How do trees die? A test of the hydraulic failure and carbon starvation hypotheses

Despite decades of research on plant drought tolerance, the physiological mechanisms by which trees succumb to drought are still under debate. We report results from an experiment designed to separate and test the current leading hypotheses of tree mortality. We show that piñon pine (Pinus edulis) trees can die of both hydraulic failure and carbon starvation, and that during drought, the loss of conductivity and carbohydrate reserves can also co‐occur. Hydraulic constraints on plant carbohydrate use determined survival time: turgor loss in the phloem limited access to carbohydrate reserves, but hydraulic control of respiration prolonged survival. Our data also demonstrate that hydraulic failure may be associated with loss of adequate tissue carbohydrate content required for osmoregulation, which then promotes failure to maintain hydraulic integrity.     

Correlation between spermathecal morphology and mating systems in spiders

This study tested predictions regarding male mating preferences which were based on some aspects of female reproductive morphology which may influence sperm precedence patterns in six species of spiders. Males of two species, whose 'conduit' spermathecal design has been associated in previous studies with first male sperm precedence, showed the predicted preference for associating with immature females about to moult to maturity rather than mature females. Those of a third species, however, associated indiscriminately with mature and penultimate instar females. As predicted, males of three other species with 'cul-de-sac' spermathecal morphology did not associate preferentially with immature females. Immature females were avoided in two of the species, but not in the third. One of the species with cul-de-sac spermathecae showed, as predicted, lack of a strong first male advantage in sperm precedence. These data give only limited confirmation of the predictions.     

Restoration options for potential persistence of submersed aquatic vegetation: combining ecological, hydrodynamic and sediment transport modelling

1. Restoration of shallow turbid lakes to promote growth of submersed aquatic vegetation (SAV) requires knowledge of the environmental factors affecting SAV growth and persistence, and a means to predict the success of SAV reestablishment under different management scenarios to improve these environmental conditions. We used a dynamic ecological modelling approach relating SAV responses to changes in physical and chemical conditions, with information on water level, flow and transparency being provided by hydrodynamic and sediment transport models. 2. The potential persistence of Vallisneria americana was similar under simulated environmental conditions in 1946 and in 1954, as was the potential persistence of Potamogeton pectinatus, indicating that the disappearance of V. americana from Peoria Lake (U.S.A.) previously attributed to an extended spring flood in 1954, may have been related to the combined effects of changes in water level, flow and water transparency as well as possibly other factors. 3. Recent environmental conditions (for 2000) proved not to be conducive for the colonization and persistence potential of V. americana, but would allow colonization by P. pectinatus. The construction of a hypothetical levee along the eastern descending line of the navigation channel in Upper Peoria Lake, which was expected to reduce fetch‐ and navigation‐related turbidity, did not improve the situation for V. americana and overall deteriorated the situation for P. pectinatus. Thus, such a hydraulic alteration, generally considered as beneficial for SAV restoration, may not always be successful. 4. The results of the simulations indicated that the environmental conditions for potential persistence in Peoria Lake were generally less favourable for V. americana than for P. pectinatus. Measures suggested to restore SAV communities in such a lake should aim at reducing concentrations of total suspended solids at the point of inflow by a factor of three to four and limiting fetch‐ and navigation‐related resuspension.     

The Apoplastic Pathway of Transport to Salt Glands

The availability of the apoplastic route for ion transport tosalt glands was assessed by electron microscope examinationsand by the use of lanthanum as an electron-dense tracer to demarcatethe apoplast. The results show that this solute can reach thesalt glands via the apoplast and this observation is discussedin relation to current ideas concerning salt gland function.     

The invasive grass,Melinis minutiflora,inhibits tree regeneration in a Neotropical savanna

Abstract Exotic grasses are becoming increasingly abundant in Neotropical savannas, with Melinis minutiflora Beauv. being particularly invasive. To better understand the consequences for the native flora, we performed a field study to test the effect of this species on the establishment, survival and growth of seedlings of seven tree species native to the savannas and forests of the Cerrado region of Brazil. Seeds of the tree species were sown in 40 study plots, of which 20 were sites dominated by M. minutiflora, and 20 were dominated by native grasses. The exotic grass had no discernable effect on initial seedling emergence, as defined by the number of seedlings present at the end of the first growing season. Subsequent seedling survival in plots dominated by M. minutiflora was less than half that of plots dominated by native species. Consequently, at the end of the third growing season, invaded plots had only 44% as many seedlings as plots with native grasses. Above‐ground grass biomass of invaded plots was more than twice that of uninvaded plots, while seedling survival was negatively correlated with grass biomass, suggesting that competition for light may explain the low seedling survival where M. minutiflora is dominant. Soils of invaded plots had higher mean Ca, Mg and Zn, but these variables did not account for the higher grass biomass or the lower seedling survival in invaded plots. The results indicate that this exotic grass is having substantial effects on the dynamics of the tree community, with likely consequences for ecosystem structure and function.     

Regulation of maturation-promoting factor by protein kinase C in Chaetopterus oocytes

Summary

We present the results of a variety of studies showing that activation of protein kinase C (PKC) in oocytes of Chaetopterus pergamentaceus results in germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD). Phorbol esters and diacylglycerol can initiate a morphologically normal GVBD accompanied by a spectrum of associated biochemical processes, including increased protein phosphorylation, a shift in protein synthesis and activation of a protein kinase, maturation promoting factor (MPF). MPF activation is essential for GVBD in response to phorbol esters. In addition, inhibitors of PKC can block naturally-induced GVBD. We also present evidence that PKC can phosphorylate p34^cde2, the catalytic subunit of MPF and that phosphorylation by PKC increases the histone H1 kinase activity of immunoprecipitated MPF. Immunoblot studies show that Chaetopterus oocyte p34^cdc2 is not tyrosine phosphorylated prior to the initiation of GVBD, indicating that activation of MPF at GVBD in this species does not require p80^cdc25, the activator of MPF at mitosis. These results suggest that PKC is an essential regulator of GVBD which can directly phosphorylate and regulate p34^cdc2. Since PKC is the intracellular receptor for and is directly activated by tumor-promoters, tumor promotion might involve acceleration of the cell cycle through modification of the enzymatic activity of MPF by PKC.     

In vitro and in vivo discrepancy in inducing apoptosis by mesenchymal stromal cells delivering membrane-bound tumor necrosis factor–related apoptosis inducing ligand in osteosarcoma pre-clinical models

Background

Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most frequent pediatric malignant bone tumor. OS patients have not seen any major therapeutic progress in the last 30 years, in particular in the case of metastatic disease, which requires new therapeutic strategies. The pro-apoptotic cytokine Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)–Related Apoptosis Inducing Ligand (TRAIL) can selectively kill tumor cells while sparing normal cells, making it a promising therapeutic tool in several types of cancer. However, many OS cell lines appear resistant to recombinant human (rh)TRAIL-induced apoptosis. We, therefore, hypothesized that TRAIL presentation at the membrane level of carrier cells might overcome this resistance and trigger apoptosis.

Mutants of phospholipase A (pPLA‐I) have a red light and auxin phenotype

pPLA‐I is the evolutionarily oldest patatin‐related phospholipase A (pPLA) in plants, which have previously been implicated to function in auxin and defence signalling. Molecular and physiological analysis of two allelic null mutants for pPLA‐I [ppla‐I‐1 in Wassilewskija (Ws) and ppla‐I‐3 in Columbia (Col) ] revealed pPLA‐I functions in auxin and light signalling. The enzyme is localized in the cytosol and to membranes. After auxin application expression of early auxin‐induced genes is significantly slower compared with wild type and both alleles show a slower gravitropic response of hypocotyls, indicating compromised auxin signalling. Additionally, phytochrome‐modulated responses like abrogation of gravitropism, enhancement of phototropism and growth in far red‐enriched light are decreased in both alleles. While early flowering, root coils and delayed phototropism are only observed in the Ws mutant devoid of phyD, the light‐related phenotypes observed in both alleles point to an involvement of pPLA‐I in phytochrome signalling.     

Use of Shields stress to reconstruct and forecast changes in river metabolism

1. Discharge patterns of streams and rivers may be substantially affected by changes in water management, land use, or climate. Such hydrological alterations are likely to influence biotic processes, including overall ecosystem metabolism (photosynthesis and respiration). One regulator of aquatic ecosystem metabolism directly tied to hydrology is movement of bed sediments. 2. We propose that ecosystem metabolism can be reconstructed or predicted for any suite of hydrological conditions through the use of quantitative relationships between discharge, bed movement and metabolism. We tested this concept on a plains reach of the South Platte River in Colorado. 3. Movement of bed sediments was predicted from river discharge and the Shields stress, a ratio of velocity‐induced stress to sediment grain size. Quantitative relationships were established empirically between metabolic response to bed movement and recovery from bed movement, thus linking metabolism to hydrology. 4. The linkage of metabolism to hydrology allowed us to reconstruct daily photosynthesis and respiration over the 70‐year period for which discharge is known at our study site on the South Platte River. The reconstruction shows major ecological change caused by hydrological manipulation: the river has lost two‐thirds of its photosynthetic potential, and the ratio of photosynthesis to respiration is now much lower than it was prior to 1960. 5. The same approach could be used to anticipate ecological responses to proposed hydrological manipulations, to quantify benefits of hydrological restoration, or to illustrate potential effects of change in climate or land use on flowing‐water ecosystems.