The Invasion Ecology of Japanese Barberry (Berberis thunbergii) in the New England Landscape

Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii) has been characterized as one of the most widely known and planted exotic shrubs in the United States. It was first introduced to the US in the late 1800s. By 1920 the planting of Japanese barberry was encouraged as an ornamental shrub replacing the common barberry (Berberis vulgaris). Japanese barberry began spreading from cultivation in suburban and selected rural retreats by the 1920s, and had dispersed rapidly throughout the northeast by the 1960s. By the 1970s it was recognized as a problematic invasive in the northeast. It is readily dispersed primarily by birds. Fruit production varies with light level, but even under very low light levels (4% full sun) some seeds are produced. Fruits are dispersed in late fall through late winter. Seed dispersal curves are highly leptokurtic; most seedling are found under or adjacent to adults, but a small number may be found tens of meters from the nearest adult. Japanese barberry thrives under a broad range of light and soil moisture conditions. Significant variation in stem growth can be explained as a function of light level. Even at less than 1% full sun, some positive stem growth can occur. Survival is quite high at intermediate to high light levels, and only under the lowest light levels (<1% full sun) does survival drop significantly. Biomass of Japanese barberry in field plots can be largely explained as a function of light availability and soil moisture. The biomass of co-occurring species is suppressed by Japanese barberry, and recovery is slow in the first year following Japanese barberry removal except under high light levels. Glyphosate (Roundup) applied in early spring at first leaf out, when little else is in leaf, provides an effective means of eradicating Japanese barberry populations.     

人血小板生成素全长分子在酵母系统中的分泌表达及活性分析

外源基因可通过整合型载体被整合到毕赤酵母（Ｐｉｃｈｉａｐａｓｔｏｒｉｓ）染色体上,获得遗传性稳定分泌表达株．利用酵母信号肽ＭＦα,对该信号肽蛋白酶识别位点的相关序列进行重新设计,使天然人ＴＰＯ成熟肽在毕赤酵母系统中分泌表达成功．表达产物经Ｗｅｓｔｅｒｎ－ｂｌｏｔ进行分析,分子量约为６６ｋＤ处蛋白条带可被ＴＰＯ抗体识别;表达量约为０．１ｇ／Ｌ;Ｎ端氨基酸序列分析结果与设计的一致;表达产物对小鼠骨髓细胞形成巨核细胞集落形成单位（ｍｅｇａｋａｒｙ－ｏｃｙｔｅｃｏｌｏｎｙｆｏｒｍｉｎｇｕｎｉｔ,ＣＦＵ－Ｍｅｇ）具有明显的刺激作用．     

人肝金属硫蛋白-I_A基因在鱼腥藻中的克隆与表达

将人工合成的人肝金属硫蛋白（ｍｅｔａｌｏｔｈｉｏｎｅｉｎ,简称ＭＴ）－ＩＡ基因插入至中间载体ｐＲＬ－４３９上强启动子ｐｓｂＡ后,再将其与穿梭载体ｐＫＴ－２１０相连,得到大肠杆菌－蓝藻穿梭表达载体ｐＫＴ－ＭＴ,用三亲接合转移法将ｐＫＴ－ＭＴ转入丝状体蓝藻－鱼腥藻７１２０,经链霉素筛选,得到了稳定的转人肝ＭＴ－ＩＡ基因鱼腥藻．纯化单藻落,液体扩大培养．从鱼腥藻中提取的质粒经Ｓｏｕｔｈｅｒｎ印迹分析,确定人肝ＭＴ－ＩＡ基因已转入鱼腥藻７１２０中,Ｗｅｓｔｅｒｎ印迹分析表明,金属硫蛋白在转人肝ＭＴ－ＩＡ基因鱼腥藻中得到了表达．经原子吸收光谱法测定表达量约为７００μｇＭＴ／ｇ鲜藻,重金属耐受性实验表明,得到了能耐受重金属－镉的转人肝ＭＴ－ＩＡ基因鱼腥藻,它将在清除水域中重金属污染和医药研究方面发挥重要作用．     

Soil moisture redistribution as a mechanism of facilitation in savanna tree–shrub clusters

Plant–soil water relations were examined in the context of a selective removal study conducted in tree–shrub communities occupying different but contiguous soil types (small discrete clusters on shallow, duplex soils versus larger, extensive groves on deep, sandy soils) in a subtropical savanna parkland. We (1) tested for the occurrence of soil moisture redistribution by hydraulic lift (HL), (2) determined the influence of edaphic factors on HL, and (3) evaluated the significance of HL for overstory tree–understory shrub interactions. Diel cycling and nocturnal increases in soil water potential (Ψ_soil), characteristic signatures of HL, occurred intermittently throughout an annual growth cycle in both communities over a range of moisture levels (Ψ_soil=−0.5 to −6.0 MPa) but only when soils were distinctly stratified with depth (dry surface/wet deep soil layers). The magnitude of mean (±SE) diel fluctuations in Ψ_soil (0.19±0.01 MPa) did not differ on the two community types, though HL occurred more frequently in groves (deep soils) than clusters (shallow soils). Selective removal of either Prosopis glandulosa overstory or mixed-species shrub understory reduced the frequency of HL, indicating that Prosopis and at least one other woody species was conducting HL. For Zanthoxylum fagara, a shallow-rooted understory shrub, Prosopis removal from clusters decreased leaf water potential (Ψ_leaf) and net CO₂ exchange (A) during periods of HL. In contrast, overstory removal had neutral to positive effects on more deeply-rooted shrub species (Berberis trifoliolata and Condalia hookeri). Removal of the shrub understory in groves increased A in the overstory Prosopis. Results indicate the following: (a) HL is common but temporally dynamic in these savanna tree–shrub communities; (b) edaphic factors influencing the degree of overstory/understory development, rooting patterns and soil moisture distribution influence HL; (c) net interactions between overstory and understory elements in these woody patches can be positive, negative and neutral over an annual cycle, and (d) Prosopis-mediated HL is an important mechanism of faciliation for some, but not all, understory shrubs.     

Ultrastructural Study of Secondary Wall Formation in the Stem Fiber of Phyllostachys pubescens

Ultrastructural changes in secondary wall formation of Phyllostachys pubescens Mazel fiber were investigated with transmission electron microscopy. Fiber developed initially with the elongation of cells containing ribosomes, mitochondria and Golgi bodies in the dense cytoplasm. During the wall thickening, the number of rough endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi bodies increased apparently. There were two kinds of Golgi vesicles, together with the ones from endoplasmic reticulum formed transport vesicles. Many microtubules were arranged parallel to the long axis of the cell adjacent to the plasmalemma. Along with the further development of fiber, polylamellate structure of the secondary wall appeared, with concurrent agglutination of chromatin in the nucleus, swelling and disintegration of organelles, while cortical microtubules were still arranged neatly against the inner side of plasmalemma. Lomasomes could be observed between the wall and plasmalemma. The results indicated that the organelles, such as Golgi bodies together with small vesicles, rough endoplasmic reticulum and lomasomes, played the key role in the thickening and lignification of the secondary wall of bamboo fiber, though cortical microtubules were correlative with the process as well.     

野皂荚对NaCl胁迫的生理响应及耐盐性

以盆栽野皂荚2年生实生苗为材料,设置土壤NaCl含量分别为0.053%（CK）、0.15%、0.3%、0.45%和0.6%的盐胁迫处理,研究不同浓度盐处理对苗木生长、细胞膜透性、细胞保护酶活性以及Na⁺和K⁺分布格局的影响,探讨了其耐盐阈值和机理.结果表明：随着NaCl浓度增加,苗木生长量逐渐降低,盐害指数逐渐升高;野皂荚可忍耐的土壤含盐量为0.42%.随着NaCl浓度增加,叶片相对电导率、氧自由基产生速率和丙二醛(MDA)含量均逐渐增大;超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)、过氧化物酶(POD)和过氧化氢酶(CAT)活性呈先上升后下降的变化趋势,在土壤含盐量0.3%或0.45%时达到峰值;高盐胁迫下,SOD、POD和CAT活性的增强可及时清除盐胁迫产生的氧自由基,进而缓解或避免膜脂过氧化作用对组织细胞的伤害.盐胁迫下根、茎、叶的Na⁺含量均逐渐增大,且呈现根>叶>茎的分布格局;K⁺含量和K⁺/Na⁺呈下降趋势,呈现叶>根>茎的分布格局;K⁺-Na⁺选择性运输系数(S_K⁺·Na⁺)随着土壤含盐量的增加逐渐升高,且叶S_K⁺·Na⁺高于茎S_K⁺·Na⁺.野皂荚耐盐机制是根系拒盐和叶片耐盐;盐胁迫下,根系Na⁺累积能力增强可控制Na⁺向地上运输以避免盐害发生,叶片K⁺选择性吸收和累积能力的显著提高可忍耐和补偿Na⁺对组织的伤害.