Growth responses of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Salix gracilistyla</Emphasis> cuttings to a range of substrate moisture and oxygen availability

The objective of this study is to determine the effects of substrate moisture and oxygen availability on growth traits of Salix gracilistyla Miquel, which colonizes gravel bars along rivers, the shoot growth schedule, biomass production, and resource allocation were examined under greenhouse conditions. We used four treatments representing a range of substrate moisture and oxygen availability: drought (D), flooding with standing water (FS), flooding with running water (FR), and control without drought or flooding (C). Cuttings in D stopped flushing and had low biomass production, reduced total leaf mass, and small leaves. Under anaerobic conditions, cuttings in FS stopped flushing and had low biomass production, small root biomass, low biomass allocation to roots, shallow roots, high biomass allocation to hypertrophied lenticels, and a few small, thick leaves. Under aerobic conditions, cuttings in FR showed continuous branch elongation and flushing, large biomass production, and large leaf biomass, similar to cuttings in C, in addition to low allocation to hypertrophied lenticels and many large leaves. The growth of cuttings was not inhibited by flooding of the roots throughout the experiment unless the conditions were anaerobic. Thus, cuttings respond to water stress under low moisture conditions by reducing the transpiration area and respond to flooding under low oxygen conditions by high allocation to hypertrophied lenticels and reduced transpiration area. Plasticity in the shoot growth schedule, biomass production, and resource allocation according to moisture conditions and the ability to develop hypertrophied lenticels upon flooding allow S. gracilistyla to colonize sites in which both desiccation and flooding occur.     

Arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization and nodulation improve flooding tolerance in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pterocarpus officinalis</Emphasis> Jacq. seedlings

Pterocarpus officinalis (Jacq.) seedlings inoculated with the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus, Glomus intraradices, and the strain of Bradyrhizobium sp. (UAG 11A) were grown under stem-flooded or nonflooded conditions for 13 weeks after 4 weeks of nonflooded pretreatment under greenhouse conditions. Flooding of P. officinalis seedlings induced several morphological and physiological adaptive mechanisms, including formation of hypertrophied lenticels and aerenchyma tissue and production of adventitious roots on submerged portions of the stem. Flooding also resulted in an increase in collar diameter and leaf, stem, root, and total dry weights, regardless of inoculation. Under flooding, arbuscular mycorrhizas were well developed on root systems and adventitious roots compared with inoculated root systems under nonflooding condition. Arbuscular mycorrhizas made noteworthy contributions to the flood tolerance of P. officinalis seedlings by improving plant growth and P acquisition in leaves. We report in this study the novel occurrence of nodules connected vascularly to the stem and nodule and arbuscular mycorrhizas on adventitious roots of P. officinalis seedlings. Root nodules appeared more efficient fixing N₂ than stem nodules were. Beneficial effect of nodulation in terms of total dry weight and N acquisition in leaves was particularly noted in seedlings growing under flooding conditions. There was no additive effect of arbuscular mycorrhizas and nodulation on plant growth and nutrition in either flooding treatment. The results suggest that the development of adventitious roots, aerenchyma tissue, and hypertrophied lenticels may play a major role in flooded tolerance of P. officinalis symbiosis by increasing oxygen diffusion to the submerged part of the stem and root zone, and therefore contribute to plant growth and nutrition.     

Roots play a vital role in flood-tolerance of poplar demonstrated by reciprocal grafting

Poplar is one of the most important multipurpose afforestation trees in river floodplains and arable farmland which are subject to frequent flooding. To determine the relative roles that the roots and shoots have in responses to waterlogging, six root-shoot grafting combinations of full-sib poplar clones LS1 (flood-tolerant) and LS2 (flood-susceptible) were compared for waterlogging effects on them, using reciprocal and self-grafts. Plants of the six combinations comprised non-grafted (LS1) and (LS2), self-grafted (LS1/LS1) and (LS2/LS2), LS1 grafted onto LS2 (LS1/LS2), and LS2 grafted onto LS1 (LS2/LS1) experimental plants. The two clones LS1 and LS2 originated from Populus deltoides cv. Lux ex. I-69/55 (flood-tolerant) × P. simonii (flood-susceptible). Growth, morphological and ecophysiological parameters of plants belonging to the six grafting combinations were subjected for 21 days to flooding, followed by a six-day drainage and recovery stage. Results showed that flooding stress affected adversely growth, biomass accumulation, morphological and ecophysiological characteristics in all flooded plants. The more severe influences were found in the plants with LS2 roots (LS1/LS2, LS2/LS2, LS2), whereas plants having roots of LS1 (LS2/LS1, LS1/LS1, LS1) were less negatively affected. At the end of the study, 100%, 100%, 93.3%, 26.7%, 6.7% and 20% survival rates, respectively, were observed in flooded plants of LS1, LS1/LS1, LS2/LS1, LS1/LS2, LS2/LS2 and LS2. In conformity with the results for growth, biomass accumulation and morphology, responses to flooding of gas exchange, chlorophyll fluorescence, relative membrane permeability of leaves, the overall root metabolism parameter dehydrogenase activity (TTC assay), as well as malonaldehyde contents of leaves and roots also indicated that flood injury was significantly more pronounced in plants having LS2 roots than in those with LS1 roots. Plants with roots of LS1 displayed clearly faster recovery after flooding than the plants with LS2 roots. The results indicate that flooding-tolerance of poplar is based more on influences from the rootstock than on those of the scion. It is thus the root genotype that plays the decisive role in flood-tolerance of poplar.     

黄土高原樟子松和落叶松与其他树种枯落叶混合分解对土壤的影响

通过采集树木枯落叶与土壤进行室内混合分解培养试验,研究了黄土高原常见的樟子松和落叶松与其他树种枯落叶混合分解对土壤性质的影响及存在的相互作用,从而为不同树木种间关系的探索和该地区人工纯林的混交改造提供科学指导。结果表明:12种枯落叶单一分解均明显提高了土壤脲酶(54%—110%)、脱氢酶(85%—288%)和磷酸酶(81%—301%)活性以及有机质(29%—55%)和碱解N(12%—49%)含量,但对土壤速效P含量和CEC的影响存在较大差异。综合而言,樟子松分别与白桦、刺槐、白榆、柠条和落叶松枯落叶混合分解在对土壤性质的影响中存在相互促进作用,而分别与小叶杨、沙棘、紫穗槐、侧柏和辽东栎枯落叶混合分解在对土壤性质的影响中存在相互抑制作用;落叶松分别与刺槐、白桦、小叶杨和紫穗槐枯落叶混合分解在对土壤性质的影响中存在相互促进作用,而分别与柠条、侧柏、辽东栎、沙棘、油松和白榆枯落叶混合分解在对土壤性质的影响中存在相互抑制作用。     

Heterophylly results in a variety of “spectral signatures” in aquatic plant species

The leaf reflectance spectra (280–887 nm) of two heterophyllous aquatic plant species Polygonum amphibium (L.) and Nuphar luteum (L.) were compared and their relation to physical properties of the leaves examined. In P. amphibium contrasting environmental conditions along water–land gradient affected the majority of anatomical and morphological properties of leaves, but less differences were observed in photosynthetic pigment and total flavonoid contents. Leaf mass per area (LMA), palisade mesophyll, leaf thickness, trichome length and anthocyanin content per dry mass were correlated to the different parts of spectra. In N. luteum natant and submerged leaves differed significantly in all measured parameters. Chlorophyll a, anthocyanin and carotenoid contents per dry mass were related to reflectance in the red region, while leaf thickness, anthocyanin and total flavonoid contents per leaf area were related to reflectance in the near infrared region. Redundancy Analysis (RDA) indicated that in P. amphibium the average length of trichomes and LMA explained 72% and 6% variability of the spectra, whereas in N. luteum anthocyanin content per dry mass, explained 57% variability of the spectra. The comparison of natant leaves of both species showed that they were more similar than different leaf types within the single species.     

Physiological responses to flooding and light in two tree species native to the Amazonian floodplains

In Amazonian floodplains, plant survival is determined by adaptations and growth strategies to effectively capture sunlight and endure extended periods of waterlogging. By measuring gas exchange, quantum efficiency of photosystem 2 (PSII), and growth parameters, we investigated the combined effects of flooding gradients and light on two common evergreen floodplain tree species, the light-tolerant Cecropia latiloba and the shade-tolerant Pouteria glomerata. Individual plants were subjected to different combinations of light and flooding intensity in short-term and long-term experiments. Plants of C. latiloba lost all their leaves under total submersion treatments (plants flooded to apex and with reduced irradiance) and showed highest maximum assimilation rates (A_max) in not flooded, high light treatments (6.1 μmol CO₂ m⁻² s⁻¹). Individuals of P. glomerata showed similar patterns, with A_max increasing from 1.9 μmol CO₂ m⁻² s⁻¹ under total flooding to 7.1 μmol CO₂ m⁻² s⁻¹ in not flooded, high light treatments. During the long-term flooding experiment, quantum efficiency of PSII (F_v/F_m) of C. latiloba was not affected by partial flooding. In contrast, in P. glomerata F_v/F_m decreased to values below 0.73 after 120 days of total flooding. Moreover, total submergence led P. glomerata to reduce significantly light saturation point (LSP), as compared to C. latiloba. For both species morphological adjustments to long-term flooding, such as the production of adventitious roots, resulted in reduced total biomass, relative growth rate (RGR) and leaf mass ratio (LMR). Growth increase in C. latiloba seemed to be more limited by low-light than by flooding. Therefore, the predominant occurrence of this species is in open areas with high light intensities and high levels of inundation. In P. glomerata flooding induced high reductions of growth and photosynthesis, whereas light was not limiting. This species is more abundant in positions where irradiance is reduced and periods of submergence are slightly modest. We could show that the physiological requirements are directly responsible for the flooding (C. latiloba) and shade (P. glomerata) tolerance of the two species, which explains their local distribution in Amazonian floodplain forests.     

Growth Responses and Adaptations of Fraxinus pennsylvanica Seedlings to Flooding

Flooding induced several physiological and morphological changes in Fraxinus pennsylvanica seedlings, with stomatal closure among the earliest responses. Subsequent changes included: reduction in dry weight increment of roots, stems, and leaves; formation of hypertrophied lenticels and production of adventitious roots on submerged portions of the stem above the soil line; leaf necrosis; and leaf abscission. After 15 days of stomatal closure as a result of flooding, stomata began to reopen progressively until stomatal aperture was similar in flooded and unflooded plants. Adventitious roots began to form at about the time stomatal reopening began. As more adventitious roots formed, elongated, and branched, the stomata opened further. The formation of adventitious roots was an important adaptation for flooding tolerance as shown by the high efficiency of adventitious roots in absorption of water and in high correlation between the production of adventitious roots and stomatal reopening.     

Photosynthetic characteristics and growth performance of closely related aspen taxa: On the systematic relatedness of the Eurasian Populus tremula and the North American P. tremuloides

The European and American aspen species Populus tremula and P. tremuloides are closely related taxa with very large distribution ranges and high economic importance. Genetic and morphological data are not fully congruent with respect to the question of the systematic relatedness of these sister taxa, pointing either at separate species on the two continents or a single aggregate species with circumarctic distribution. In a replicated growth trial with 1-year-old saplings, we compared about 30 morphological (leaf size, leaf area, leaf numbers, leaf growth, leaf phenology and the ratio of leaves lost to leaves produced) and physiological traits (A_max, quantum yield, carboxylation efficiency, maximum rates of carboxylation and electron transport, leaf dark respiration, leaf conductance, leaf water potential and WUE) with the aim to obtain evidence in support of or against the one-species hypothesis and to identify key determinants of growth in the two aspen taxa.     

内蒙古高原锦鸡儿属植物的形态和生理生态适应性

比较研究内蒙古高原锦鸡儿属(Caragana)中生种,旱生种和强旱生种的叶片形态结构、渗透调节、气孔调节和保护酶,目的是揭示锦鸡儿属不同类型植物的生态适应策略。中生种叶片平展,被稀疏绿色短柔毛;旱生种叶片平展或呈瓦状,被灰色柔毛;强旱生种叶片呈瓦状或卷成筒状,被直立或伏帖绢毛。叶片厚度强旱生种>旱生种>中生种,叶片面积、生物量和比叶面积(SLA)强旱生种<旱生种<中生种。叶片长宽比,强旱生种和旱生种大于中生种。这些形态结构导致保水能力强旱生种>旱生种>中生种,光能利用能力中生种>旱生种>强旱生种。渗透调节物质含量、细胞质离子浓度和细胞渗透势强旱生种>旱生种>中生种。渗透调节物质含量的差异主要表现在强旱生种可溶性糖和无机离子含量远高于旱生种,后者又远高于中生种。叶含水量、自由水含量、叶水势和气孔导度中生种>旱生种>强旱生种,束缚水含量、束缚水/自由水比值、POD和SOD活性正好相反,CAT活性旱生种>中生种>强旱生种。这些生理特性导致抗旱能力强旱生种>旱生种>中生种,但代谢速率正好相反。旱生种和中生种表现出较少的日水分亏缺,强旱生种水分亏缺从清晨到傍晚持续大幅增加。细胞膜相对透性和MDA含量强旱生种>旱生种>中生种。自由基含量表现为旱生种>中生种>强旱生种。这些数据说明虽然旱生种和强旱生种形成了多种特点来适应干旱环境,但仍然是不充分的。结论:(1)分布于半湿润至半干旱区的锦鸡儿属中生种依靠活跃的代谢、大量的水分消耗和快速生长使其在生物环境中取得竞争优势;生活在干旱地区和强干旱地区的旱生种和强旱生种依靠低代谢、节水和高抗旱性来抵抗苛刻的非生物环境。(2) 旱生种和强旱生种主要通过可溶性糖和无机离子的积累,调节细胞质渗透势,保持水分平衡,这是一种相对节省能量的适应对策。     

Importance of adventitious roots to growth of floodedPlatanus occidentalis seedlings

Summary Flooding of soil with standing water for 50 or 110 days drastically reduced growth of 178-day-oldPlatanus occidentalis seedlings, with growth inhibited more as the duration of flooding was increased. Flooding reduced the rate of height and diameter growth, leaf initiation and expansion, and dry weight increment and relative growth rates of leaves, stems, and roots. Flooding also induced leaf epinasty, leaf necrosis, and formation of hypertrophied lenticels and many adventitious roots on submerged portions of stems. Severing of adventitious roots after 50 and 95 days from the submerged portions of stems of continuously flooded seedlings reduced several growth parameters including height and stem diameter growth and relative growth rates of leaves and roots. Evidence for the physiological importance of flood induced adventitious roots is discussed.Research supported by College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison and by Yamagata University, Tsuruoka, Japan. The technical assistance of John Shanklin is appreciated.     

Stratospheric Ozone Depletion: High Arctic Tundra Plant Growth on Svalbard is not Affected by Enhanced UV-B after 7 years of UV-B Supplementation in the Field

The response of tundra plants to enhanced UV-B radiation simulating 15 and 30% ozone depletion was studied at two high arctic sites (Isdammen and Adventdalen, 78° N, Svalbard).The set-up of the UV-B supplementation systems is described, consisting of large and small UV lamp arrays, installed in 1996 and 2002. After 7 years of exposure to enhanced UV-B radiation, plant cover, density, morphological (leaf fresh and dry weight, leaf thickness, leaf area, reproductive and ecophysiological parameters leaf UV-B absorbance, leaf phenolic content, leaf water content) were not affected by enhanced UV-B radiation. DNA damage in the leaves was not increased with enhanced UV-B in Salix polaris and Cassiope tetragona. DNA damage in Salix polaris leaves was higher than in leaves of C. tetragona. The length of male gametophyte moss plants of Polytrichum hyperboreum was reduced with elevated UV-B as well as the number of Pedicularis hirsuta plants per plot, but the inflorescence length of Bistorta vivipara was not significantly affected. We discuss the possible causes of tolerance of tundra plants to UV-B (absence of response to enhanced UV-B) in terms of methodology (supplementation versus exclusion), ecophysiological adaptations to UV-B and the biogeographical history of polar plants     

A novel insight into the cost–benefit model for the evolution of botanical carnivory

Background The cost–benefit model for the evolution of botanical carnivory provides a conceptual framework for interpreting a wide range of comparative and experimental studies on carnivorous plants. This model assumes that the modified leaves called traps represent a significant cost for the plant, and this cost is outweighed by the benefits from increased nutrient uptake from prey, in terms of enhancing the rate of photosynthesis per unit leaf mass or area (A_N) in the microsites inhabited by carnivorous plants.Scope This review summarizes results from the classical interpretation of the cost–benefit model for evolution of botanical carnivory and highlights the costs and benefits of active trapping mechanisms, including water pumping, electrical signalling and accumulation of jasmonates. Novel alternative sequestration strategies (utilization of leaf litter and faeces) in carnivorous plants are also discussed in the context of the cost–benefit model.Conclusions Traps of carnivorous plants have lower A_N than leaves, and the leaves have higher A_N after feeding. Prey digestion, water pumping and electrical signalling represent a significant carbon cost (as an increased rate of respiration, R_D) for carnivorous plants. On the other hand, jasmonate accumulation during the digestive period and reprogramming of gene expression from growth and photosynthesis to prey digestion optimizes enzyme production in comparison with constitutive secretion. This inducibility may have evolved as a cost-saving strategy beneficial for carnivorous plants. The similarities between plant defence mechanisms and botanical carnivory are highlighted.     

Stem hypertrophic lenticels and secondary aerenchyma enable oxygen transport to roots of soybean in flooded soil

Background and Aims

Aerenchyma provides a low-resistance O₂ transport pathway that enhances plant survival during soil flooding. When in flooded soil, soybean produces aerenchyma and hypertrophic stem lenticels. The aims of this study were to investigate O₂ dynamics in stem aerenchyma and evaluate O₂ supply via stem lenticels to the roots of soybean during soil flooding.

Methods

Oxygen dynamics in aerenchymatous stems were investigated using Clark-type O₂ microelectrodes, and O₂ transport to roots was evaluated using stable-isotope ¹⁸O₂ as a tracer, for plants with shoots in air and roots in flooded sand or soil. Short-term experiments also assessed venting of CO₂ via the stem lenticels.

Key Results

The radial distribution of the O₂ partial pressure (pO₂) was stable at 17 kPa in the stem aerenchyma 15 mm below the water level, but rapidly declined to 8 kPa at 200–300 µm inside the stele. Complete submergence of the hypertrophic lenticels at the stem base, with the remainder of the shoot still in air, resulted in gradual declines in pO₂ in stem aerenchyma from 17·5 to 7·6 kPa at 13 mm below the water level, and from 14·7 to 6·1 kPa at 51 mm below the water level. Subsequently, re-exposure of the lenticels to air caused pO₂ to increase again to 14–17 kPa at both positions within 10 min. After introducing ¹⁸O₂ gas via the stem lenticels, significant ¹⁸O₂ enrichment in water extracted from roots after 3 h was confirmed, suggesting that transported O₂ sustained root respiration. In contrast, slight ¹⁸O₂ enrichment was detected 3 h after treatment of stems that lacked aerenchyma and lenticels. Moreover, aerenchyma accelerated venting of CO₂ from submerged tissues to the atmosphere.

Conclusions

Hypertrophic lenticels on the stem of soybean, just above the water surface, are entry points for O₂, and these connect to aerenchyma and enable O₂ transport into roots in flooded soil. Stems that develop aerenchyma thus serve as a ‘snorkel’ that enables O₂ movement from air to the submerged roots.     

Suppression of Meloidogyne incognita and M. javanica by Pasteuria penetrans in Field Soil

The role of Pasteuria penetrans in suppressing numbers of root-knot nematodes was investigated in a 7-year monocuhure of tobacco in a field naturally infested with a mixed population of Meloidogyne incognita race 1 and M. javanica. The suppressiveness of the soil was tested using four treatments: autoclaving (AC), microwaving (MW), air drying (DR), and untreated. The treated soil bioassays consisted of tobacco cv. Northrup King 326 (resistant to M. incognita but susceptible to M. javanica) and cv. Coker 371 Gold (susceptible to M. incognita and M. javanica) in pots inoculated with 0 or 2,000 second-stage juveniles of M. incognita race 1. Endospores of P. penetrans were killed by AC but were only slightly affected by MW, whereas most fungal propagules were destroyed or inhibited in both treatments. Root galls, egg masses, and numbers of eggs were fewer on Coker 371 Gold in MW, DR, and untreated soil than in AC-treated soil. There were fewer egg masses than root galls on both tobacco cultivars in MW, DR, and untreated soil than in the AC treatment. Because both Meloidogyne spp. were suppressed in MW soil (with few fungi present) as well as in DR and untreated soil, the reduction in root galling, as well as numbers of egg masses and eggs appeared to have resulted from infection of both nematode species by P. penetrans.     

Expression of Tolerance for Meloidogyne graminicola in Rice Cultivars as Affected by Soil Type and Flooding

The effects of different water regimes on the pathogenicity of Meloidogyne graminicola on six rice cultivars were determined in two soil types in three greenhouse experiments. Two water regimes, simulating continuous flooding and intermittent flooding, were used with five of the cultivars. All cultivars were susceptible to the nematode, but IR72 and IR74 were more tolerant than IR20 and IR29 under intermittent flooding. All were tolerant under continuous flooding. UPLRi-5 was grown under multiple water regimes: no flooding; continuous flooding; flooding starting at maximum tillering, panicle initiation, or booting stage; and flooding from sowing until maximum tillering or booting. In sandy loam soil, M. graminicola reduced stem and leaf dry weight, root dry weight, and grain weight under all water regimes. In clay loam soil, the nematode reduced root weight when the soil was not flooded or flooded only for a short time, from panicle initiation, or booting to maturity, and from sowing to maximum tillering. In clay loam soil, stem and leaf dry weight, as well as grain weight, were reduced by the nematode under all water regimes except continuous flooding or when the soil was flooded from sowing to booting stage. These results indicate that rice cultivar tolerance of M. graminicola varies with water regime and that yield losses due to M. graminicola may be prevented or minimized when the rice crop is flooded early and kept flooded until a late stage of development.     

What is the most prominent factor limiting photosynthesis in different layers of a greenhouse cucumber canopy?

Background and Aims

Maximizing photosynthesis at the canopy level is important for enhancing crop yield, and this requires insights into the limiting factors of photosynthesis. Using greenhouse cucumber (Cucumis sativus) as an example, this study provides a novel approach to quantify different components of photosynthetic limitations at the leaf level and to upscale these limitations to different canopy layers and the whole plant.

Methods

A static virtual three-dimensional canopy structure was constructed using digitized plant data in GroIMP. Light interception of the leaves was simulated by a ray-tracer and used to compute leaf photosynthesis. Different components of photosynthetic limitations, namely stomatal (S_L), mesophyll (M_L), biochemical (B_L) and light (L_L) limitations, were calculated by a quantitative limitation analysis of photosynthesis under different light regimes.

Key Results

In the virtual cucumber canopy, B_L and L_L were the most prominent factors limiting whole-plant photosynthesis. Diffusional limitations (S_L + M_L) contributed <15 % to total limitation. Photosynthesis in the lower canopy was more limited by the biochemical capacity, and the upper canopy was more sensitive to light than other canopy parts. Although leaves in the upper canopy received more light, their photosynthesis was more light restricted than in the leaves of the lower canopy, especially when the light condition above the canopy was poor. An increase in whole-plant photosynthesis under diffuse light did not result from an improvement of light use efficiency but from an increase in light interception. Diffuse light increased the photosynthesis of leaves that were directly shaded by other leaves in the canopy by up to 55 %.

Conclusions

Based on the results, maintaining biochemical capacity of the middle–lower canopy and increasing the leaf area of the upper canopy would be promising strategies to improve canopy photosynthesis in a high-wire cucumber cropping system. Further analyses using the approach described in this study can be expected to provide insights into the influences of horticultural practices on canopy photosynthesis and the design of optimal crop canopies.     

Downregulation of net phosphorus-uptake capacity is inversely related to leaf phosphorus-resorption proficiency in four species from a phosphorus-impoverished environment

Background and Aims

Previous research has suggested a trade-off between the capacity of plants to downregulate their phosphorus (P) uptake capacity and their efficiency of P resorption from senescent leaves in species from P-impoverished environments.

Methods

To investigate this further, four Australian native species (Banksia attenuata, B. menziesii, Acacia truncata and A. xanthina) were grown in a greenhouse in nutrient solutions at a range of P concentrations [P]. Acacia plants received between 0 and 500 µm P; Banksia plants received between 0 and 10 µm P, to avoid major P-toxicity symptoms in these highly P-sensitive species.

Key Results

For both Acacia species, the net P-uptake rates measured at 10 µm P decreased steadily with increasing P supply during growth. In contrast, in B. attenuata, the net rate of P uptake from a solution with 10 µm P increased linearly with increasing P supply during growth. The P-uptake rate of B. menziesii showed no significant response to P supply in the growing medium. Leaf [P] of the four species supported this finding, with A. truncata and A. xanthina showing an increase up to a saturation value of 19 and 21 mg P g⁻¹ leaf dry mass, respectively (at 500 µm P), whereas B. attenuata and B. menziesii both exhibited a linear increase in leaf [P], reaching 10 and 13 mg P g⁻¹ leaf dry mass, respectively, without approaching a saturation point. The Banksia plants grown at 10 µm P showed mild symptoms of P toxicity, i.e. yellow spots on some leaves and drying and curling of the tips of the leaves. Leaf P-resorption efficiency was 69 % (B. attenuata), 73 % (B. menziesii), 34 % (A. truncata) and 36 % (A. xanthina). The P-resorption proficiency values were 0·08 mg P g⁻¹ leaf dry mass (B. attenuata and B. menziesii), 0·32 mg P g⁻¹ leaf dry mass (A. truncata) and 0·36 mg P g⁻¹ leaf dry mass (A. xanthina). Combining the present results with additional information on P-remobilization efficiency and the capacity to downregulate P-uptake capacity for two other Australian woody species, we found a strong negative correlation between these traits.

Conclusions

It is concluded that species that are adapted to extremely P-impoverished soils, such as many south-western Australian Proteaceae species, have developed extremely high P-resorption efficiencies, but lost their capacity to downregulate their P-uptake mechanisms. The results support the hypothesis that the ability to resorb P from senescing leaves is inversely related to the capacity to downregulate net P uptake, possibly because constitutive synthesis of P transporters is a prerequisite for proficient P remobilization from senescing tissues.     

A quantitative comparison of two extremes in chaparral shrub phenology

We quantitatively compared phenology and water relations of a fully deciduous shrub, Styrax officinalis, and an evergreen shrub, Arctostaphylos glauca, in shared microsites in a sandstone outcrop in southern California during a multi-year drought. Pre-dawn xylem pressure potentials, Ψ_pd, were similar for the two species during most months of 2 years, but occasional differences and watering experiment results suggest S. officinalis may have phreatophytic roots that tap water in deep rock cavities and joint traces, while A. glauca may have primarily shallow roots. Neither species varied in maximum or minimum Ψ_pd between years of very different rainfall totals. Twig elongation and leaf production of S. officinalis began earlier during spring, and its leaves matured more quickly and more synchronously than A. glauca. Leaves lived a mean of 180 days for S. officinalis and 849 days for A. glauca. Leaf life spans varied among years in both species. S. officinalis leaf senescence occurred mostly in August and September and was not discernibly related to Ψ_pd or drought avoidance. A. glauca leaf senescence occurred throughout the year, but especially coincided with leaf production. In A. glauca most senescence occurred at the beginning of a leaf cohort's third growing season, but numbers of retained older leaves increased during 4 years of drought. Timing of twig elongation and leaf and flower production appeared to be related to current rainfall, but amount of twig growth and numbers of leaves and flowers produced appeared to be related to rainfall of the previous year or years for S. officinalis and, more complexly, A. glauca. Because of an interrupted pattern of flower production, number of flowers produced by A. glauca may be responsive to rainfall amounts during two environmental periods. Morphological differences, including much higher above ground allocation, many more leaves/twig, lower allocation to stem mass, and longer duration of leaves/year in A. glauca, are probably responsible for A. glauca having >6 times more above ground biomass per plant than S. officinalis. During the multi-year drought S. officinalis changed little, indicating either superb adaptation or growth pattern rigidity, while A. glauca underwent extensive phenological and morphological changes, indicating either stress or adaptive flexibility.     

Why the free floating macrophyte Stratiotes aloides mainly grows in highly CO2-supersaturated waters

We examined how the freely floating macrophyte, Stratiotes aloides L., sampled from a CO₂-supersaturated pond, changes leaf morphology, photosynthesis and inorganic carbon acquisition during its different submerged and emerged life stages in order to evaluate whether S. aloides requires consistently supersaturated CO₂ conditions to grow and complete its life cycle. Submerged rosettes formed from over-wintering turions had typical traits of submerged plants with high specific leaf area and low chlorophyll a concentrations. Emergent leaf parts of mature, floating specimens had typical terrestrial traits with stomata, low specific leaf area and high chlorophyll a content, while offsets formed vegetatively and basal, submerged parts of mature plants showed traits in between. All submerged leaf types exhibited some ability to use HCO₃⁻ but only rosettes formed from turions had efficient HCO₃⁻ use. Rosettes also had the highest CO₂ affinity and maximum CO₂-saturated photosynthesis in water. Half-saturation constants for CO₂ (21–74 μM CO₂) were for all submerged leaf parts 5–140 times lower than the concentrations of free CO₂ in the pond (350–2800 μM CO₂). Emergent leaves were less efficient in water but had significantly higher photosynthesis than submerged, mature leaf parts in air, and rates of photosynthesis of emergent leaves in air were three to five times higher than rates of CO₂-saturated photosynthesis of the three submerged leaf types in water. Underwater photosynthetic rates estimated at CO₂ concentrations corresponding to air equilibrium were not sufficiently high to support any noticeable growth except for rosettes, in which bicarbonate utilization combined with high CO₂ affinity resulted in photosynthetic rates corresponding to almost 34% of maximum rates at high free CO₂. We conclude that S. aloides requires consistently high CO₂-supersaturation to support high growth and to complete its life cycle, and we infer that this requirement explains why S. aloides mainly grows in ponds, ditches and reed zones that are characterized by strong CO₂-supersaturation.     

干旱胁迫对高山柳和沙棘幼苗光合生理特征的影响

为了解干旱河谷-山地森林交错带植物光合生理特征对干旱胁迫的响应。以交错带两种典型植物高山柳(Salix paraqplesia)和沙棘(Hippophae rhamnoides)为研究对象,研究其在不同程度的干旱胁迫条件下植株气体交换参数的日变化特征。干旱胁迫显著降低了两种植物叶片数、叶面积、叶片生物量、比叶面积、色素含量、净光合速率(Pn)、气孔导度(gs)和气孔限制值(Ls)等与光合生理过程密切相关的叶片指标,但增大了胞间CO₂浓度(Ci)和内禀水分利用效率(WUEi)。植物叶片的气体交换参数(如:Pn和gs)日变化并未完全随着光合有效辐射的增强和温度的升高而增加,全天以11:00最大,"午休"现象明显。相对而言,沙棘在干旱胁迫条件下表现出相对较高的叶面积、Pn、gs和WUEi,具有相对更强的适应干旱环境的能力,而高山柳对干旱胁迫更为敏感。