Non-mycorrhizal uptake of amino acids by roots of the alpine sedge Kobresia myosuroides: implications for the alpine nitrogen cycle

Non-mycorrhizal plants of the alpine sedge, Kobresia myosuroides, take up the amino acid glycine from nutrient solutions at greater rates than NO _inf3 ^sup- or NH _inf4 ^sup+ . The amino acids glutamate and proline were also taken up at high rates. Total plant biomass was twice as high after 4 months of growth on glycine, compared to NH₄NO₃, with significant increases in both root and leaf biomass. By taking advantage of differences in the ¹³C signature of air in the growth chamber and the glycine used for growth, a two-member mixing model was used to estimate that a significant amount of the glycine was taken up as intact molecules, enough to contribute 16% of the total carbon assimilation over a 4-month growing period. Glycine uptake was inhibited when roots were exposed to N₂ in place of air, and when the protonophore carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP) was added to the root solution. From these results it is concluded that glycine uptake occurs through active transport. Glycine uptake exhibited a Q₁₀ of 2.0 over the temperature range 5–15° C, with relatively high rates maintained at the lowest temperature measured (5° C). Roots of Kobreasia were not capable of taking up NH _inf4 ^sup+ at measureable rates. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a plant whose non-mycorrhizal roots cannot take up NH _inf4 ^sup+ . Measurements of three N fractions (NO _inf3 ^sup- , NH _inf4 ^sup+ , and total amino acids) in the soil pore water were made over two growing seasons in two Kobresia dry meadows using microlysimeters. At the West Knoll site, which is characterized by soils with average amounts of organic matter, the dominant forms of N in the soil pore water were NO _inf3 ^sup- and NH _inf4 ^sup+ (0–450 mol L^-1). Amino acid concentrations were generally less than 20 mol L^-1 at this site. At the East Knoll site, which is characterized by soils with higher than average amounts of organic matter, amino acids were generally present at higher concentrations (17–100 mol L^-1), compared to NO _inf3 ^sup- and NH _inf4 ^sup+ . The most abundant amino acids were glycine (10–100 mol L^-1), glutamate (5–70 mol L^-1), and late in the season cystein (5–15 mol L^-1). The results demonstrate that this sedge, which dominates dry meadow communities in many alpine ecosystems, is capable of taking up intact amino acids as a principal N source, and has access to high amino acid concentrations in certain alpine soils. Such uptake of organic N may accommodate plant N demands in the face of slow alpine N mineralization rates due to cold soil temperatures.     

高寒矮嵩草草甸群落植物多样性和初级生产力对模拟降水的响应

通过野外控制实验,研究了高寒矮嵩草草甸群落植物多样性、初级生产力对模拟降雨条件的响应.结果表明: 1 在植物生长期 6月 ,增加降雨20%、增加降雨40%,植物群落物种多样性指数 H 和均匀度指数 J 分别比对照提高了0.188和0.011、0.735和0.076,生长期 7月 增加降雨20%物种H和J提高了0.409和0.07; 2 禾草类:增加降雨20%处理的地上生物量与对照相比没有明显的显著性差异 P>0.05 ,增加降雨40%处理的地上生物量与对照相比差异显著 P<0.05 ,说明过多增加降雨会抑制禾草的生长发育.杂类草:减少降雨50%处理的地上生物量与对照相比差异显著 P<0.05 ,其地上生物量对减少降雨的反映比较敏感.莎草类:其地上生物量对增加和减少降雨都没有显著变化; 3 0～10cm和0～30cm土层地下生物量均在增加降雨20%时最高,地下生物量的总量也在增加降雨20%时最高; 4 矮嵩草草甸地下生物量与地上生物量、总生物量的比值接近于生长季末时最大,且在模拟增加降雨20%的水平时,7、8、9月份地下和地上生物量较其它处理组高.     

高寒草甸小嵩草种群繁殖生态学研究

研究从繁殖生态学的角度对高寒草甸小嵩草（Kobresia pygmaea)种群进行了初步研究。结果表明：小嵩草属寒冷中生密丛短根茎地下芽植物,在高寒生境中采用以营养繁殖为主、有性繁殖为辅的繁策略,具体体现在以下几个方面：虽然小嵩草种子产量达4553.8粒／m^2,但种子萌发率较低,室内和野外萌发率分别仅有4％和1％,经氢氧化钠溶液和赤霉素溶液处理后的种子萌发率分别为1％和2％,而削去种皮后种子萌发率达52．6％,种皮坚硬是造成种子萌发率低的主要原因;进入种子库、保留至返青期且具有活性的种子仅占种子总数的24．35％,其室内萌发率仅有3％,而在野外理论实生苗仅为11．09个／m^2,与此相反小嵩草营养繁殖所形成的新个体数为6256．25个／m^2,远远多于种子萌发所形成的实生苗数。此外,小嵩草营养繁殖效力也远高于有性繁殖效力,营养繁殖效力占总繁殖效力的90．92％。     

Plant-microbe competition for soil amino acids in the alpine tundra: effects of freeze-thaw and dry-rewet events

Amino acids have been shown to be a potentially significant N source for the alpine sedge, Kobresia myosuroides. We hypothesised that freeze-thaw and dry-rewet events allow this plant species increased access to amino acids by disrupting microbial cells, which decreases the size of competing microbial populations, but increases soil amino acid concentrations. To test this hypothesis, we characterized freeze-thaw and dry-rewet events in the field and simulated them in laboratory experiments on plant-soil microcosms. In one experiment, ¹⁵N,¹³C-[2]-glycine was added to microcosms that had previously been subjected to a freeze-thaw or dry-rewet event, and isotopic concentrations in the plant and microbial fractions were compared to non-stressed controls. Microbial biomass and uptake of the labeled glycine were unaffected by the freezing and drying treatments, but microbial uptake of ¹⁵N was lower in the two warmer treatments (dry-rewet and summer control) then in the two colder treatments (freeze-thaw and fall control). Plant uptake of glycine-¹⁵N was decreased by climatic disturbance, and uptake in plants that had been frozen appeared to be dependent on the severity of the freeze. The fact that intact glycine was absorbed by the plants was confirmed by near equal enrichment of plant tissues in ¹³C and ¹⁵N. Plants under optimal conditions recovered 3.5% of the added ¹⁵N and microbes recovered 5.0%. The majority of the ¹³C and ¹⁵N label remained in a non-extractable fraction in the bulk soil. To better understand the isolated influences of environmental perturbations on soil amino acid pools and population sizes of amino-acid utilizing microbes, separate experiments were performed in which soils, alone, were subjected to drying and rewetting or freezing and thawing. Potential respiration of glycine and glutamate (substrate-induced respiration; SIR) by the soil microbial communities was unaffected by a single freeze-thaw event. Glycine SIR was decreased slightly (∼10%) by the most extreme drying treatment, but glutamate SIR was not significantly affected. Freezing lowered the concentration of water-extractable amino acids while drying increased their concentration. We interpret the surprising former result as either a decrease in proteolytic activity in frozen soils relative to amino acid uptake, or a stimulation in microbial uptake by physical nutrient release from the soil. We conclude that climatic disturbance does not provide opportunities for increased amino acid uptake by K. myosuroides, but that this plant competes well for amino acid N under non-stressed conditions, especially when soils are warm. We also note that this alpine tundra microbial community's high resistance to freeze-thaw and dry-rewet events is novel and contrasts with studies in other ecosystems. Received: 24 February 1997 / Accepted: 28 August 1997     

高寒矮嵩草草甸大气-土壤-植被-动物系统碳素储量及碳素循环

对高寒矮嵩草草甸生态系统中大气 -土壤 -植被 -动物分室碳素储量及碳素循环进行了研究 ,结果表明 ,草毡寒冻雏形土土壤库 0～ 30 cm碳素储量为 2 4 7.30 t C/ hm2 。土壤 CO2 平均释放速率 70 .94± 54.76kg/ (hm2· d) ,年释放量为 6.630 t C/ (hm2·a) ,比退化草地 4.62 0 t C/ (hm2·a)释放量高。植物包括根系总固碳量为 4.648t C/ (hm2· a) ,动物亚系统中 ,藏系绵羊个体同化的碳素为 7.562 kg C/ (hm2· a) (成年羊 ) ,作为畜产品迁出生态系统。生态系统初级生产固碳量占每年土壤 CO2 释放量的 70 .1 6% ,占生长季土壤 CO2 释放量的 96.43% ,退化草地土壤 CO2 释放量比初级生产固碳量要低。认为高寒矮嵩草草甸生态系统土壤是大气温室气体 CO2 的小的排放源。     

A regional approach to plant DNA barcoding provides high species resolution of sedges (Carex and Kobresia, Cyperaceae) in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago

Previous research on barcoding sedges (Carex) suggested that basic searches within a global barcoding database would probably not resolve more than 60% of the world’s some 2000 species. In this study, we take an alternative approach and explore the performance of plant DNA barcoding in the Carex lineage from an explicitly regional perspective. We characterize the utility of a subset of the proposed protein-coding and noncoding plastid barcoding regions (matK, rpoB, rpoC1, rbcL, atpF-atpH, psbK-psbI) for distinguishing species of Carex and Kobresia in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, a clearly defined eco-geographical region representing 1% of the Earth’s landmass. Our results show that matK resolves the greatest number of species of any single-locus (95%), and when combined in a two-locus barcode, it provides 100% species resolution in all but one combination (matK + atpFH) during unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic mean averages (UPGMA) analyses. Noncoding regions were equally or more variable than matK, but as single markers they resolve substantially fewer taxa than matK alone. When difficulties with sequencing and alignment due to microstructural variation in noncoding regions are also considered, our results support other studies in suggesting that protein-coding regions are more practical as barcoding markers. Plastid DNA barcodes are an effective identification tool for species of Carex and Kobresia in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, a region where the number of co-existing closely related species is limited. We suggest that if a regional approach to plant DNA barcoding was applied on a global scale, it could provide a solution to the generally poor species resolution seen in previous barcoding studies.     

Nitrogen uptake by rhizomes of the clonal sedge Carex bigelowii: a previously overlooked nutritional benefit of rhizomatous growth

Studies on the rhizomatous clonal sedge Carex bigelowii , at a fellfield site in subarctic Swedish Lapland examined the ecological potential of rhizomes as nitrogen uptake systems. Direct application of a solution of ¹⁵NH₄¹⁵NO₃ to the rhizomes of C. bigelowii significantly enriched the ¹⁵N content of the plant tissue. The pattern of enrichment indicated movement of labelled nitrogen into rhizomes and adjoining tissue (including roots and shoots), showing both uptake and translocation via the rhizome system. There was a gradient of decreasing ¹⁵N enrichment with increasing distance from the point of labelling, and estimation of the total mass of nitrogen taken up via labelled rhizomes showed low levels and rates of uptake. Quantification of the size of rhizome and root systems of C. bigelowii at the study site indicates that 80% of the living biomass may be below ground, and that the surface area of the rhizome system of C. bigelowii is approx. two-thirds that of the roots. The rhizome system of C. bigelowii can therefore act as a route for nitrogen uptake, with the potential to exploit almost as great a volume of soil as the root system. This mechanism of nitrogen uptake may play an important role in the Arctic, where many species have a clonal, rhizomatous growth form. In addition, plant growth in many arctic ecosystems is limited by low soil nutrient availability, a result of low temperatures (leading to slow soil decomposition rates) and patchy resource distribution. Nitrogen uptake via rhizomes may provide plants with the capacity to take advantage of transient nutrient supplies, and may partly compensate for the cost of developing and maintaining persistent rhizome networks in ecosystems where nutrient resources are in short supply.     

排水沟渠影响下的高原泥炭地土壤氮空间分布特征

通过分析排水沟渠影响下的泥炭地土壤氮空间分布特征,阐明全球变化背景下排水沟壑对高原泥炭地退化的影响,为若尔盖高原退化湿地区的生态恢复提供决策支持。将若尔盖湿地自然保护区内的一条排水沟渠作为研究区,在11个垂直于沟渠的断面上,通过环刀法在沟渠两侧取样,分析排水沟渠对阶地沼泽土壤全氮和碱解氮的影响。结果表明:土壤全氮含量0.34～21.86 g·kg^-1,平均值为11.26±6.22 g·kg^-1;土壤碱解氮含量28.35～1965.60 mg·kg^-1,平均值为889.53±470.31 mg·kg^-1;纵向上,以高海拔和靠近河流的含量较低,碱解氮与全氮的比值与高程呈正相关;横向上,与沟渠不同距离间存在差异,越靠近沟渠的样点,其全氮含量越高,但统计上不显著(P>0.05),高程更低的左岸碱解氮含量低于右岸;表层土壤的碱解氮以靠近沟渠1 m的距离最低(P<0.05),左、右岸的碱解氮/全氮比值均呈"V"型变化,与沟渠的距离增加先降低再升高;垂向上,土壤全氮和碱解氮以表层最高,随着深度增加而降...     

Low and high affinity amino acid H+-cotransporters for cellular import of neutral and charged amino acids

Amides and acidic amino acids represent the major long distance transport forms of organic nitrogen. Six amino acid permeases (AAPs) from Arabidopsis mediating transport of a wide spectrum of amino acids were isolated. AAPs are distantly related to plasma membrane amino acid transport systems N and A and to vesicular transporters such as VGAT from mammals. A detailed comparison of the properties by electrophysiology after heterologous expression in Xenopus oocytes shows that, although capable of recognizing and transporting a wide spectrum of amino acids, individual AAPs differ with respect to specificity. Apparent substrate affinities are influenced by structure and net charge and vary by three orders of magnitude. AAPs mediate cotransport of neutral amino acids with one proton. Uncharged forms of acidic and basic amino acids are cotransported with one proton. Since all AAPs are differentially expressed, different tissues may be supplied with a different spectrum of amino acids. AAP3 and AAP5 are the only transporters mediating efficient transport of the basic amino acids. In vivo competition shows that the capability to transport basic amino acids in planta might be overruled by excess amides and acidic amino acids in the apoplasm. With the exception of AAP6, AAPs do not recognize aspartate; only AAP6 has an affinity for aspartate in the physiologically relevant range. This property is due to an overall higher affinity of AAP6 for neutral and acidic amino acids. Thus AAP6 may serve a different role either in cooperating with the lower affinity systems to acquire amino acids in the low concentration range, as a system responsible for aspartate transport or as an uptake system from the xylem. In agreement, a yeast mutant deficient in acidic amino acid uptake at low aspartate concentrations was complemented only by AAP6. Taken together, the AAPs transport neutral, acidic and cationic amino acids, including the major transport forms, i.e. glutamine, asparagine and glutamate. Increasing proton concentrations strongly activate transport of amino acids. Thus the actual apoplasmic concentration of amino acids and the pH will determine what is transported in vivo, i.e. major amino acids such as glutamine, asparagine, and glutamate will be mobilized preferentially.     

Free amino acid, ammonium and nitrate concentrations in soil solutions of a grazed coastal marsh in relation to plant growth

Soluble free amino acids, ammonium and nitrate ions as sources of nitrogen for plant growth were measured in soils of a coastal marsh grazed by snow geese in Manitoba, Canada. Amounts of nitrogen, primarily ammonium ions, increased in the latter half of the growing season and over winter, but fell to low values early in the growing season. Free amino acid concentrations relative to ammonium concentrations were highest during the period of rapid plant growth in early summer, especially in soils in the intertidal zone, where the median ratio of amino acid nitrogen to ammonium nitrogen was 0·36 and amino acid concentrations exceeded those of ammonium ions in 24% of samples. Amino acid profiles, which were dominated by alanine, proline and glutamic acid, were similar to goose faecal profiles. In a continuous flow hydroponic experiment conducted in the field, growth of the salt‐marsh grass, Puccinellia phryganodes, on glycine was similar to growth on ammonium ions at an equivalent concentration of nitrogen. When supplies of soil inorganic nitrogen are low, amino acids represent a potentially important source of nitrogen for the re‐growth of plants grazed by geese and amino acid uptake may be as high as 57% that of ammonium ions.     

Post-glacial history of the dominant alpine sedge Carex curvula in the European Alpine System inferred from nuclear and chloroplast markers

The alpine sedge Carex curvula ssp. curvula is a clonal, dominant graminoid found in the European Alps, the Carpathians, the Pyrenees and in some of the Balkan Mountains. It is a late-successional species of acidophilous alpine meadows that occurs on sites that were covered by ice during the last glacial maximum (LGM). By applying the amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) fingerprinting and chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) sequencing, we attempted to identify the recolonization routes followed by the species after the last ice retreat. We relied on the genetic diversity of 37 populations covering the entire distributional range of the species. As a wind-pollinated species, C. curvula is characterized by a low level of population genetic differentiation. Nuclear and chloroplast data both support the hypothesis of a long-term separation of Eastern (Balkans and Carpathians) and Western (Alps and Pyrenees) lineages. In the Alps, a continuum of genetic depauperation from the east to the west may be related to a recolonization wave originating in the eastern-most parts of the chain, where the main glacial refugium was likely located. The Pyrenean populations are nested within the western Alps group and show a low level of genetic diversity, probably due to recent long-distance colonization. In contrast to the Alps, we found no phylogeographical structure in the Carpathians. The combination of reduced ice extension during the Würm period and the presence of large areas of siliceous substrate at suitable elevation suggest that in contrast to populations in the Alps, the species in the Carpathians underwent a local vertical migration rather than extinction and recolonization over long distance.     

Changes in plant biomass and species composition of alpine Kobresia meadows along altitudinal gradient on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Alpine Kobresia meadows are major vegetation types on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. There is growing concern over their relationships among biodiversity, productivity and environments. Despite the im-portance of species composition, species richness, the type of different growth forms, and plant bio-mass structure for Kobresia meadow ecosystems, few studies have been focused on the relationship between biomass and environmental gradient in the Kobresia meadow plant communities, particularly in relation to soil moisture and edaphic gradients. We measured the plant species composition, her-baceous litter, aboveground and belowground biomass in three Kobresia meadow plant communities in Haibei Alpine Meadow Ecosystem Research Station from 2001 to 2004. Community differences in plant species composition were reflected in biomass distribution. The total biomass showed a de-crease from 13196.96±719.69 g/m2 in the sedge-dominated K. tibetica swamp to 2869.58±147.52 g/m2 in the forb and sedge dominated K. pygmaea meadow, and to 2153.08±141.95 g/m2 in the forbs and grasses dominated K. humilis along with the increase of altitude. The vertical distribution of below-ground biomass is distinct in the three meadow communities, and the belowground biomass at the depth of 0-10 cm in K. tibetica swamp meadow was significantly higher than that in K. humilis and K. pygmaea meadows (P<0.01). The herbaceous litter in K. tibetica swamp was significantly higher than those in K. pygnaeca and K. humilis meadows. The effects of plant litter are enhanced when ground water and soil moisture levels are raised. The relative importance of litter and vegetation may vary with soil water availability. In the K. tibetica swamp, total biomass was negatively correlated to species richness (P<0.05); aboveground biomass was positively correlated to soil organic matter, soil moisture, and plant cover (P<0.05); belowground biomass was positively correlated with soil moisture (P<0.05). However, in the K. pygnaeca and K. humilis meadow communities, aboveground biomass was posi-tively correlated to soil organic matter and soil total nitrogen (P<0.05). This suggests that the distribu-tion of biomass coincided with soil moisture and edaphic gradient in alpine meadows.     

Weed response to herbicides: regional-scale distribution of herbicide resistance alleles in the grass weed Alopecurus myosuroides

Effective herbicide resistance management requires an assessment of the range of spatial dispersion of resistance genes among weed populations and identification of the vectors of this dispersion. In the grass weed Alopecurus myosuroides (black-grass), seven alleles of the acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACCase) gene are known to confer herbicide resistance. Here, we assessed their respective frequencies and spatial distribution on two nested geographical scales (the whole of France and the French administrative district of C?te d'Or) by genotyping 13 151 plants originating from 243 fields. Genetic variation in ACCase was structured in local populations at both geographical scales. No spatial structure in the distribution of resistant ACCase alleles and no isolation by distance were detected at either geographical scale investigated. These data, together with ACCase sequencing and data from the literature, suggest that evolution of A. myosuroides resistance to herbicides occurred at the level of the field or group of adjacent fields by multiple, independent appearances of mutant ACCase alleles that seem to have rather restricted spatial propagation. Seed transportation by farm machinery seems the most likely vector for resistance gene dispersal in A. myosuroides.     

Reappraisal of the 20th-century version of amino acid metabolism

In this article, we advocate the radical revision of the 20th-century version of amino acid metabolism as follows. (1) Classic studies on the incorporation of [15N]ammonia into glutamate, once considered to be an epoch-making event, are not distinctive proof of the ability of animals to utilize ammonia for the synthesis of alpha-amino nitrogen. (2) Mammalian glutamate dehydrogenase has been implicated to function as a glutamate-synthesizing enzyme albeit lack of convincing proof. This enzyme, in combination with aminotransferases, is now known to play an exclusive role in the metabolic removal of amino nitrogen and energy production from excess amino acids. (3) Dr. William C Rose's "nutritionally nonessential amino acids" are, of course, essential in cellular metabolism; the nutritional nonessentiality is related to their carbon skeletons, many of which are intermediates of glycolysis or the TCA cycle. Obviously, the prime importance of amino acid nutrition should be the means of obtaining amino nitrogen. (4) Because there is no evidence of the presence of any glutamate-synthesizing enzymes in mammalian tissues, animals must depend on plants and microorganisms for preformed alpha-amino nitrogen. This is analogous to the case of carbohydrates. (5) In contrast, individual essential amino acids, similar to vitamins and essential fatty acids, should be considered important nutrients that must be included regularly in sufficient amounts in the diet.     

Responses in leaf functional traits and resource allocation of a dominant alpine sedge (Kobresia pygmaea) to climate warming in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau permafrost region

Assessing the influence of warming on leaf traits, carbon, and nutrient concentrations above and below ground to understand how the dominant sedge Kobresia pygmaea (C. B. Clarke) C. B. Clarke may respond and adapt to extant and future climate in the alpine meadow of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. A warming experiment was conducted in the permafrost region of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau from 2008 to 2009. Two 2-year warming treatments (T1, annual warming of 2.1°C; T2, annual warming of 4.4°C) were used, and responses of leaf traits and above- and belowground carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus concentrations of K. pygmaea were examined. The results show that both moderate (T1) and more extensive (T2) warming decreased leaf mass, leaf thickness, and vascular bundle size, and increased the mass-based photosynthetic rate (A_mass) and photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency (PNUE). A moderate warming significantly decreased leaf carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P), and root C and N concentrations of K. pygmaea. These decreases were even more pronounced under the more extensive warming. The decreases in leaf N and P were significantly larger than the decrease in leaf C concentration. Root P concentration increased more under the extensive than the moderate warming. The observed increase in leaf C:N ratio in the warming treatment indicates that enhanced temperature may increase the long-term nitrogen use efficiency of K. pygmaea leaves. This again suggests that K. pygmaea might adapt well to future climate warming, and that nitrogen might be a more important factor for K. pygmaea dominated alpine meadows under future climate warming.     

Species coherence in the face of karyotype diversification in holocentric organisms: the case of a cytogenetically variable sedge (Carex scoparia,Cyperaceae)

Background and Aims

The sedge genus Carex, the most diversified angiosperm genus of the northern temperate zone, is renowned for its holocentric chromosomes and karyotype variability. The genus exhibits high variation in chromosome numbers both among and within species. Despite the possibility that this chromosome evolution may play a role in the high species diversity of Carex, population-level patterns of molecular and cytogenetic differentiation in the genus have not been extensively studied.

Methods

Microsatellite variation (11 loci, 461 individuals) and chromosomal diversity (82 individuals) were investigated in 22 Midwestern populations of the North American sedge Carex scoparia and two Northeastern populations.

Key Results

Among Midwestern populations, geographic distance is the most important predictor of genetic differentiation. Within populations, inbreeding is high and chromosome variation explains a significant component of genetic differentiation. Infrequent dispersal among populations separated by >100 km explains an important component of molecular genetic and cytogenetic diversity within populations. However, karyotype variation and correlation between genetic and chromosomal variation persist within populations even when putative migrants based on genetic data are excluded.

Conclusions

These findings demonstrate dispersal and genetic connectivity among widespread populations that differ in chromosome numbers, explaining the phenomenon of genetic coherence in this karyotypically diverse sedge species. More generally, the study suggests that traditional sedge taxonomic boundaries demarcate good species even when those species encompass a high range of chromosomal diversity. This finding is important evidence as we work to document the limits and drivers of biodiversity in one of the world''s largest angiosperm genera.     

A simplified method for the estimation of individual amino acid radioactivity in plasma samples

A method is presented for the quantitative estimation of the individual amino acid radioactivity in biological samples. The material is deproteinized with cold acetone, and, after acetone evaporation, is passed through a column containing 1 g of Amberlite XAD-2, then eluted with 10% ethanol. The samples are derivatized with Sanger's reagent (alkaline 1-fluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene) and passed again through the Amberlite XAD-2 column; the 10% ethanol eluate is now discarded and the DNP-amino acids eluted with acetone. Aliquots are used for TLC chromatography on Silicagel plates; the spots are identified, cut away and their radioactivity estimated. The actual recovery of radioactivity in the spots is about 86-92% of the initial radioactivity. No contamination with radioactive glucose, lactate, pyruvate or glycerol has been observed.     

高山林线土壤微生物群落结构对模拟增温的响应

研究土壤微生物群落结构对模拟增温的响应,对预测全球气候变化背景下土壤碳氮磷循环具有重要意义.采用开顶式生长室(OTC)模拟增温,研究了土壤有机质层和矿质土壤层真菌(F)、细菌(B)、革兰氏阳性菌(G⁺)和革兰氏阴性菌(G^-)PLFAs微生物量,以及真菌/细菌(F/B)和革兰氏阴性菌/革兰氏阳性菌(G^-/G⁺)比值对模拟增温的响应.结果表明: OTC模拟增温使空气温度增加0.87 ℃,土壤有机质层温度增加0.5 ℃,矿质土壤层温度增加0.23 ℃.土壤有机质层微生物群落组成比矿质土壤层对模拟增温的响应更敏感.细菌比真菌对模拟增温的响应更加敏感,模拟增温显著影响了土壤有机质层的F/B和G^-/G⁺比值,对矿质土壤层的所有PLFAs含量或比值均没有显著影响.微生物的PLFAs含量及真菌/细菌和G^-/G⁺比值总体呈现非生长季低于生长季前期和生长季后期.冗余分析表明,土壤中的碳含量(可溶性有机碳DOC 12.1%、凋落物可溶性碳DC 9.5%和全碳TC 3%)是微生物群落结构的决定性因素,可溶性组分(DOC和DC)对微生物群落结构的影响大于全量养分(全碳和总氮).     

施氮水平对小麦籽粒发育过程中氨基酸含量的影响

施氮能提高小麦籽粒蛋白质氨基酸的含量,并与施氮水平呈正相关;但对普通小麦必需氨基酸与蛋白质氨基酸的比值没有影响,而硬粒小麦4286随施氮水平的提高,该比值下降。在开花后32d以前,籽粒发育过程中游离氨基酸与施氮水平呈正相关,以后,籽粒中游离氨基酸趋于相近,表明施氮增加了游离氨基酸的库源,不同基因型小麦对施氮水平的反应不同,在同等施氮水平和栽培条件下,籽粒中蛋白质氨基酸和游离氨基酸含量为硬粒小麦4286＞小偃6号＞小偃107,不同施氮水平下,籽粒中氨基酸含量为高氮＞中氮＞低氮。