Coordination of anthocyanin decline and photosynthetic maturation in juvenile leaves of three deciduous tree species

Juvenile leaves in high-light environments commonly appear red as a result of anthocyanin pigments, which play a photoprotective role during light-sensitive ontogenetic stages. The loss of anthocyanin during leaf development presumably corresponds to a decreased need for photoprotection, as photosynthetic maturation allows leaves to utilize higher light intensities. However, the relationship between photosynthetic development and anthocyanin decline has yet to be quantitatively described. In this study, anthocyanin concentration was measured against photopigment content, lamina thickness, anatomical development, and photosynthetic CO(2) exchange in developing leaves of three deciduous tree species. In all species, anthocyanin disappearance corresponded with development of c. 50% mature photopigment concentrations, c. 80% lamina thickness, and differentiation of the mesophyll into palisade and spongy layers. Photosynthetic gas exchange correlated positively with leaf thickness and chlorophyll content, and negatively with anthocyanin concentration. Species with more rapid photosynthetic maturation lost anthocyanin earliest in development. Chlorophyll a/b ratios increased with leaf age, and were lower than those of acyanic species, consistent with a shading effect of anthocyanin. These results suggest that anthocyanin reassimilation is linked closely with chloroplast and whole-leaf developmental processes, supporting the idea that anthocyanins protect tissues until light processing and carbon fixation have matured to balance energy capture with utilization.     

不同光环境下枫香幼苗的叶片解剖结构

落叶阔叶树种枫香是常绿阔叶林的优势种之一。对比研究了重庆丰都世坪林场不同光环境下枫香幼苗叶片的解剖特征,结果表明:1)旷地枫香叶片的厚度大,气孔个体较大且排列紧密,栅栏组织发达,具有明显的旱生叶特征;而林下的枫香叶片明显变薄,气孔小且排列稀疏,海绵组织发达,具有一定的阴生叶特征;2)不同光环境下,气孔密度、栅栏组织的厚度和层数、栅栏细胞长度以及栅栏组织与海绵组织厚度比(P/S)等具有较高的可塑性,表明这些因素对于枫香适应不同光环境具有较大的作用;3)从叶片解剖特征与功能的统一来看,阳性树种枫香幼苗更适合生长在旷地等高光生境中,而不易生长在郁闭的林下;4)落叶阔叶树种在中亚热带常绿阔叶林群落恢复与演替中具有重要作用。     

岳麓山枫树群落大型土壤动物种类组成及生态研究

2004年3月至2004年4月,在岳麓山选取3个样地作枫树群落土壤大型无脊椎动物调查.共采获大型土壤无脊椎动物317头和18窝蚂蚁;分别隶属于扁形动物门、环节动物门、软体动物门、节肢动物门4门;涡虫纲、寡毛纲、腹足纲、蛛形纲、多足纲、昆虫纲、软甲纲7纲,共21目.其中优势种类为钻螺、红蚁、黑蚁、鼠妇,优势种类所在的纲为腹足纲、昆虫纲、软甲纲.同时根据结果及分析得出:土壤动物的最适pH值为6～7;土壤动物活动的起点温度为10℃,最适温度为17℃左右;降雨可以减少土壤动物的活动;土壤板结不利于土壤动物的生存;植物凋落物处于碎裂阶段时,土壤动物种类和个体数量多;空间异质性程度高,土壤动物种类及个体数量均较多;人类的活动既可以给土壤动物的生存造成有利条件,也可以造成不利环境从而影响土壤动物的数量和种类组成;枫树与其他树木交错分布的地方土壤动物的种类和个体数量均较高,具明显的边缘效应.     

枫香秋季变色期叶色变化及其生理基础

为探究秋季枫叶呈色的关键生理因素,该文以转色期叶色为绿色、黄色和红色的枫香单株为试材,研究了L^*、a^*、b^*值变化与叶片色素、可溶性糖及可溶性蛋白质含量变化的相关性。结果表明:(1)在变色期,3种色彩枫香叶片叶绿素a、叶绿素b、总叶绿素和类胡萝卜素均大量降解,花色素苷不同程度积累。(2)绿色叶单株叶绿素和类胡萝卜素始终保持较高含量,花色素苷含量上升4.2倍,叶片内色素含量比值始终保持稳定; 黄色叶单株叶绿素和类胡萝卜素含量最低,花色素苷含量上升4.4倍,b^*值与叶绿素含量极显著负相关,与类胡萝卜素含量显著负相关,与花色素苷/类胡萝卜素含量比值极显著正相关; 红色叶单株叶绿素和类胡萝卜素含量略高于黄色叶单株,花色素苷含量上升27.2倍,a^*值与叶绿素含量、类胡萝卜素含量极显著负相关,与花色素苷含量显著正相关,与色素含量比值无显著相关性。(3)红色叶单株具有较高的可溶性糖含量和可溶性蛋白质含量。因此,在枫香叶片变色期,保持较高的叶绿素和类胡萝卜素含量,维持色素含量比值稳定使叶片呈现绿色; 叶绿素和类胡萝卜素的大量降解,以及花色素苷/类胡萝卜素含量比值的升高使叶片呈现黄色; 叶绿素的降解和花色素苷的大量合成使叶片呈现红色。     

台湾桤木引种的光合生理特性研究

以台湾桤木 Alnusformosana 引种2年生苗木为研究对象,探讨了台湾桤木的光合生理生态特性.结果表明: 1 叶片净光合速率 Pn 具有明显的日变化.中部叶Pn日变化在生长中期表现为双峰曲线型,高峰分别出现在9:00和15:00左右,峰值分别为15.03μmol·m-2·s-1和12.97μmol·m-2·s-1;在生长初期和末期为单峰曲线型.不同部位叶片Pn大小为:中部叶>顶部叶>基部叶. 2 不同部位叶片Pn表现出不同的季节变化特征.中部叶和顶部叶一年有两个高峰,高峰均出现在6月和8月;基部叶只有一个高峰,出现在6月.光合作用具有较广的温度适应范围.自然条件下叶片最大净光合速率为17.67μmol·m-2·s-1;人工条件下为20.2μmol·m-2·s-1,在新的环境条件下表现出较强的光合适应能力. 3 叶片LCP为33.32～67.47μmol·m-2·s-1,LSP为1332～1656μmol·m-2·s-1,具有较低的光补偿点和较高的光饱和点,表现出较强的弱光利用能力和强光利用潜力. 4 台湾桤木CO2补偿点为54.17～74.98μmol·mol-1,CO2饱和点在800μmol·mol-1左右;羧化效率为0.0270～0.0468.表现出较大光合作用潜力和较广的生存适应能力. 5 通径系数分析表明,Cond、Ci、Vpdl和RH是影响叶片光合速率变化最主要的直接作用因子.     

枫香叶采后挥发物表征及影响因子研究

以枫香(Liquidambar formosana)叶为材料,采用气相色谱/质谱(GC/MS)联用技术对不同发育程度、干燥时间、储存方式及萃取温度下枫香叶挥发性成分进行分析,以揭示枫香叶释放挥发性有机化合物数量及不同采后处理下挥发物的消长规律。结果表明：(1)枫香叶释放的萜烯类化合物以α-蒎烯、β-蒎烯、β-水芹烯、柠檬烯为主;(2)嫩叶挥发性成分种类较成熟叶高,莰烯、β-萜品烯、罗勒烯仅存在于嫩叶,3-蒈烯、γ-松油烯仅存在于成熟叶;(3)干燥时间对枫香叶挥发性化合物影响较大,挥发物种类随干燥时间延长呈逐渐下降趋势,但主要的萜烯类化合物在不同干燥时间内均能被检测到,表现相对稳定;(4) –5 ℃及17 ℃储存可保留更多挥发性化合物,室温保存则失去较多化合物,但主要的萜烯类化合物在不同储存方式下均可被检测到;(5) 90 ℃高温萃取可获得更多的挥发性化合物,但70 ℃萃取得到的萜烯类化合物相对含量较高,室温萃取所得化合物种类虽最少,但更能反映园林应用中枫香叶芳香物质挥发的实际情况。研究结果可为枫香叶的采后处理及高值化资源利用提供参考。     

Soil carbon and nitrogen cycling and storage throughout the soil profile in a sweetgum plantation after 11 years of CO2‐enrichment

Increased partitioning of carbon (C) to fine roots under elevated [CO₂], especially deep in the soil profile, could alter soil C and nitrogen (N) cycling in forests. After more than 11 years of free‐air CO₂ enrichment in a Liquidambar styraciflua L. (sweetgum) plantation in Oak Ridge, TN, USA, greater inputs of fine roots resulted in the incorporation of new C (i.e., C with a depleted δ¹³C) into root‐derived particulate organic matter (POM) pools to 90‐cm depth. Even though production in the sweetgum stand was limited by soil N availability, soil C and N contents were greater throughout the soil profile under elevated [CO₂] at the conclusion of the experiment. Greater C inputs from fine‐root detritus under elevated [CO₂] did not result in increased net N immobilization or C mineralization rates in long‐term laboratory incubations, possibly because microbial biomass was lower in the CO₂‐enriched plots. Furthermore, the δ¹³CO₂ of the C mineralized from the incubated soil closely tracked the δ¹³C of the labile POM pool in the elevated [CO₂] treatment, especially in shallower soil, and did not indicate significant priming of the decomposition of pre‐experiment soil organic matter (SOM). Although potential C mineralization rates were positively and linearly related to total SOM C content in the top 30 cm of soil, this relationship did not hold in deeper soil. Taken together with an increased mean residence time of C in deeper soil pools, these findings indicate that C inputs from relatively deep roots under elevated [CO₂] may increase the potential for long‐term soil C storage. However, C in deeper soil is likely to take many years to accrue to a significant fraction of total soil C given relatively smaller root inputs at depth. Expanded representation of biogeochemical cycling throughout the soil profile may improve model projections of future forest responses to rising atmospheric [CO₂].     

How fast and far might tree species migrate in the eastern United States due to climate change?

Aim We describe and use a model, SHIFT, to estimate potential migration due to climate change over the next 100 years. Location Eastern United States. Methods Five species, currently confined to the eastern half of the United States and not extending into Canada, were used to assess migration potential: Diospyros virginiana (persimmon), Liquidambar styraciflua (sweetgum), Oxydendrum arboreum (sourwood), Pinus taeda (loblolly pine), and Quercus falcata var. falcata (southern red oak). SHIFT is a matrix simulation model using simple inverse power functions to provide a distance decay of seed dispersal and is driven primarily by the abundance of the species near the boundary, the forest density within and beyond the boundary, and the distance between cells. For each cell outside the current boundary, the model creates an estimate of the probability that each unoccupied cell will become colonized over a period of 100 years. SHIFT is a ‘fat‐tailed’ migration model that allows rare very long distance dispersal events and colonization could occur up to 500 km beyond the current distribution boundary. Model outputs were analysed using transects through sections showing relatively low and high colonization probabilities as a result of low and high densities of target trees (high source strength) as well as high densities of forest (high sink strength). We also assess migration potential for species by concentric rings around the current boundary. Results Model outputs show the generally limited nature of migration for all five species over 100 years. There is a relatively high probability of colonization within a zone of 10–20 km (depending on habitat quality and species abundance) from the current boundary, but a small probability of colonization where the distance from the current boundary exceeds about 20 km. Whether biologically plausible or not, rare very long distance migration events are not sufficient to rescue migration. Species abundance (the source strength of migration) near the range boundary carried relatively more influence than percentage forest cover (sink strength) in determining migration rates. Main conclusion The transect evaluation revealed the importance of abundance of the species near the boundary, indicating that rare species may have much more difficulty in unassisted northward migration due to climate change. The concentric rings analysis of the model outputs showed that only the first 10–20 km of area would have a reasonably high probability of colonization. Rare, long‐distance events permit colonization of remote outliers, but much more needs to be understood about the likelihood of these rare events to predict the frequency of outlier establishment.     

Enhancement of embryogenic culture initiation from tissues of mature sweetgum trees

 Male inflorescences, female inflorescences, and leaves collected from dormant buds of three sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) trees were tested for induction of somatic embryogenesis following treatment with thidiazuron, naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) or different combinations of the two. Explants were placed into culture either within a few days after collection or following 2 months of storage at –15  °C. Although embryogenic cultures were obtained from all three trees, embryogenesis induction was strongly affected by genotype (source tree), with 100% of the staminate inflorescence explants from one tree producing embryogenic cultures in one experiment. Embryogenesis induction was also influenced by explant type, with staminate inflorescences up to five times more likely to produce an embryogenic culture than female inflorescences. No embryogenic cultures were obtained from leaf explants. While treatment with plant growth regulators was not required for embryogenesis induction from inflorescence explants, culture on medium with NAA alone resulted in the highest production of repetitively embryogenic cultures and cultures producing proembryogenic masses. Dormant buds stored for 2 months at –15  °C were still able to produce embryogenic cultures, although frozen storage decreased this ability by over one-half for staminate inflorescences. Received: 20 January 1999 / Revision received: 18 April 1999 / Accepted: 29 April 1999