Evolutionary speed limited by water in arid Australia

The covariation of biodiversity with climate is a fundamental pattern in nature. However, despite the ubiquity of this relationship, a consensus on the ultimate cause remains elusive. The evolutionary speed hypothesis posits direct mechanistic links between ambient temperature, the tempo of micro-evolution and, ultimately, species richness. Previous research has demonstrated faster rates of molecular evolution in warmer climates for a broad range of poikilothermic and homeothermic organisms, in both terrestrial and aquatic environments. In terrestrial systems, species richness increases with both temperature and water availability and the interaction of those terms: productivity. However, the influence of water availability as an independent variable on micro-evolutionary processes has not been examined previously. Here, using methodology that limits the potentially confounding role of cladogenetic and demographic processes, we report, to our knowledge, the first evidence that woody plants living in the arid Australian Outback are evolving more slowly than related species growing at similar latitudes in moist habitats on the mesic continental margins. These results support a modified evolutionary speed explanation for the relationship between the water-energy balance and plant diversity patterns.     

Modeling soil water regime and corn yields considering climatic uncertainty

Real time estimation of soil moisture and crop yield plays an important role for best irrigation management practices especially in arid and semiarid regions. A simulation model able of real time estimating and forecasting soil water storage and corn yield response to soil moisture was developed by combining two existing models. Soil water storage was estimated through the soil water balance equation considering the uncertainty of evapotranspiration and combing with Kalman filter technique. Crop dry matter and grain yield were simulated by using a functional relationship between yield and soil moisture. Some improvements have been made in the response function by considering different impacts of moisture stress on crop growth and yield for the different growing stages. Four years data sets collected in an experimental station in the North China Plain were used to calibrate and test the model. Results indicate that soil moisture storage in the soil profile estimated and predicted by the model agrees well with the measured data, and the relative error of yield prediction is around 10%, which means that the combined model and the methodology applied are capable of predicting crop yield and soil water storage dynamics.     

Response of plants to CO2 under water limited conditions

The influence of inefeased atmospheric CO₂ on the interaction between plant growth and water use is proving to be one of the most profound impacts of the anthropogenic Greenhouse Effect. This paper illustrates the interaction between CO₂ and water in plant growth at a range of scales. Most published work has concentrated on water use efficiency, especially at shorter time scales, and has shown large increases of leaf water use efficiency with increased CO₂. However, the magnitude of the effect is variable, and does not consistently agree with predictions from simple leaf gas exchange considerations. The longer the time scales considered, the less the information and the more the uncertainty in the response to CO₂, because of the additional factors that have to be considered, such as changes in leaf area, respiration of non-photosynthetic tissues and soil evaporation. The need for more detailed studies of the interactions between plant evaporation, water supply, water status and growth is stressed, as increased CO₂ can affect all of these either directly, or indirectly through feedbacks with leaf gas exchange, carbon partitioning, leaf growth, canopy development and root growth.     

Polyphenol increases in safflower and cucumber seedlings exposed to strong visible light with limited water

To assess effects of the environmental stress on polyphenol compounds (polyphenols) in plants, the polyphenol contents were investigated in the seedlings of safflower (Carthamus tinctrius L.) and cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) grown under three types of growth conditions: control; light stress, irradiated with strong light in the visible wavelength range; and light/water stress, irradiated with strong visible light with a limited water supply. The total polyphenol contents and the amounts of the major polyphenols, especially luteolin 7-O-glucoside in safflower cotyledons, and luteolin 7-O-glucoside and luteolin in safflower foliage leaves, increased in response to both stresses. The polyphenol increasing effect of light/water stress was clearly observed in safflower compared to cucumber, suggesting that plants that are resistant to these stresses can accumulate substantial amounts of polyphenols compared to the plants which respond weakly to the stresses.     

Energetic yields associated with hydrocarbon fermentations

Energetic yields associated with microbial growth on hydrocarbons are investigated and compared with values for other organic substrates. Both cell growth and extracellular product formation are investigated. Both carbon and energy limitations are considered in estimating theoretical yields. Carbon, available electron, and ATP balances are used in the theoretical analysis. The results indicate that the availability of carbon may limit growth and product formation.     

Boosting crop yields with plant steroids

Plant sterols and steroid hormones, the brassinosteroids (BRs), are compounds that exert a wide range of biological activities. They are essential for plant growth, reproduction, and responses to various abiotic and biotic stresses. Given the importance of sterols and BRs in these processes, engineering their biosynthetic and signaling pathways offers exciting potentials for enhancing crop yield. In this review, we focus on how alterations in components of sterol and BR metabolism and signaling or application of exogenous steroids and steroid inhibitors affect traits of agronomic importance. We also discuss areas for future research and identify the fine-tuning modulation of endogenous BR content as a promising strategy for crop improvement.     

人工控制有限供水对冬小麦根系生长及土壤水分利用的影响

试验在中国气象局固城农业气象试验基地的大型人工控制农田水分试验场进行。在底墒充足的条件下采用3种供水处理：拔节期一次性供水75mm(I1);返青供水37．5mm和拔节期供水37．5mm(I2);返青后生长期内无水分供给(Ick)。全生育期内用电动防雨棚遮去自然降水。试验结果表明,表层土壤(0～30cm)水多根多,根系反应敏感。上层干旱促使根系向深层发育,利用下层水量较多。I1处理减少表土层(0～30cm)的根量和根长密度,促进根系下扎,较多地利用深层土壤水分,并减少无效分蘖。虽然总穗数减少,但同I2、Ick相比籽粒数和籽粒重有较大幅度增加,提高了产量和水分利用率。根系吸水效率随土层深度增加呈下降趋势,I1在30cm以下其根系吸水效率超过了I2处理,并在100～200cm土层表现最为明显。Ick除0～30cm土层外,其余土层有效底墒供水率均较低;I1和I2两处理30～100cm有效底墒供水率均在84％以上,1～2m土层内I。大于I2。Ick由于土壤水分不足并未造成千粒重的明显下降,相反,3个处理中最高;土壤水分不足导致穗数、穗粒重、籽粒重和籽粒数的显著降低,从而造成了最终产量的降低。产量水平上的水分利用效率I1比其余处理提高了将近14％,其次为Ick,最低的是I2。在灌溉效率上,I1比I2提高了将近19％;在相同灌溉量的前提下,蒸腾效率I1比I2提高约7％。I1水分利用效率高于I2和Ick处理。可以认为：配合充足底墒,前期控水,有限的一定量的水分拔节期(关键期)一次供给比在返青和拔节分别供给,更为有效科学。     

Fruit consumption in migratory passerines is limited by water ingestion rather than by body water balance

Many insectivorous passerines become frugivorous during migration. Because water may facilitate the digestion of dry fruits, some passerines may benefit from staging in stopover sites that offer access to drinking water. In autumn, water consumption by blackcaps Sylvia atricapilla staging in Israel was found to induce a shift from insectivory to frugivory. We tested two alternative hypotheses concerning the mechanism facilitating consumption of the relatively dry fruits which are common in this region: 1) water intake facilitates the passage of fruits within the digestive tract when these two resources are simultaneously ingested, and 2) improved body water balance allows the consumption and ingestion of large amounts of dry fruits. Blackcaps were subjected to five treatments that included temporal separation of water and fruit consumption, as well as subcutaneous water injection to maintain balanced body water in water‐deprived birds. Fruit consumption rate was measured daily. We found that only simultaneous provisioning of water and fruits significantly increased fruit consumption rate, implying that drinking water directly improves fruit digestion within the digestive system. Furthermore, the fuel deposition rate increased with increased fruit consumption rate. These results emphasize the importance of water availability for the ecology and conservation of migrating passerines.     

Genetic and management approaches to boost UK wheat yields by ameliorating water deficits

Faced with the challenge of increasing global food production, there is the need to exploit all approaches to increasing crop yields. A major obstacle to boosting yields of wheat (an important staple in many parts of the world) is the availability and efficient use of water, since there is increasing stress on water resources used for agriculture globally, and also in parts of the UK. Improved soil and crop management and the development of new genotypes may increase wheat yields when water is limiting. Technical and scientific issues concerning management options such as irrigation and the use of growth-promoting rhizobacteria are explored, since these may allow the more efficient use of irrigation. Fundamental understanding of how crops sense and respond to multiple abiotic stresses can help improve the effective use of irrigation water. Experiments are needed to test the hypothesis that modifying wheat root system architecture (by increasing root proliferation deep in the soil profile) will allow greater soil water extraction thereby benefiting productivity and yield stability. Furthermore, better knowledge of plant and soil interactions and how below-ground and above-ground processes communicate within the plant can help identify traits and ultimately genes (or alleles) that will define genotypes that yield better under dry conditions. Developing new genotypes will take time and, therefore, these challenges need to be addressed now.     

黄土丘陵区香梨园土壤水分、养分分布特征及其与产量的关系

本研究以晋西黄土丘陵区玉露香梨种植下的3种不同坡位坡耕地土壤为对象,对不同坡位、不同生育期、不同深度的土壤水分、养分和产量进行观测分析.结果 表明:不同坡位中,香梨产量为高坡位＞中坡位＞低坡位,高坡位香梨产量与土壤含水量(SWC)、有机质(SOM)、速效钾(AK)显著相关,其中AK对产量的影响最显著,中、低坡位香梨产量...     

Water use and yield of tomatoes under limited water and excess boron

The role of tripartite associations among Frankia, Alpova diplophloeus (an ectomycorrhizal fungus) and Alnus tenuifolia in growth, nitrogen fixation, ectomycorrhizal formation, and mineral acquisition of A. tenuifolia was investigated. Seedlings of A. tenuifolia were planted in pots containing a mixture of ground basalt–perlite, or perlite alone, which served as the control. The seedlings were inoculated with Frankia isolated from root nodules of alder, followed by spores of A. diplophloeus and grown for 5 months in a greenhouse. The seedlings grown in the pots with a mixture of ground basalt–perlite after dual inoculation with Frankia and A. diplophloeus had the heaviest shoots and root nodules in dry weight, and showed the greatest nitrogen-fixing ability measured by acetylene reduction. Ectomycorrhizae formed with A. diplophloeus increased when this fungus was inoculated together with Frankia. The mineral composition (P, K, Ca, Fe, Mg, Mn, Na, Si and Al) in the seedlings was also determined. The results of these experiments showed that the tripartite associations could improve the growth, nitrogen fixation and mineral acquisition (rock solubilization) of A. tenuifolia.     

Interactions between plant nutrients,water and carbon dioxide as factors limiting crop yields

Biomass production of annual crops is often directly proportional to the amounts of radiation intercepted, water transpired and nutrients taken up. In many places the amount of rainfall during the period of rapid crop growth is less than the potential rate of evaporation, so that depletion of stored soil water is commonplace. The rate of mineralization of nitrogen (N) from organic matter and the processes of nutrient loss are closely related to the availability of soil water. Results from Kenya indicate the rapid changes in nitrate availability following rain.<br>Nutrient supply has a large effect on the quantity of radiation intercepted and hence, biomass production. There is considerable scope for encouraging canopy expansion to conserve water by reducing evaporation from the soil surface in environments where it is frequently rewetted, and where the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity of the soil is sufficient to supply water at the energy limited rate (e.g. northern Syria). In regions with high evaporative demand and coarse-textured soils (e.g. Niger), transpiration may be increased by management techniques that reduce drainage.<br>Increases in atmospheric [CO₂] are likely to have only a small impact on crop yields when allowance is made for the interacting effects of temperature, and water and nutrient supply. <br>     

Evolution of yields from populations with age-specific cropping

Summary Age-specific exploitation of a natural population acts as a selective force on genetic variation in life history traits. Evolution arising from this selection may bring about evolutionary changes in the total yield which the population is able to sustain. An analysis of this process is given for a harvested population with densitydependent recruitment, in which selection of life history traits by cropping is independent of density and frequency. Evolution of the total yield depends on an interplay between the yield from an individual over the course of its life and recruitment; whether the total yield increases or decreases depends on the properties of particular populations. Evolution brought about by harvesting does not, in general, lead to the maximization of the total yield. Nonetheless, by appropriate choice of an age-specific harvest pattern, it is possible in principle to select the life history which gives the maximum total yield following evolution; this harvest pattern is called the evolutionarily stable optimal harvesting strategy (ESOHS). Results of the analysis are illustrated with data on the Arcto-Norwegian cod.     

冬小麦对有限水分高效利用的生理机制

通过对不同土壤供水条件下的孕穗开花期的冬小麦叶片CO₂/H₂O气体交换参数的系统测定,研究了光合速率(Pn)、蒸腾速率(Tr)、气孔导度(Gs)、细胞间隙CO₂浓度(Ci)、叶温(Tl)与水分利用效率(WUE)间的关系。结果表明,WUE并不随Pn的增长直线增长,而是呈现出二次曲线的变化趋势;只有当蒸腾达到一定程度时,Tr才对WUE产生影响,而Tr过大时WUE则有下降的趋势;WUE与Ci呈负相关,随Ci的增加WUE呈递减趋势;叶温升高对光合和蒸腾都有促进作用,当超过了某种限度则表现为抑制作用,表明在一定温度范围内,Tl升高对水分利用不利;随Gs的增大,WUE增大到一定程度则不再增加,甚至出现一种回落趋势.     

Method to estimate the critical soil water content of limited availability for plants

This contribution contains a proposal to estimate the critical soil water content of limited availability for plants, below which transpiration starts to decrease due to limited water availability for roots, which is frequently noted as “the point of limited soil water availability”. The method is based on the fact, that soil water content at which transpiration rate is starting to decrease is followed by the biomass production decrease. The method is using the relationship between the relative transpiration and the average soil water content of the soil root zone, and the linear relation between biomass production and transpiration, published earlier.     

Effects of water vapor pressure deficit on photochemical and fluorescence yields in tobacco leaf tissue

The relationship between photochemical quantum yield (_s) and fluorescence yield have been investigated in leaf tissue from Nicotiana tabacum using CO₂ exchange and a modulated fluorescence measuring system. The quantum yield of CO₂ fixation at 1.6% (v/v) O₂ and limiting irradiance was reduced 20% by increasing the mean H₂O vapor pressure deficit (VPD) from 9.2 to 18.6 mbars. As [CO₂] and irradiance were varied, the intrinsic quantum yield of open photosystem II units (_s/q_Q where q_Q is the photochemical fluorescence quenching coefficient) declined linearly with the degree of nonphotochemical fluorescence quenching. The slope and y-intercept values for this function were significantly reduced when the mean VPD was 18.4 millibars relative to 8.9 millibars. Susceptibility of the leaf tissue to photoinhibition was unaffected by VPD. Elevated O₂ concentrations (20.5% v/v) reduced the intrinsic quantum yield of net CO₂ uptake due to the occurrence of O₂-reducing processes. However, the relative effect of high VPD compared to low VPD on intrinsic quantum yield was not dependent on the O₂ level. This suggests that the Mehler reaction does not mediate the response of quantum yield to elevated VPD. The results are discussed with regard to the possible role of transpiration stress in regulating dissipation of excitation by electron transport pathways other than noncyclic electron flow supporting reduction of CO₂ and/or O₂.