Studies on the Chemical Constituents of Pyrus Communis

An aqueous extract of the twigs of Pyrus communis L. var. sativa (DC) DC. showed inhibitory effect against S-180. Compounds were isolated from the twigs of P. communis and eight of them were identified as nonacosane (Ⅰ), lupeol (Ⅲ), β-sitosterol (Ⅳ), betulin (Ⅴ), betulinic acid (Ⅵ), daucosterol (Ⅶ), hydroquinone (Ⅷ) and arbutin (Ⅸ) by MS, NMR, IR, UV and some chemical techniques. It was showed that the compounds Ⅲ, Ⅳ, Ⅴ, Ⅵ, Ⅷ and Ⅸ possessed some bacteriostatic activities on Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, Shigclla flexneri and Staphylococus aureus. Primary pharmacology tests showed that Ⅷ had inhibitory effect against S-180 (47.5%).     

Comparative study of the composition of waxes extracted from isolated leaf cuticles and from whole leaves of Citrus: Evidence for selective extraction

The effect of different extraction methods on the composition of samples of soluble cuticular lipids (SCL) of Citrus aurantium L. was investigated. The variation of extraction yields, when whole leaves were immersed in solvent, was studied as a function of solvent type and duration of immersion. Cuticular waxes were also quantitatively extracted from isolated cuticular membranes of C. aurantium and their composition was compared to that of samples obtained by the immersion method. Significant differences were observed. Higher carbon number homologues of the aliphatic constituent classes were discriminated against when whole C. aurantium leaves were extracted by immersion. The alkyl ester fraction was almost entirely lacking in extracts from whole leaves. The dependence on carbon chain length of the saturation concentrations in chloroform of major aliphatic SCL constituents was determined. The results are discussed in terms of the major physico-chemical processes involved in the extraction of SCL.     

河西走廊不同生态型芦苇核酸代谢季节动态研究

分布在甘肃河西走廊的４ 种生态型芦苇（Ｐｈｒａｇｍ ｉｔｅｓｃｏｍ ｍ ｕｎｉｓＴｒｉｎ．）的核酸代谢季节变化有差异。盐化草甸芦苇ＲＮＡ 含量持续增加,ＤＮＡ 含量相对稳定,其它３ 种生态型芦苇的ＲＮＡ 和ＤＮＡ 含量以５月份为最高。过渡带芦苇的ＲＮＡ 含量、沼泽芦苇及沙丘芦苇的ＤＮＡ含量９ 月份略有增高。盐化草甸芦苇与过渡带芦苇的ＤＮａｓｅ和ＲＮａｓｅ的活性７ 月份最高,沼泽芦苇与沙丘芦苇的ＤＮａｓｅ和ＲＮａｓｅ活性５—９ 月份呈增高趋势。盐化草甸芦苇的ＤＮＡ 和ＲＮＡ 合成活性不断升高,过渡带芦苇和沼泽芦苇的ＤＮＡ 和ＲＮＡ 合成活性及沙丘芦苇的ＲＮＡ 合成活性５—９月份均降低,仅沙丘芦苇的ＤＮＡ合成活性增强。ＲＮＡ 聚丙烯酰胺梯度凝胶电泳分析结果表明,４ 种生态型芦苇均含有２５Ｓ、２３Ｓ、１８Ｓ、１６Ｓ大分子量ｒＲＮＡ 和小分子量５．８Ｓ、５Ｓ、４．５ＳｒＲＮＡ 及４ＳｔＲＮＡ。大分子量ＲＮＡ 的含量高于小分子量ＲＮＡ 含量。不同生态型及同一生态型芦苇的不同发育时期,相同的ＲＮＡ 组分含量各不相同。且发育过程中２３Ｓ、１８Ｓ、１６ＳｒＲＮＡ 在不同月份发生不同程度的降解。由此,我们认为,核酸代谢的差异性是４ 种生态型由生长转入衰     

造纸废水对芦苇实生苗生长特性及根系活力的影响

以室内水培的芦苇实生苗为材料,研究6种不同化学需氧量(CODcr)浓度造纸废水处理对芦苇生长指标和根系活力的影响,为利用造纸废水修复自然环境中芦苇实生苗种群提供理论依据。结果表明:(1)不同浓度造纸废水对芦苇各器官鲜(干)重有显著的促进作用,并以中等浓度(300mg.L-1)最为明显;随着造纸废水浓度的增加,废水对芦苇各器官鲜(干)重的促进作用有所减弱,这种减弱幅度在芦苇不同器官上存在差异。(2)高浓度造纸废水导致芦苇根生物量比、根状茎生物量比降低,但影响二者降低的废水浓度存在差异;低浓度造纸废水导致芦苇茎生物量比下降,并使叶生物量比增加。(3)随着造纸废水浓度的增加,芦苇的根系活力呈先上升后下降的趋势,并以CODcr浓度为300mg.L-1时的芦苇的根系活力最强,CODcr浓度为900mg.L-1时最弱。可见,低浓度造纸废水促进了芦苇的生长和根系活力,高浓度废水促进作用减弱甚至会抑制根系活力,并以CODcr浓度为300mg.L-1时芦苇实生苗生长最好。     

The mycorrhizal status of the woody Mediterranean shrub Myrtus communis L.

  Myrtus communis L. (myrtle), a typical Mediterranean plant species belonging to the family Myrtaceae, was shown to form arbuscular mycorrhizal symbioses in nature. Many different spore types were isolated from its rhizosphere and grown in pot cultures; six of them were identified as Glomus species. In the laboratory, the myrtle root system was colonized by indigenous endophytes as well as by an Italian isolate of Glomus intraradices. In greenhouse experiments, mycorrhizal inoculation reduced transplant stress in 60-day-old myrtle seedlings; their growth was renewed immediately after transplanting, whereas non-mycorrhizal plants stopped development. Significantly larger growth responses were obtained using indigenous fungi than the Italian isolate of Glomus intraradices. Accepted: 16 January 1997     

Salt tolerance of the reed plant Phragmites communis

Reed plants ( Phragmites communis Trinius) were grown at NaCl concentrations up to 500 m M and their growth, mineral contents and leaf blade osmotic potential were determined. Addition of NaCl up to 300 m M did not affect growth significantly. Sucrose, Cl^-and Na⁺ concentrations in the shoots increased with the salinity of the medium and the shoot water content decreased. K⁺ always contributed most to the leaf osmotic potential. Even in the presence of 250 m M NaCl in the rooting medium, the leaf blade contained only 50 mM Na⁺, suggesting that the plants have an efficient mechanism for Na⁺ exclusion. ²²Na⁺ uptake experiments suggested that the retranslo-cation of absorbed Na⁺ from shoots to the rooting medium lowered the uptake of Na⁺.     

芦苇耐盐变异植株及其细胞学鉴定

用甲基磺酸乙酯（ＥＭＳ）处理芦苇（Ｐｈｒａｇｍ ｉｔｅｓｃｏｍ ｍ ｕｎｉｓ Ｔｒｉｎ．）胚性愈伤组织。从处理后的愈伤组织诱导获得芦苇耐盐变异植株Ｒ５００２－１２。变异植株能在含有１％ ＮａＣｌ的ＭＳ培养基上生长。细胞学检查变异植株是混倍体,染色体数目变异范围在１００至３３ 之间。分蘖植株具有相似的形态学及染色体变异特性     

Frugivorous birds mediate sex‐biased facilitation in a dioecious nurse plant

Abstract. Facilitation by dispersal occurs if the nurse plant acts as a focus which is actively selected by seed dispersers and enhances the fitness of the facilitated plant. Sex‐biased facilitation may be produced if seed dispersers tend to concentrate the seeds under female, fruit‐bearing plants of dioecious species more often than under conspecific males. Juniperus sabina is a dioecious shrub with a prostrate growth form from Mediterranean high mountains that modifies many microhabitat characteristics related to seedling establishment and survival. Soil water availability, maximum soil temperature in summer, organic matter and total nitrogen content, were different on open ground as compared with beneath J. sabina shrubs, irrespective of its sex. Other studied characteristics such as soil bulk density and soil compaction after rain did not differ between the microhabitats considered. Some species, such as Juniperus communis, Pinus nigra, Helleborus foetidus and Euphorbia nicaeensis, are spatially associated to J. sabina shrubs, strongly suggesting a facilitative role. The anemochorous P. nigra and myrme‐chorous H. foetidus and E. nicaeensis did not associate preferentially to any sex of J. sabina. Only J. communis, an endozoochorous species sharing the same bird dispersers as J. sabina, presented a female‐biased spatial association with the nurse plant. Seed dispersal mediated by birds attracted by the fruit‐rewarding females of J. sabina explains the sex‐biased spatial pattern of Juniperus communis.     

Molecular characterization and enzymatic activity of laccases in two Pleurotus spp. with different pathogenic behaviour

Pleurotus eryngii and P. ferulae, two species belonging to the P. eryngii complex, synthesize laccases, ligninolytic enzymes that play a role in the host-pathogen interaction in the first step of infection. Ecological studies have shown that although both fungi have been recognized as saprophytes, P. eryngii weakly pathogenic when colonizing the roots and stems of Eryngium campestre, whereas P. ferulae is mostly pathogenic to Ferula communis. The paper describes the genomic organization of four putative laccase genes (lac1, lac2, lac3, and lac5-like gene; gene names were assigned on the basis of sequence homologies) of P. eryngii and P. ferulae. The mRNA expression and enzymatic activity of the laccases were analysed under culture conditions where a source of lignin (wheat bran) or lyophilized roots of E. campestre or F. communis were present. These experiments indicated that the four lac-like genes were differentially regulated in the two mushrooms. Specifically, the addition of the lyophilized roots of the respective host plant to the culture media induced an advance in the mRNA expression of the four lac-like genes and a seven-fold higher total laccase activity in P. ferulae than in P. eryngii. The results obtained are discussed in relation to the possible role of laccases in the interaction of P. eryngii and P. ferulae with their respective host.