Substantial variation in leaf senescence times among 1360 temperate woody plant species: implications for phenology and ecosystem processes

Background and Aims Autumn leaf senescence marks the end of the growing season in temperate ecosystems. Its timing influences a number of ecosystem processes, including carbon, water and nutrient cycling. Climate change is altering leaf senescence phenology and, as those changes continue, it will affect individual woody plants, species and ecosystems. In contrast to spring leaf out times, however, leaf senescence times remain relatively understudied. Variation in the phenology of leaf senescence among species and locations is still poorly understood.Methods Leaf senescence phenology of 1360 deciduous plant species at six temperate botanical gardens in Asia, North America and Europe was recorded in 2012 and 2013. This large data set was used to explore ecological and phylogenetic factors associated with variation in leaf senescence.Key Results Leaf senescence dates among species varied by 3 months on average across the six locations. Plant species tended to undergo leaf senescence in the same order in the autumns of both years at each location, but the order of senescence was only weakly correlated across sites. Leaf senescence times were not related to spring leaf out times, were not evolutionarily conserved and were only minimally influenced by growth habit, wood anatomy and percentage colour change or leaf drop. These weak patterns of leaf senescence timing contrast with much stronger leaf out patterns from a previous study.Conclusions The results suggest that, in contrast to the broader temperature effects that determine leaf out times, leaf senescence times are probably determined by a larger or different suite of local environmental effects, including temperature, soil moisture, frost and wind. Determining the importance of these factors for a wide range of species represents the next challenge for understanding how climate change is affecting the end of the growing season and associated ecosystem processes.     

微生物共培养技术的研究进展

摘要:本文对微生物共培养的发展历史及其在食品、农业、工业及污水净化等方面的应用进行了综述,并对已知的共培养微生物之间的生态学关系进行了总结。人们利用微生物联合共培养、序列共培养和共固定化细胞混菌培养等技术来获得新的代谢产物,提高产量,改造传统发酵工业,生产能源物质,提高底物利用率,扩大底物范围,降解有毒物质。共培养微生物之间可能具有协同代谢作用、诱导作用、种间群体感应、基因转移等多种生态学关系。对共培养微生物之间的微生态机理进行深入系统的研究,有助于充分发挥共培养技术的应用潜力。