Indirect effects of soil moisture reverse soil C sequestration responses of a spring wheat agroecosystem to elevated CO2

Increased plant productivity under elevated atmospheric CO₂ concentrations might increase soil carbon (C) inputs and storage, which would constitute an important negative feedback on the ongoing atmospheric CO₂ rise. However, elevated CO₂ often also leads to increased soil moisture, which could accelerate the decomposition of soil organic matter, thus counteracting the positive effects via C cycling. We investigated soil C sequestration responses to 5 years of elevated CO₂ treatment in a temperate spring wheat agroecosystem. The application of ¹³C‐depleted CO₂ to the elevated CO₂ plots enabled us to partition soil C into recently fixed C (C_new) and pre‐experimental C (C_old) by ¹³C/¹²C mass balance. Gross C inputs to soils associated with C_new accumulation and the decomposition of C_old were then simulated using the Rothamsted C model ‘RothC.’ We also ran simulations with a modified RothC version that was driven directly by measured soil moisture and temperature data instead of the original water balance equation that required potential evaporation and precipitation as input. The model accurately reproduced the measured C_new in bulk soil and microbial biomass C. Assuming equal soil moisture in both ambient and elevated CO₂, simulation results indicated that elevated CO₂ soils accumulated an extra ～40–50 g C m^?2 relative to ambient CO₂ soils over the 5 year treatment period. However, when accounting for the increased soil moisture under elevated CO₂ that we observed, a faster decomposition of C_old resulted; this extra C loss under elevated CO₂ resulted in a negative net effect on total soil C of ～30 g C m^?2 relative to ambient conditions. The present study therefore demonstrates that positive effects of elevated CO₂ on soil C due to extra soil C inputs can be more than compensated by negative effects of elevated CO₂ via the hydrological cycle.     

土壤生物多样性对植物利用营养物质和水分的影响

土壤生物多样性影响土壤营养物质和水等自然资源的有效利用是农业生态系统的重要功能.有证据表明土壤微生物多样性可提高土壤营养物质和水的利用率.土壤动物对土壤营养物质和水的有效利用也产生了明显的影响,它主要是通过促进营养物质的转化和改善土壤水渗透率而间接实现的.从已有文献的报道来看,单从某一个方面来研究土壤生物多样性对土壤营养物质和水的有效利用的影响并不能全面地反应它们之间相互作用的规律.因此未来的研究应当把土壤生物多样性、土壤营养物质和水的供给与植物生物多样性、植物营养物质和水的利用率结合起来,这样才有可能从理论上对土壤生物多样性与营养物质和水的利用之间的关系有更加深刻的认识并运用到实践中.     

咖啡化学成分及其生物活性研究进展

咖啡为茜草科(Rubiaceae)咖啡属(Coffea)植物,位居世界三大饮品之首,具有降低血糖、保护肝脏和神经保护等作用.咖啡化学成分类别较多,包括生物碱、酚酸类、黄酮类、萜类等.咖啡中的化学成分是发挥其生物学功能和形成特色风味的基础,对其化学成分来源和生物活性进行综述,为进一步发展咖啡产业提供依据和理论支撑.     

Caffeine biosynthesis and adenine metabolism in transgenic Coffea canephora plants with reduced expression of N-methyltransferase genes

In anti-sense and RNA interference transgenic plants of Coffea canephora in which the expression of CaMXMT1 was suppressed, caffeine biosynthesis from [8-(14)C]adenine was investigated, together with the overall metabolism of [8-(14)C]adenine. Compared with wild type control plants, total purine alkaloid biosynthesis from adenine and conversion of theobromine to caffeine were both reduced in the transgenic plants. As found previously, [8-(14)C]adenine was metabolised to salvage products (nucleotides and RNA), to degradation products (ureides and CO(2)) and to purine alkaloids (theobromine and caffeine). In the transgenic plants, metabolism of [8-(14)C]adenine shifted from purine alkaloid synthesis to purine catabolism or salvage for nucleotides. HPLC analysis revealed a significantly reduced caffeine content in the transgenic plants. A small quantity (less than 20 nmol g(-1) fresh weight) of xanthosine had accumulated in at least one of the transgenic plants.     

Conservation of biodiversity in coffee agroecosystems: a tri-taxa comparison in southern Mexico

We compare species richness of birds, fruit-feeding butterflies and ground-foraging ants along a coffee intensification gradient represented by a reduction in the number of species of shade trees and percentage of shade cover in coffee plantations. We sampled the three taxa in the same plots within the same period of time. Two sites were selected in the Soconusco region of the state of Chiapas, Mexico. Within each site four habitat types were selected and within each habitat type four points were randomly selected. The habitat types were forest, rustic coffee, diverse shade coffee, and intensive coffee (low density of shade). We found different responses of the three taxa along the intensification gradient. While ants and butterflies generally decrease in species richness with the decrease of shade cover, birds declined in one site but increased in the other. Ant species richness appears to be more resistant to habitat modification, while butterfly species richness appears to be more sensitive. Bird species richness was correlated with distance from forest fragments but not with habitat type, suggesting that scale and landscape structure may be important for more mobile taxa. For each of these taxa, the rustic plantation was the one that maintained species richness most similar to the forest. We found no correlation between the three taxa, suggesting that none of these taxa are good candidates as surrogates for each other. We discuss the implications of these results for the conservation of biodiversity in coffee plantations, in particular, the importance of distinguishing between different levels of shade, and the possibility that different taxa might be responding to habitat changes at different spatial scales.     

Distribution of Ground-dwelling Arthropods in Tropical Countryside Habitats

The future of biodiversity depends to a great extent on the conservation value of human-dominated and semi-natural habitats. In a mixed agricultural landscape in southern Costa Rica, we compared the richness and composition of terrestrial arthropod communities occurring in three habitat types along a gradient of increasing disturbance: in a large (227ha) forest fragment, small (3.8–5.3ha) forest fragments, and sun coffee (1–3ha) plantations. Pitfall trap sampling revealed decreasing morphospecies richness with increasing disturbance. Moreover, the number of species unique to a habitat type was lower in the smaller forest fragments and the coffee sites. We found significant changes in community composition associated with habitat at the levels of order (all arthropods), family (beetles), and morphospecies (carabids, scarabs, and ants). We identified no significant correlation of richness among the taxonomic orders, meaning these taxa are unable to serve as biodiversity indicators (for each other or for all arthropods) in the study region. Arthropod diversity presently found in countryside habitats is certainly lower, and perhaps less sustainable, than that of the extensive forested habitats fragmented < 40 years ago. It nonetheless remains substantial, suggesting a conservation opportunity in human-dominated landscapes of the tropics.     

Entomophthora muscae (Entomophthorales: Entomophthoracae) mycosis in the onion fly,Delia antiqua (Diptera: Anthomyiidae)

Entomophthora muscae was identified as a common fungal pathogen of the onion fly, Delia antiqua, and the adult seed corn maggot, D. platura. Low infection levels also were found in populations of the cluster fly, Pollenia rudis (Diptera: Muscidae), and the tiger fly, Coenosia tigrina (Diptera: Muscidae). The disease cycle, as it affects D. antiqua in the onion agroecosystem, is described, including the etiology, symptomatology, and phenology. Natural infection levels approaching 100% were noted early in the spring and in late fall, impacting the 1st and 3rd generations of the D. antiqua population significantly. A lagged density-dependent disease response was noted at the gross population level, although more specific biological interactions may be involved in regulating the disease intensity.     

Soil Enzyme Activities and Their Relationship with Soil Physico-Chemical Properties and Oxide Minerals in Coastal Agroecosystem of Puducherry

The objectives of our research were to assess the soil enzyme activities in relation with soil physicochemical and oxide minerals in the coastal agroecosystem of Puducherry region, India. Soils from nine farms in organic (ORG), sustainable (SUS), and conventional (CON) farming were sampled. Organically managed farming system soils contain significantly higher amounts of soil total N, organic carbon, and a higher level of microbial biomass C and N. Urease, protease, β-glucosidase, cellulose, saccharase, xylanase, and alkaline phosphatase enzyme activities were higher in organic farming system soils compared to sustainable and conventional farming soils. In addition, silt, clay, Al₂O₃, CaO, Fe₂O₃, K₂O, MgO, MnO, Na₂O, and P₂O₅ oxides were higher in organic farming soil and they showed a significant positive correlation with soil enzyme activities. Our study revealed that soil enzyme activities and soil minerals were significantly affected by farm management practices. The organic farming system had improved the soil health, enzyme activities, and plant available nutrients in coastal agro-ecosystem.     

咖啡天牛的生存对策,防治策略及其应用

通过分析咖啡旋皮天牛Ａｃａｌｏｌｅｐｔａ ｃｅｒｖｉｎｕｓ 和咖啡灭字虎天牛Ｘｙｌｏｔｒｅｃｈｕｓ ｑｕａｄｒｉｐｅｓ Ｃｈｅｖｒ;的生态对策,种间竞争策略,并结合有害生物综合管理理论,咖啡林生态系统的特性,咖啡天牛的发生特点,提出了咖啡天牛的防治策略。