Assessment of aquatic and terrestrial reed (Phragmites australis) stands

A survey of recent publications shows that research on Phragmites australishas oftenapplied character because of the considerableecological and economic significance of the species.The main applications are water treatment, agriculture(food production or weed control) and natureconservation. In Europe, most research on natural reedstands has been motivated by reed die-back and effortstowards protection or restoration. Reed progressionand reed control have been the main concerns in otherparts of the world, and reed progression has alsoreceived increasing attention in Europe. While reeddie-back generally affects aquatic stands, progressioncan occur at both terrestrial and aquatic sites, andit can be desired (e.g. lake shore restoration)or unwanted (e.g. in species-rich fens ormarshes). Therefore, reed stands need to be assessedindividually to decide on management aims andappropriate methods. The varying status of Phragmites australisformed the background of the`European Reed Conference' held in Zürich/Switzerlandin October 1998. The seven contributions published inthis special issue are introduced with particularreference to differences between aquatic andterrestrial reed stands and to approaches used in theirassessment.     

The occurrence of ergot fungi (Glavicipitales) on the genus Hyparrhenia in southern Africa

LOVELESS, A. R., 1985. The occurrence of ergot fungi (Clavicipitales) on the genus Hyparrhenia in southern Africa . In southern Africa the presence of ergots has been confirmed on 11 wild grasses of the genus Hyparrhenia . Two species of Claviceps are involved. One of them has predominantly triangular conidia, and is therefore identified as C. pusilla . The other has very characteristic truncate conidia, and is either an undescribed species or C. inconspicua , depending upon how problems in the identification of species of Claviceps are to be resolved. On Hyparrhenia, C. pusilla is restricted to species belonging to the series Cymbariae, and the undetermined species of Claviceps infects various species of Hyparrhenia belonging to at least four other series of the genus.     

Effects of high Zn and Pb concentrations on Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. Ex. Steudel: Photosynthetic performance and metal accumulation capacity under controlled conditions

The response of Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. Ex. Steudel to zinc (Zn) and lead (Pb) was studied separately in two hydroponic tests, during a three weeks experiment. The effects on ecophysiology and biomass partitioning were evaluated during the metal treatments and at the recovery, and total metal content and accumulation capacity in different plant organs were assessed. Zn and Pb had different effects on the overall measured parameters, highlighting different mechanism of action. In particular, Zn concentration was higher in roots and, being a micronutrient, it was translocated into leaves, producing a reduction of assimilation rate, stomatal conductance (–71.9 and –81.3% respect to the control plant respectively), and a strong down regulation of photosystems functionality both at PSII and PSI level. Otherwise, Pb was accumulated mainly in the more lignified tissue such as rhizomes, with slightly effect on gas exchange. Chlorophyll a fluorescence highlighted that Pb inhibits the electron transfer process at the PSI donor side, without recovery after the removal of the metal stress. Despite these physiological limitations, P. australis showed a high capacity to accumulate both metals, and only slight reduction of biomass, being therefore a suitable species for phytoremediation interventions.     

Effect of cellulose wastes upon the growth of Phragmites australis

Growth responses of Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. Ex Steud, (reed grass), a helophyte species, were examined under in vitro and greenhouse conditions in the presence of various residues from a Kraft pulp mill. Plant tolerance to solid residues (ashes, dregs, flyashes, grits, primary sludge, and brown stock rejects) was tested in vitro. Solid residues were added separately up to 30% (w/v), as well a liquid residue up to 30% (v/v), to a Murashige and Skoog (1962) sucrose-free nutrient media with (5 mg l(-1)) 6-benzylaminopurine. After 2 mo in vitro, plantlets developed well in the presence of up to 10% solid or liquid wastes, but higher concentrations of either limited growth. This effect was mainly attributed to the plant's uptake and accumulation of various elements such as sodium, iron, copper, manganese, and boron, which are common to these waste types, thus showing an efficient phytoremediation potential. When added to MS media, the concentration of these elements generally decreased in the residual media after 2 mo of culture: the initial sodium, iron, and copper content in the growth media was reduced ca. 10-fold detected; a 5-fold reduction occurred for manganese and boron. In experiments under greenhouse conditions with in vitro propagated plantlets potted in mixtures of a commercial organic soil and residues, significant differences in plant development (plant size and fresh weight increase) were observed in the presence of ashes mixed at levels of 20% and 30%, compared to the control in organic soil. For other solid wastes, plant growth was inhibited as the concentration of each waste increased, causing chlorosis and/or plant necrosis.     

青藏高原东缘灌木种子的萌发特性

种子萌发和种子大小是植物生活史中的两个关键性特征,它关系到幼苗的建成、存活、竞争和个体未来的适合度。对青藏高原东缘43种灌木（12种优势种,31种常见种）种子的萌发特性、萌发模式以及种子大小对萌发能力的影响进行了比较研究。结果显示,萌发率在80%以上的物种：优势种有3种（鲜卑花、千里香杜鹃和山生柳）,占25%;常见种有1种（白毛银露梅）,占3.23%。萌发率在60%～80%的物种：优势种有1种（中国沙棘）,占8.33%;常见种有12种（红毛杜鹃、蒙古绣线菊、短叶锦鸡儿等）,占38.71%。萌发率在40%～60%的物种：优势种有1种（锥花小檗）,占8.33%;常见种有5种（暴马丁香、密叶锦鸡儿和肋果沙棘等）,占16.13%。萌发率在20%～40%的物种：优势种有2种（烈香杜鹃和小叶金露梅）,占6.45%;常见种有1种（紫丁香）,占3.23%。萌发率在20%以下的物种：优势种有5种（置疑小檗、高山绣线菊和岩生忍冬等）,占41.67%;常见种有12种（甘肃小檗、刚毛忍冬、陕甘花楸等）,占36.36%。优势种和常见种的萌发主要有爆发型、过渡型、缓萌型和低萌型。优势种具有较多的过渡型和缓萌型种,有较少爆发型和低萌型种;常见种中过渡型、缓萌型和低萌型物种比例均在30%左右,爆发型仅有3.32%。优势种中的爆发型要多于常见种,而低萌型的种要少于常见种。萌发率和萌发速率与种子大小呈显著的负相关关系,萌发开始时间和萌发持续时间与种子大小有较弱的关联性。     

麦角菌和雀稗麦角菌原生质体的形成与再生

本文报道了快速制备麦角菌(Claviceps purpurea)和雀稗麦角菌(Claviceps paspali)原生质体的方法及影响原生质体形成的若干因素。用适当方法培养菌丝体,利用商品溶壁酶制剂(10mg/ml),以0.7mol/l KCl为原生质体高渗液,28℃为酶解温度,处理时间仅需1—2h,菌丝体细胞壁即被彻底消化而释放出大量原生质体。在适当的固体再生培养基上,两种麦角菌原生质体的再生频率分别为7.7%和13.2%左右。培养基中添加25mg/l脱氧胆酸钠有利于形成易于计数和分离的小菌落。本文还就CaCl_2,MgCl_2及低温保藏(3—4℃,30天)对于原生质体稳定性与再生的影响作了初步探讨,并证实溶壁酶对原生质体有明显的破坏作用。     

A phylogeographic study of the cosmopolitan genus Phragmites (Poaceae) based on AFLPs

Within the genus Phragmites (Poaceae), the species P. australis (the common reed) is virtually cosmopolitan, and shows considerable variation in ploidy level and morphology. Genetic variation in Phragmites was studied using AFLPs, and analysed with parsimony and distance methods. Groups of P. australis strongly supported in the analyses include one that comprises all South American clones, a distinct group from the US Gulf Coast, and a group of E. Asian and Australian octoploids. Among the other species, the paleotropical P. vallatoria is supported as monophyletic and most closely related to the paraphyletic P. mauritianus and to the Gulf Coast and S. American groups. The E. Asian species P. japonicus is closely related to a group of P. australis clones mostly from central North America. Tetraploidy predominates in the genus, and optimisation of chromosome numbers onto the phylogeny shows that higher ploidy levels have evolved many times.     

Lakeside reed border characteristics at Lake Constance (Untersee): A comparison between 1981–1983 and 1994

Eutrophication and the associated proliferation offilamentous algae were often considered importantcauses of reed die-back that occurred in the sixtiesand seventies at Lake Constance. According to thishypothesis the reduction in lake water nutrientconcentrations during the eighties and nineties shouldhave reduced the abundance of filamentous algae andwhich should have reduced the supposed mechanicalimpact of filamentous algae on the lakeside reedstands. To examine whether this had actually occurred,the condition of the lakeside reed border at LakeConstance (Untersee) was surveyed in 1994 and resultswere compared to those of similar surveys carried outin the years 1981–83. The extent of mechanical damageto reed stalks, the amount of macrophyte wash and thedegree of shoreline erosion were assessed forshoreline segments of 25 m along a total shorelinelength of 65 km. The results showed that mechanicaldamage to reed stalks was generally higher in 1994than in 1981–83, while macrophyte wash and shorelineerosion were generally less severe. The decreasedamount of macrophyte wash was associated with a changein macrophyte species composition from a dominance offloating filamentous algae to a dominance of rootedPotamogetonaceaeand fragile Characeae,and therefore probably was due to the lower nutrientconcentrations of the lake. The opposite trends foundfor mechanical damage to reed stands and the amount ofmacrophyte wash between 1981–83 and 1994, as well asthe absence of relation between the two variables in1994, suggested that macrophyte wash had only a minoreffect on the condition of lakeside reed stands atLake Constance. Highly damaged reed stands and erodedcliffs were often located at wind exposed sites orclose to highly frequented shipping routes in 1994,suggesting that mechanical stress from waves wasresponsible for the damage. Due to the lakewardprogression of reed stands during the early nineties,reed stalks were, on average, located in deeper waterin 1994 than in 1981–83. This might have strengthenedthe mechanical stress from wave action even more andhave caused the higher frequency of mechanical damageto reed stalks. Other causes of damage such asmacrophyte wash, roosts of birds or bird swarmsprobably played a minor and only local role.     

The role of citrate on the oxidative metabolism of submerged cultures of Claviceps purpurea 129

In submerged cultures of Claviceps purpurea citrate utilization was stopped when the pool phosphate concentration decreased to 0.44–0.55 mmol per g of mycelial protein. The absence of citrate in the medium resulted in a 50% decrease of biomass, cessation of the alkaloid (agro-, elymo-, chanoclavine) synthesis, formation of a central large vacuole, cell enlargement and medium acidification by lactate. Citrate synthase and malate dehydrogenase gradually disappeared. Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase was not detectable. The activities of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and lactate dehydrogenase increased by one or two orders of magnitude higher than in control culture (with 80 mM citrate). Substrate competition on the pyruvate level is discussed.     

Effect of surfactants on the production of ergot-alkaloids by immobilized mycelia of Claviceps paspali

In a semicontinuous process immobilized Claviceps paspali mycelia produced alkaloids over a period of 60 days (six reincubations). By addition of the surfactant Pluronik, a polyethoxypolypropoxy polymer, a considerable increase in alkaloid biosynthesis occurred. The maximum product concentration achieved was 8.35gl^-1, and the overall productivity was 5.80 mgl^-1 h^-1, which is half the productivity of the batch process. Maximum process productivity for a single reincubation (12.3 mg l^-1 h^-1) was almost equal to the batch process productivity.