Carbon allocation in developing spruce needles. Enzymes and intermediates of sucrose metabolism

In lyophilized needles of Norway spruce ( Picea abies [L.] Karsten) and starting from bud break, we determined enzyme activities (sucrose phosphate synthase [SPS; EC 2.4,1.14]. sucrose synthase [SS; EC 2.4,1.13]. acid invertase [AI; EC 3.2,1.26]) and intermediates (starch, sucrose, glucose, fructose; fructose 6-phosphate, fructose 2.6-bisphosphate [F26BP]) of carbohydrate metabolism together with needle weight, shoot length, chlorophyll and protein. For up to 110 days after bud break, samples were taken twice a week from about 25-year-old trees under field conditions. At least three periods can be distinguished during needle maturation. During the first period (up to 45 days after bud break) Al showed the highest extractable activity. This coincided with very high levels of F26BP (up to 11 pmol [mg dry weight]⁻¹) and a transient increase of starch in parallel to a decrease of sucrose. The interval between 45 and 70 days after bud break was characterized by high SS activity (ratio of fructose/glucose >1), much decreased levels of F26BP (down to below 1 pmol [mg dry weight]⁻¹), and a pronounced increase in the dry weight/fresh weight ratio. In parallel, starch declined and soluble carbohydrates increased. Finally, needle maturation was characterized by decreasing SS and continuously increasing SPS activities, so that the ratio of SPS/SS increased more than 6-fold. AI. however, did not decline with maturation. Changes in pool sizes of metabolites and enzyme activities (AI. SPS) are consistent with current concepts on sink/source transition. SS is obviously important with regard to the synthesis of structural polysaccharides.     

Soil pCO2, soil respiration,and root activity in CO2-fumigated and nitrogen-fertilized ponderosa pine

The purpose of this paper is to describe the effects of CO₂ and N treatments on soil pCO₂, calculated CO₂ efflux, root biomass and soil carbon in open-top chambers planted with Pinus ponderosa seedlings. Based upon the literature, it was hypothesized that both elevated CO₂ and N would cause increased root biomass which would in turn cause increases in both total soil CO₂ efflux and microbial respiration. This hypothesis was only supported in part: both CO₂ and N treatments caused significant increases in root biomass, soil pCO₂, and calculated CO₂ efflux, but there were no differences in soil microbial respiration measured in the laboratory. Both correlative and quantitative comparisons of CO₂ efflux rates indicated that microbial respiration contributes little to total soil CO₂ efflux in the field. Measurements of soil pCO₂ and calculated CO₂ efflux provided inexpensive, non-invasive, and relatively sensitive indices of belowground response to CO₂ and N treatments.     

Changes in carbon storage in temperate humic loamy soils after forest clearing and continuous corn cropping in France

Soil samples from forest and agricultural sites in three areas of southwest France were collected to determine the effect of forest conversion to continuous intensive corn cropping with no organic matter management on soil organic carbon (C) content. Soils were humic loamy soils and site characteristics that may affect soil C were as uniform as possible (slope, elevation, texture, soil type, vegetation). Three areas were selected, with adjacent sites of various ages of cultivation (3 to 35 yr), and paired control forest sites. The ploughed horizon (0-Dt cm) and the Dt-50 cm layer were collected at each agricultural site. In forest sites, each 10 cm layer was collected systematically down to 1 meter depth. Carbon concentrations were converted to total content to a given depth as the product of concentration, depth of sample and bulk density, and expressed in units of kg m^-2. For each site and each sampled layer, the mineral mass of soil was calculated, in order to base comparisons on the same soil mass rather than the same depth. The pattern of C accumulation in forest soils showed an exponential decrease with depth. Results suggested that soil organic carbon declined rapidly during the first years of cultivation, and at a slower rate thereafter. This pattern of decrease can be fitted by a bi-exponential model assuming that initial soil organic carbon can be separated into two parts, a very labile pool reduced during the first rapid decline and more refractory fractions oxidizing at a slower rate. Sampling to shallow depths (0-Dt cm) resulted in over-estimation of the rate of carbon release in proportion to the initial amount of C, and in under-estimation of the total loss of C with age. The results for the 0–50 cm horizon indicated that losses of total carbon average about 50% in these soils, ranging in initial carbon content from 19 to 32.5 kg m^-2. Carbon release to the atmosphere averaged 0.8 kg m^-2 yr^-1 to 50 cm depth during the first 10 years of cultivation. The results demonstrate that temperate soils may also be an important source of atmospheric carbon, when they are initially high in carbon content and then cultivated intensively with no organic matter management.     

Biomass production in a nitrogen-fertilized,tallgrass prairie ecosystem exposed to ambient and elevated levels of CO2

Increased biomass production in terrestrial ecosystems with elevated atmospheric CO₂ may be constrained by nutrient limitations as a result of increased requirement or reduced availability caused by reduced turnover rates of nutrients. To determine the short-term impact of nitrogen (N) fertilization on plant biomass production under elevated CO₂, we compared the response of N-fertilized tallgrass prairie at ambient and twice-ambient CO₂ levels over a 2-year period. Native tallgrass prairie plots (4.5 m diameter) were exposed continuously (24 h) to ambient and twice-ambient CO₂ from 1 April to 26 October. We compared our results to an unfertilized companion experiment on the same research site. Above- and belowground biomass production and leaf area of fertilized plots were greater with elevated than ambient CO₂ in both years. The increase in biomass at high CO₂ occurred mainly aboveground in 1991, a dry year, and belowground in 1990, a wet year. Nitrogen concentration was lower in plants exposed to elevated CO₂, but total standing crop N was greater at high CO₂. Increased root biomass under elevated CO₂ apparently increased N uptake. The biomass production response to elevated CO₂ was much greater on N-fertilized than unfertilized prairie, particularly in the dry year. We conclude that biomass production response to elevated CO₂ was suppressed by N limitation in years with below-normal precipitation. Reduced N concentration in above- and belowground biomass could slow microbial degradation of soil organic matter and surface litter, thereby exacerbating N limitation in the long term.     

A simple technique for producing 13C or 14C-labelled fronds of Lemna gibba and their use in soil incubation investigations

The duckweed Lemna gibba required light and a suitable energy source such as sucrose, glucose or fructose, for maximum growth in culture. The requirement for light was relatively unimportant and the plants grew well in a photon flux density of only 52 μmol m^-2s^-1 PAR. The uptake and incorporation of uniformly labelled ¹⁴C-glucose into fronds was related only to the concentration of the sugar. When incubated with soil, labelled L. gibba behaved in a manner similar to that of labelled ryegrass roots which had been produced by a more elaborate technique using a ¹⁴CO₂ labelled atmosphere. During incubation with soil for 224 days the L. gibba material (specific activity 6133 Bq mg^-1 d. wt) lost 64% of its radioactivity as ¹⁴CO₂ and ryegrass (specific activity 6634 Bq mg^-1 d. wt) lost 49%. Alkaline extracted humic and fulvic acids from soil had specific activities for the L. gibba incubation of 3409 and 407 Bq mg^-1 solid and for ryegrass roots of 4609 and 546 Bq mg^-1 solid respectively. The production of ¹³C or ¹⁴C-labelled L. gibba can be undertaken using only simple equipment producing material the specific radioactivity of which can be controlled by adjusting the activity of the sugar energy source.     

Iron toxicity and other chemical soil constraints to rice in highland swamps of Burundi

Iron toxicity is suspected to be a major nutritional disorder in rice cropping systems established on flooded organic soils that contain reductible iron. A pot trial was carried out to assess Fe toxicity to rice in flooded Burundi highland swamp soils with a wide range of organic carbon contents. Soil and leaf analyses were performed and total grain weight was determined. Clear Fe toxicity was diagnosed, based on leaf Fe content at panicle differentiation. Leaf Fe contents higher than 250 g g^–1 dry matter induced lower Mg (and probably Mn) uptake, and a 50% total grain weight reduction. These features were associated with exchangeable Fe equivalent fractions higher than 86%. Besides, several non-Fe toxic soils exhibited an Mg-Mn imbalance.     

Effect of shock-loading of heavy metals on total organic carbon and phosphate removal in an anaerobic-aerobic activated sludge process

The effect of shock-loading of zinc, copper and cadmium ions on the removal of total organic carbon (TOC) and phosphate in an anaerobic-aerobic activated sludge process was investigated. TOC removal was not sensitive to shock-loading of Zn²⁺ and Cd²⁺ ions, and complete removal was achieved even at 20 mg Zn²⁺/l and 20 mg Cd²⁺/l. However, with over 1 mg Cu²⁺/1 TOC removal efficiency decreased. PO _inf4 ^sup3- removal, in contrast, was extremely sensitive to these metal ions, with the threshold being 1 mg Zn²⁺/l and 1 mg Cd²⁺/l. Higher concentrations adversely affected PO _inf4 ^sup3- removal. Copper again proved detrimental; no PO _inf4 ^sup3- removal was achieved even at 1 mg Cu/l. These results highlight the sensitivity of the removal efficiencies of TOC and PO _inf4 ^sup3- to shock loadings of these heavy metals.Y.P. Ting is with the Department of Chemical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Kent Ridge, 0511, Singapore; H. Imai and S. Kinoshita are with the Department of Chemical Process Engineering, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060, Japan.     

Decoloration of azo dyes by three whiterot fungi: influence of carbon source

Two strains of Phanerochaete chrysosporium and a local isolate of white-rot fungus, if pre-cultured in a high nitrogen medium with glucose, could decolorize two azo dyes (Amaranth and Orange G) and a heterocyclic dye (Azure B). When starch was used in the pre-cultivation medium, decoloration of Orange G occurred if the medium also contained 12mM NH₄Cl, whether or not veratric acid was present. In medium containing 1.2mM NH₄Cl and veratric acid, greater decoloration occurred with one strain of P. chrysosporium and the local isolate. In preculture medium with cellulose and 1.2mM NH₄Cl, decoloration by the local isolate was enhanced but not that by the other strains.The authors are with the Department of Microbiology, Soochow University, Shih Lin, Taipei, Taiwan