水母旺发的诱因及对海洋环境的影响

水母旺发已成为一种新型海洋生态灾害,使海洋生态系统的结构和功能、海洋生态环境受到严重破坏.本文总结了水母旺发的可能诱因,重点探讨了水母旺发对海水生源要素、溶解氧、酸碱度以及生物群落的影响.结果表明: 水母旺发与其自身生理结构与生活史密切相关,其具有的身体结构简单、生长迅速、繁殖性强、世代间隔时间短及耐不良环境等特点,使其遇合适环境可迅速繁殖.水母旺发的主要直接诱因可能与海水温度变化有关,海水升温可导致水母食物增多,促进水母生殖,尤其对暖温性水母,更易引起水母聚集繁殖,形成旺发.富营养化、气候变化、过渡捕捞、生物入侵、栖息地改变也是水母旺发的重要影响因素.水母旺发可显著影响生源要素的形态和生物地球化学循环,水母排放NH₄⁺和PO₄^3-速率分别为59.1～91.5 μmol N·kg^-1·h^-1和1.1～1.8 μmol P·kg^-1·h^-1,可为浮游植物提供8%～10%和21.6%的N和P,释放溶解有机碳速率为1.0 μmol C·g^-1·d^-1.水母腐烂时总氮和总磷的释放速率可达4000 μmol N·kg^-1·d^-1和120 μmol P·kg^-1·d^-1,溶解有机碳的释放速率为30 μmol C·g^-1·d^-1;水母腐烂可影响水体的酸碱度与溶解氧含量,导致水体严重酸化与缺氧/无氧,pH降幅为1.3,平均耗氧量可达32.8 μmol·kg^-1·h^-1.水母旺发还可引起某些鱼类与浮游动物生物量的减少与重新分布,浮游微生物增加,间接导致浮游植物增加,引起海洋初级生产的异常.
     

Physiological and biochemical traits involved in the genotypic variability to salt tolerance of Tunisian Cakile maritima

Cakile maritima (family: Brassicaceae) was collected from three provenances belonging to different bioclimatic stages (humid, semi arid and arid) in Tunisia to study their eco‐physiological and biochemical responses to salinity. Seedlings were cultivated on inert sand for 20 days under NaCl treatments (0, 100, 200, 400 mm NaCl). Plant response to salinity was provenance‐ and salt‐dependent. At 100 mm NaCl, growth parameters (leaf biomass, area, number per plant and relative growth rate) were improved in plants from Jerba (originating from arid bioclimatic stage) compared with the control, while growth was reduced in those from Tabarka (from humid area). High salt levels (400 mm NaCl) decreased the plant growth in the three provenances, but plants in Tabarka were the most salt sensitive. The relative salt tolerance of plants from Jerba and Bekalta provenances was associated with low levels of malondialdehyde as well as of electrolyte leakage and endoproteolytic activity. Salt reduced leaf hydration, the decrease in water content being dose‐dependent and more pronounced in Tabarka. Increase in salinity led to significant increase in leaf succulence and decrease in leaf water potential, especially in Jerba plants. The plants from the latter displayed the highest leaf levels of Na⁺ and Cl^?, proline, soluble carbohydrates, soluble proteins, and polyphenols. Overall, the higher salt tolerance of plants from Jerba provenance, and to a lower extent of those from Bekalta, may be partly related to their better capacity for osmotic adjustment and to limit oxidative damage when salt‐challenged.     

Characterization of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Glossy1</Emphasis>-homologous genes in rice involved in leaf wax accumulation and drought resistance

The outermost surfaces of plants are covered with an epicuticular wax layer that provides a primary waterproof barrier and protection against different environmental stresses. Glossy 1 (GL1) is one of the reported genes controlling wax synthesis. This study analyzed GL1-homologous genes in Oryza sativa and characterized the key members of this family involved in wax synthesis and stress resistance. Sequence analysis revealed 11 homologous genes of GL1 in rice, designated OsGL1-1 to  OsGL1-11. OsGL1-1, -2 and -3 are closely related to GL1. OsGL1-4, -5, -6, and -7 are closely related to Arabidopsis CER1 that is involved in cuticular wax biosynthesis. OsGL1-8, -9, -10 and -11 are closely related to SUR2 encoding a putative sterol desaturase also involved in epicuticular wax biosynthesis. These genes showed variable expression levels in different tissues and organs of rice, and most of them were induced by abiotic stresses. Compared to the wild type, the OsGL1-2-over-expression rice exhibited more wax crystallization and a thicker epicuticular layer; while the mutant of this gene showed less wax crystallization and a thinner cuticular layer. Chlorophyll leaching experiment suggested that the cuticular permeability was decreased and increased in the over-expression lines and the mutant, respectively. Quantification analysis of wax composition by GC–MS revealed a significant reduction of total cuticular wax in the mutant and increase of total cuticular wax in the over-expression plants. Compared to the over-expression and wild type plants, the osgl1-2 mutant was more sensitive to drought stress at reproductive stage, suggesting an important role of this gene in drought resistance. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Comparative effects of salt-stress and alkali-stress on the growth,photosynthesis, solute accumulation,and ion balance of barley plants

We compared the effects of salt-stresses (SS, 1: 1 molar ratio of NaCl to Na₂SO₄) and alkali-stresses (AS, 1: 1 molar ratio of NaHCO₃ to Na₂CO₃) on the growth, photosynthesis, solute accumulation, and ion balance of barley seedlings, to elucidate the mechanism of AS (high-pH) damage to plants and the physiological adaptive mechanism of plants to AS. The effects of SS on the water content, root system activity, membrane permeability, and the content of photosynthetic pigments were much less than those of AS. However, AS damaged root function, photosynthetic pigments, and the membrane system, led to the severe reductions in water content, root system activity, content of photosynthetic pigments, and net photosynthetic rate, and a sharp increase in electrolyte leakage rate. Moreover, with salinity higher than 60 mM, Na⁺ content increased slowly under SS and sharply under AS. This indicates that high-pH caused by AS might interfere with control of Na⁺ uptake in roots and increase intracellular Na⁺ to a toxic level, which may be the main cause of some damage emerging under higher AS. Under SS, barley accumulated organic acids, Cl⁻, SO₄ ²⁻, and NO₃ ⁻ to balance the massive influx of cations, the contribution of inorganic ions to ion balance was greater than that of organic acids. However, AS might inhibit absorptions of NO₃ ⁻ and Cl⁻, enhance organic acid synthesis, and SO₄ ²⁻ absorption to maintain intracellular ion balance and stable pH.     

High-level expression of the HIV-1 Pr55gag polyprotein in transgenic tobacco chloroplasts

Plants have been recognized as a promising production platform for recombinant pharmaceutical proteins. The human immunodeficiency virus Gag (Pr55^gag) structural polyprotein precursor is a prime candidate for developing a HIV-1 vaccine, but, so far, has been expressed at very low level in plants. The aim of this study was to investigate factors potentially involved in Pr55^gag expression and increase protein yield in plant cells. In transient expression experiments in various subcellular compartments, the native Pr55^gag sequence could be expressed only in the chloroplast. Experiments with truncated subunits suggested a negative role of the 5′-end on the expression of the full gene in the cytosol. Stable transgenic plants were produced in tobacco by Agrobacterium-mediated nuclear transformation with protein targeted to plastids, and biolistic-mediated plastid transformation. Compared to the nuclear genome, the integration and expression of the gag transgene in the plastome resulted in significantly higher protein accumulation levels (up to 7–8% TSP, equivalent to 312–363 mg/kg FW). In transplastomic plants, a 25-fold higher protein accumulation was obtained by translationally fusing the Pr55^gag polyprotein to the N-terminus of the plastid photosynthetic RbcL protein. In chloroplasts, the Pr55^gag polyprotein was processed in a pattern similar to that achieved by the viral protease, the processing being more extended in older leaves of mature plants. The Gag proteins produced in transgenic plastids were able to assemble into particles resembling VLPs produced in baculovirus/insect cells and E. coli systems. These results indicate that plastid transformation is a promising tool for HIV antigen manufacturing in plant cells. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. IGV publication no. 330     

Amazonian peatlands: an ignored C sink and potential source

In tropical lowlands, peatlands are commonly reported from Southeast Asia, and especially Indonesian tropical peatlands are known as considerable C sinks and sources. In contrast, Amazonia has been clearly understudied in this context. In this study, based on field observations from 17 wetland sites in Peruvian lowland Amazonia, we report 0–5.9 m thick peat deposits from 16 sites. Only one of the studied sites did not contain any kind of peat deposit (considering pure peat and clayey peat). Historic yearly peat and C accumulation rates, based on radiocarbon dating of peat samples from five sites, varied from 0.94 ± 0.99 to 4.88 ± 1.65 mm, and from 26 ± 3 to 195 ± 70 g C m⁻², respectively. The long-term apparent peat and C accumulation rates varied from 1.69 ± 0.03 to 2.56 ± 0.12 mm yr⁻¹, and from 39 ± 10 to 85 ± 30 g C m⁻² yr⁻¹, respectively. These accumulation rates are comparable to those determined in the Indonesian tropical peatlands. Under altered conditions, Indonesian peatlands can release globally relevant amounts of C to the atmosphere. Considering the estimated total area of Amazonian peatlands (150 000 km²) close to that of the Indonesian ones (200 728 km²) as well as several factors threatening the Amazonian peatlands, we suggest that the total C stocks and fluxes associated with Amazonian peatlands may be of global significance.     

Reverse process of coprecipitation of dissolved organic carbon with Fe(III) precipitates in a lake

Reverse process of the coprecipitation of dissolved organic matter with Fe(III) precipitates in a lake is reported. Water containing a slight amount of dissolved oxygen from the hypolimnion of Lake Onogawa was sealed in glass bottles, and some changes in the constituents with time were followed. The water sample contained 0.1 mg l⁻¹ dissolved oxygen at the beginning of the experiment, which decreased to 0.0 mg l⁻¹ within 24 h. In response to the depletion of dissolved oxygen, there were increases in dissolved Fe from 8.4 to 11.4 mg l⁻¹ and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from 5.1 to 6.9 mg l⁻¹ after 72 h. At the beginning of the experiment, more than 2 mg l⁻¹ of insoluble Fe, which was thought to be Fe(III) precipitates, existed in the water samples. When the water samples became anoxic, the preexisted Fe(III) must have been reduced to soluble Fe(II) over time, resulting in the increase of dissolved Fe. Simultaneous with Fe(III) reduction, coprecipitated DOC with Fe(III) must have been released. The reverse process of the coprecipitation of dissolved organic matter with Fe(III) precipitates found in the present study strongly supports in situ coprecipitation of dissolved organic matter with Fe(III) precipitates. Contribution No. 27 from the Urabandai Limnological Station, Yamagata University.     

STABILITY OF ENHANCED YIELD AND METAL UPTAKE BY SUNFLOWER MUTANTS FOR IMPROVED PHYTOREMEDIATION

Plant biomass and metal shoot accumulation are key factors for efficient phytoextraction. In a previous study, chemical mutagenesis has been used to improve the phytoextraction potential of sunflowers. The main goal of the present study was to assess the stability of sunflower mutants with improved biomass and metal accumulation properties in the 3^rd and 4th generations. As compared to control plants, the best M₃ mutants showed the following improvement of metal extraction: Cd 3–5-fold, Zn 4–5-fold, and Pb 3–5-fold. The best M₄ sunflowers also showed enhanced metal extraction: Cd 3–4- fold, Zn 5–7-fold, Pb 6–8-fold and Cr 5–7-fold. The control sunflower inbred line IBL 04, grown directly on the field, accumulated metals in individual organs in the following decreasing order: Cd and Zn: leaves > stem > roots > flower > seeds; Cr: roots > flower > seeds > leaves > stem. The best sunflower mutants showed either higher metal accumulation in shoots or enhanced metal accumulation in roots, suggesting to improved phytoextraction or rhizofiltration efficiency, respectively.