Water relations of Caatinga trees in the dry season

The Caatinga is one of the world's richest dry forests. This forest occurs only in Brazil, but is the least studied and protected Brazilian ecosystem. There are few reports about drought tolerance mechanisms in Caatinga trees. This work evaluates water relations of six adult species in the middle of the dry season to further understand water relations in this ecosystem, which will be important for future reforestation and management projects. Based on results, the trees were classified into four groups: (I), Mimosa caesalpiniifolia had low leaf water potential (Ψ_w) at predawn and no significant decrease at midday. Stomatal conductance (g_s) analyses indicates that plants have reached its lowest Ψ_w; (II), Caesalpinia pyramidalis and Auxemma oncocalyx had low Ψ_w at predawn and significant decrease at midday. For these species the recuperation of water status at night may have been sufficient for maintaining stomata open during the day; (III), Caesalpinia ferrea and Calliandra spinosa had relatively high Ψ_w at predawn and a significant decrease at midday. These species might maintain their water status similar to individuals of group II, but they might also have deeper root systems; and (IV), Tabebuia caraiba with the highest Ψ_w at predawn and no significant decrease at midday, possibly indicating a combination of good stomatal control of water loss and a deeper root system. Moreover, except for individuals of group I, both in species with lower and higher Ψ_w at predawn it was not observed strong inhibition of g_s.     

The dynamic pipeline: hydraulic capacitance and xylem hydraulic safety in four tall conifer species

Recent work has suggested that plants differ in their relative reliance on structural avoidance of embolism versus maintenance of the xylem water column through dynamic traits such as capacitance, but we still know little about how and why species differ along this continuum. It is even less clear how or if different parts of a plant vary along this spectrum. Here we examined how traits such as hydraulic conductivity or conductance, xylem vulnerability curves, and capacitance differ in trunks, large‐ and small‐diameter branches, and foliated shoots of four species of co‐occurring conifers. We found striking similarities among species in most traits, but large differences among plant parts. Vulnerability to embolism was high in shoots, low in small‐ and large‐diameter branches, and high again in the trunks. Safety margins, defined as the pressure causing 50% loss of hydraulic conductivity or conductance minus the midday water potential, were large in small‐diameter branches, small in trunks and negative in shoots. Sapwood capacitance increased with stem diameter, and was correlated with stem vulnerability, wood density and latewood proportion. Capacitive release of water is a dynamic aspect of plant hydraulics that is integral to maintenance of long‐distance water transport.     

Carbonic anhydrase activity and biomineralization process in embryos, larvae and adult blue mussels Mytilus edulis L.

To decide whether a physiological role can be attributed to enzymatic activity with respect to crystal formation and biomineralization of the first larval shell, carbonic anhydrase (CA) activity was measured in embryos and larvae of the blue mussels Mytilus edulis L. Also, CA activity was determined in the mantle edge and gonads of adult mussels with different shell length and condition index. The intention was to find a possible correlation between CA activity and adult shell calcification, i.e. gonadal maturation. The comparison of CA activity in different developmental stages of mussels and the results of an X-ray diffraction study of biomineralization processes in embryonic and larval shells indicate that CA activity is maximal at the end of several developmental stages. Consequently, the increase in CA activity precedes some physiological changes, i.e. the somatoblast 2d formation and the occurrence of the first calcite and quartz crystals in embryos, shell field formation in the gastrula stage, shell gland and periostracum production in trochophores, and rapid aragonite deposition in larval prodissoconch I and prodissoconch II shells. Furthermore, it was found that in adult mussels CA activity was quite variable and that in the mantle edge it was frequently inversely related to the activity in the gonad. Received: 28 November 1998 / Received in revised form: 30 August 1999 / Accepted: 31 August 1999     

Effects of spring drought and irrigation on farmland arthropods in southern Britain

1.  Information is lacking on how possible future changes in the seasonal occurrence and intensity of precipitation in Europe will affect the arthropod community of arable farmland.
2.  We used a novel experimental approach to investigate the responses of farmland arthropods to spring precipitation in a spring-sown legume. Replicated plots were subjected to spring drought (plots shielded from rainfall), actual rainfall (reference) and spring irrigation. Shielding plots extended an existing drought to 58 days.
3.  The response of epigeic arthropods was investigated using principal components analysis (PCA) and principal response curves (PRC). Temporal changes in treatment effects at the community level were more clearly displayed by PRC than by PCA, while PRC improved the interpretation of individual species' responses. PRC analysis has potential for wider application in ecological experiments and monitoring.
4.  Short-term manipulation of precipitation in May affected the arthropod community for at least 97 days, despite exceptionally high rainfall in June. The effects of drought on the abundance of herbivores, mycophages, omnivores and predators were negative, while those of irrigation were positive. There were no differences in the responses of beneficial and pest taxa.
5.  In addition to their intrinsic importance, these findings illustrate that spring weather might affect the availability of arthropod prey for insectivorous wildlife. Food availability has been implicated in the population declines of several insectivorous farmland birds.
6.  The difficulty of manipulating rainfall in a temperate climate precludes realistic field studies of how farmland arthropods respond to precipitation. We suggest that automated rain shielding of experimental plots provides a technique for wider application in drought studies.     

扶桑绵粉蚧与长角立毛蚁的互惠关系及其对寄主棉花叶片叶绿素荧光特性的影响

【背景】草食动物对寄主植物的取食或损伤会诱导改变植物的光合作用,从而直接影响植株的健康生长。产蜜昆虫与蚂蚁的互惠关系是物种相互促进的一种重要的生态学现象,能够促进产蜜昆虫的种群数量,然而这种互惠关系及其对寄主植物光合生理的影响还知之甚少。【方法】在室内条件下,运用叶绿素荧光动力学技术研究了外来入侵害虫扶桑绵粉蚧与长角立毛蚁的互惠对寄主棉花叶片叶绿素荧光特性的影响。【结果】随着扶桑绵粉蚧危害时间的延续,寄主植物上蚂蚁和扶桑绵粉蚧的数量均呈现显著上升的趋势,而在危害后期,蚂蚁存在情况下扶桑绵粉蚧的数量要明显低于无蚂蚁处理;在扶桑绵粉蚧取食寄主棉花20 d后,有、无蚂蚁存在的棉花叶片的光合利用率α值较无虫处理分别下降了53.5%和37.0%;存在蚂蚁或扶桑绵粉蚧危害后期对棉花叶片最大相对电子传递效率r ETRmax有显著影响,然而扶桑绵粉蚧单独取食或与蚂蚁互作的情况下未显著影响棉花叶片对强光的耐受能力(Ek)。【结论与意义】研究明确了扶桑绵粉蚧与长角立毛蚁的互惠关系对寄主棉花叶片的光合生理产生了一定的负面效应,为进一步解释扶桑绵粉蚧入侵、扩散及暴发的生态学过程提供了科学依据。