 g 和3.618 4~4.338 9 g)、地下生物量 (4.286 9~5.206 6 g 和 5.298 8~6.079 3 g)和根状茎生物量 (1.318 6~1.767 7 g 和 1.499 1~2.038 7 g) 积累上均显著高于初始单克隆,不同初始克隆分株数条件下根生物量差异不显著;初始多克隆倾向于将资源更多地分配给根状茎,而初始单克隆倾向于将更多的资源分配给根系。由此推断,在不同初始克隆分株数条件下,大米草的形态可塑性和生物量分配格局的差异显示出在同样资源格局下,初始多克隆的克隆生殖能力较初始单克隆强。初始多克隆生长的大米草较初始单克隆生长的大米草更能占据优势生境,选择生境“觅养”的能力与克隆繁殖能力更强。     

植物根系养分捕获塑性与根竞争

为了更有效地从土壤中获取养分, 植物根系在长期的进化与适应中产生了一系列塑性反应, 以响应自然界中广泛存在的时空异质性。同时, 植物根系的养分吸收也要面对来自种内和种间的竞争。多种因素都会影响植物根竞争的结果, 包括养分条件、养分异质性的程度、根系塑性的表达等。竞争会改变植物根系的塑性反应, 比如影响植物根系的空间分布; 植物根系塑性程度差异也会影响竞争。已有研究发现根系具有高形态塑性和高生理塑性的植物在长期竞争过程中会占据优势。由于不同物种根系塑性的差异, 固定的对待竞争的反应模式在植物根系中可能并不存在, 其响应随竞争物种以及土壤环境因素的变化而变化。此外, 随着时间变化, 根系塑性的反应及其重要性也会随之改变。植物对竞争的反应可能与竞争个体之间的亲缘关系有关, 有研究表明亲缘关系近的植物可能倾向于减小彼此之间的竞争。根竞争对植物的生存非常重要, 但目前还没有研究综合考虑植物的各种塑性在根竞争中的作用。另外根竞争对群落结构的影响尚待深入的研究。     

Contrasting oxygen dynamics in the freshwater isoetid Lobelia dortmanna and the marine seagrass Zostera marina

BACKGROUND: and Aims Submerged plants possess well-developed aerenchyma facilitating intra-plant gas-phase diffusion of O2 to below-ground tissues, which are usually buried in anoxic sediments. However, aquatic habitats differ in terms of O2 fluctuations in the water column and in O2 consumption of the sediment, and aquatic plants differ in aerenchymal volume and resistance to O2 diffusion through the plant and across leaf and root surfaces. The hypothesis that the freshwater isoetid Lobelia dortmanna and the marine seagrass Zostera marina should display pronounced contrasts in intra-plant O2 dynamics because of differences in morphology/anatomy, physiology and growth habitat was tested. METHODS: In order to determine the O2 dynamics and relate this to the anatomy and morphology of the two species, O2 microelectrodes were inserted in the aerenchyma of leaves and roots, the sediment pore-water, and the water column in the field. Manipulation of water column O2 in the laboratory was also carried out. KEY RESULTS: It was found that intra-plant transport of O2 between leaf and root tips takes place more readily in L. dortmanna than in Z. marina due to shorter distances and greater cross-sections of the aerenchyma. The major exchange of O2 across roots of L. dortmanna can be accounted for by small intra-plant resistances to diffusion, larger root than leaf surfaces, and greater radial diffusive resistance of leaves than roots. In contrast, the major O2 exchange across leaves than roots of Z. marina can be accounted for by the opposite anatomical-morphological features. The larger aerenchymal volume and the smaller metabolic rates of L. dortmanna compared to Z. marina imply that turnover of O2 is slower in the aerenchyma of L. dortmanna and O2 fluctuations are more dampened following changes in irradiance. Also, O2 accumulated in the aerenchyma can theoretically support dark respiration for a few hours in L. dortmanna but for only a few minutes in Z. marina. CONCLUSIONS: The build-up of O2 in the pore-water of L. dortmanna sediments during the day as a result of high release of photosynthetic O2 from roots and low O2 consumption of sediments means that sediment, aerenchyma and water are important O2 sources for respiration during the following night, while Z. marina relies on the water column as the sole source of O2 because its sediments are anoxic. These differences between L. dortmanna and Z. marina appear to represent a general difference between the isoetid species mainly inhabiting sediments of low reducing capacity of oligotrophic lakes and the elodeid freshwater species and marine seagrasses mainly inhabiting sediments of higher reducing capacity in more nutrient-rich habitats.     

Sources of nutrients to rooted submerged macrophytes growing in a nutrient-rich stream

1. The relative contribution of roots and leaves to nutrient uptake by submerged stream macrophytes was tested in experiments where plants were grown in an outdoor flow-channel system. Water was supplied from a nutrient-rich stream with inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations typical of Danish streams.
2. Four submerged macrophyte species were tested, Elodea canadensis , Callitriche cophocarpa , Ranunculus aquatilis and Potamogeton crispus, and all species were able to satisfy their demand for mineral nutrients by leaf nutrient uptake alone. This was evident from manipulative experiments showing that removal of the roots had no negative impact on the relative growth rate of the plants. Further, the organic N and P concentrations of the plant tissue was constant with time for the de-rooted plants.
3. Enrichment of water and/or sediment had no effect on the relative growth rate of two species, E. canadensis and C. cophocarpa , indicating that in situ nutrient availability was sufficient to cover the needs for growth. Despite the lack of a response in growth rate, a reduced root/shoot biomass ratio was observed with nutrient enrichment of water and/or sediment, and an increased tissue-P concentration in response to open-water enrichment.
4. The open-water nutrient concentrations of the stream in which the experiments were performed are in the upper part of the range found for Danish farmland streams (the majority of Danish streams). Still, however, the negligible effect of nutrient enrichment on the growth of submerged macrophytes observed suggests that mineral nutrient availability might play a minor role in controlling macrophyte growth in most Danish streams.     

Biological control of phytoplankton by the subtropical submerged macrophytes Egeria densa and Potamogeton illinoensis: a mesocosm study

1. In temperate regions, submerged macrophytes can hamper phytoplankton blooms. Such an effect could arise directly, for instance via allelopathy, or indirectly, via competition for nutrients or the positive interaction between submerged macrophytes and zooplankton grazing. However, there is some evidence that the positive interaction between submerged macrophytes and zooplankton grazing is less marked in warmer regions, where the interaction is less well studied, and that negative effects of higher water plants on phytoplankton biomass are weaker. 2. We carried out two consecutive mesocosm experiments in Uruguay (subtropical South America) to study the effects of two common submerged macrophytes from this region (Egeria densa and Potamogeton illinoensis) on phytoplankton biomass, in the absence of zooplankton grazing. We compared phytoplankton development between different macrophyte treatments (no macrophytes, artificial macrophytes, real Egeria and real Potamogeton). We used artificial macrophytes to differentiate between physical effects (i.e. shading, sedimentation and competition with periphyton) and biological effects (i.e. nutrient competition and allelopathy). 3. In Experiment 1, we found no evidence for physical effects of macrophytes on phytoplankton biomass, but both macrophyte species seemed to exert strong biological effects on phytoplankton biomass. Only Egeria affected phytoplankton community structure, particularly tempering the dominance of Scenedesmus. Nutrient addition assays revealed that only Egeria suppressed phytoplankton through nutrient competition. 4. We performed a second mesocosm experiment with the same design, but applying saturating nutrient conditions as a way of excluding the effects of competition for nutrients. This experiment showed that both macrophytes were still able to suppress phytoplankton through biological mechanisms, providing evidence for allelopathic effects. Our results indicate that both common macrophytes are able to keep phytoplankton biomass low, even in the absence of zooplankton grazing.     

杉木种子萌发及幼苗生长对光强的响应

设置不同光强梯度(透光率分别为100%、40%、20%、10%和5%,光照强度PPFD分别为201.3、77.0、37.5、19.2、9.8 μmol·m^-2·s^-1),研究光对杉木种子萌发和幼苗早期生长的影响,分析杉木种子萌发、幼苗存活、生长、形态响应、生物量积累及其分配格局对不同光环境的响应策略.结果表明: 杉木种子的萌发率、存活率、建植率和萌发指数在不同光强梯度下均有显著差异,且40%的透光率是种子最适萌发条件,萌发率最高,而全光照下存活率和建植率最高;随光照强度的减弱,杉木幼苗茎长增大,根长、子叶长、子叶厚、真叶数呈降低趋势,而基径在各光照强度间无显著差异;总生物量、根生物量、茎生物量、叶生物量均表现为全光照下最大.随着光照强度的减弱,光合组织与非光合组织生物量比、叶生物量比呈降低趋势,茎生物量比呈增加趋势,根冠比和根生物量比无显著差异.弱光环境促进杉木种子萌发,不利于杉木幼苗存活和生长.在弱光环境下,杉木幼苗通过增大茎生物量来提高对弱光环境的耐受力.     

土壤养分水平影响绢毛匍匐委陵菜匍匐茎生物量投资

为研究匍匐茎草本植物对基质养分供应水平的生物量分配格局的可塑性,在一盆栽实验中对绢毛匍匐委陵菜(Potentilla reptans var. sericophylla)进行了8种不同的养分处理。绢毛匍匐委陵菜植株生物量、匍匐茎数、分株数以及匍匐茎节间长在中等养分条件下最大。随土壤养分的降低,绢毛匍匐委陵菜对叶片和叶柄的生物量投资减小,而对根系的生物量投资增加。在中等养分条件下,绢毛匍匐委陵菜对匍匐茎的生物量投资倾向于最大,而在更高或更低的养分条件下倾向于减少。此生物量分配格局与de Kroon和Schieving的模型模拟结果相符合,结果表明在中等资源水平下增加对匍匐茎的生物量投资是克隆植物增加资源获取的对策之一。