Above- and Below-ground Production of Young Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) Trees after Three Years of Growth in the Field under Elevated CO2

Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) seedlings were grown for 3years in the ground in open top chambers and exposed to twoconcentrations of atmospheric CO₂(ambient or ambient + 400 µmol mol^-1) without addition of nutrients and water. Biomassproduction (above-ground and below-ground) and allocation, aswell as canopy structure and tissue nitrogen concentrationsand contents, were examined by destructive harvest after 3 years.Elevated CO₂increased total biomass production by 55%, reducedneedle area and needle mass as indicated, respectively, by lowerleaf area ratio and leaf mass ratio. A relatively smaller totalneedle area was produced in relation to fine roots under elevatedCO₂. The proportion of dry matter in roots was increased byelevated CO₂, as indicated by increased root-to-shoot ratioand root mass ratio. Within the root system, there was a significantshift in the allocation towards fine roots. Root litter constituteda much higher fraction of fine roots in trees grown in the elevatedCO₂than in those grown in ambient CO₂. Growth at elevated CO₂causeda significant decline in nitrogen concentration only in theneedles, while nitrogen content significantly increased in branchesand fine roots (with diameter less than 1 mm). There were nochanges in crown structure (branch number and needle area distribution).Based upon measurements of growth made throughout the 3 years,the greatest increase in biomass under elevated CO₂took placemainly at the beginning of the experiment, when trees grownin elevated CO₂had higher relative growth rates than those grownunder ambient CO₂; these differences disappeared with time.Symptoms of acclimation of trees to growth in the elevated CO₂treatmentwere observed and are discussed. Copyright 2000 Annals of BotanyCompany Elevated CO₂, Pinus sylvestris, biomass production, allocation, fine roots, root litter, crown structure, nitrogen, C/N ratio     

Cruoriella rhodoliths from shallow-water back reef environments in La Parguera, Puerto Rico (Caribbean Sea)

The occurrence of shallow-water (0.9 to 1.3 m) rhodoliths in back reef environments in southwest Puerto Rico is reported. The rhodoliths were generally cylindrical, discoidal or irregular in shape with an average longest dimension of 7.2 cm. They occurred at a maximum density of 524 m⁻². The rhodoliths were composed of mostly coral nuclei with concentric laminations of aragonite-producing Cruoriella armorica (Peyssonneliaceae, Rhodophyta). Maximum Cruoriella accretion around coral nuclei was 30 mm although accretions of 1 to 20 mm were more common. Based on measurements of Cruoriella accretion, these shallow water rhodoliths are estimated to have minimum ages of 12 to 24 years. It is further estimated that approximately 2% of the rhodoliths are turned over daily. Accepted: 1 October 1999     

The role of Asn14 in the stability and conformation of the reactive-site loop of winged bean chymotrypsin inhibitor: crystal structures of two point mutants Asn14-->Lys and Asn14-->Asp.

A double-headed chymotrypsin inhibitor, WCI, from winged bean seeds was cloned for structural and biochemical studies. The inhibitor was subjected to two point mutations at a conserved position, Asn14. This residue, known to have a pivotal role in stabilizing the first reactive-site loop (Gln63-Phe68) of the inhibitor, is highly conserved in the sequences of the other members of Kunitz (STI) family as well as in the sequences of Kazal family of serine protease inhibitors. The mutants, N14K and N14D, were subjected to biochemical assay and their characteristics were compared with those of the recombinant inhibitor (rWCI). Crystallographic studies of the recombinant and the mutant proteins are discussed. These studies were primarily aimed at understanding the importance of the protein scaffolding towards the conformational rigidity of the reactive-site loop. Our analysis reveals that, as the Lys14 side chain takes an unusual fold in N14K and the Asp14 side chain in N14D interacts with the loop residues by water-mediated hydrogen bonds, the canonical conformation of the loop has remained effectively intact in both the mutant structures. However, minor alterations such as a 2-fold increase in the inhibitory affinity towards the cognate enzyme were observed.