CO2‐caused change in plant species composition rivals the shift in vegetation between mid‐grass and tallgrass prairies

Atmospheric CO₂ enrichment usually changes the relative contributions of plant species to biomass production of grasslands, but the types of species favored and mechanisms by which change is mediated differ among ecosystems. We measured changes in the contributions of C₃ perennial forbs and C₄ grasses to aboveground biomass production of tallgrass prairie assemblages grown along a field CO₂ gradient (250–500 μmol mol^?1) in central Texas USA. Vegetation was grown on three soil types and irrigated each season with water equivalent to the growing season mean of precipitation for the area. We predicted that CO₂ enrichment would increase the forb contribution to community production, and favor tall‐grasses over mid‐grasses by increasing soil water content and reducing the frequency with which soil water fell below a limitation threshold. CO₂ enrichment favored forbs over grasses on only one of three soil types, a Mollisol. The grass fraction of production increased dramatically across the CO₂ gradient on all soils. Contribution of the tall‐grass Sorghastrum nutans to production increased at elevated CO₂ on the two most coarse‐textured of the soils studied, a clay Mollisol and sandy Alfisol. The CO₂‐caused increase in Sorghastrum was accompanied by an offsetting decline in production of the mid‐grass Bouteloua curtipendula. Increased CO₂ favored the tall‐grass over mid‐grass by increasing soil water content and apparently intensifying competition for light or other resources (Mollisol) or reducing the frequency with which soil water dipped below threshold levels (Alfisol). An increase in CO₂ of 250 μmol mol^?1 above the pre‐industrial level thus led to a shift in the relative production of established species that is similar in magnitude to differences observed between mid‐grass and tallgrass prairies along a precipitation gradient in the central USA. By reducing water limitation to plants, atmospheric CO₂ enrichment may alter the composition and even structure of grassland vegetation.     

The caspase 6 derived N-terminal fragment of DJ-1 promotes apoptosis via increased ROS production

In pathological conditions, the amount of DJ-1 determines whether a cell can survive or engage a cell death program. This is exemplified in epithelial cancers, in which DJ-1 expression is increased, while autosomal recessive early onset Parkinson''s disease mutations of DJ-1 generally lead to decreased stability and expression of the protein. We have shown previously that DJ-1 is cleaved by caspase-6 during induction of apoptosis. We demonstrate here that the N-terminal cleaved fragment of DJ-1 (DJ-1 Nt) is specifically expressed in the nucleus and promotes apoptosis in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cell lines. In addition, overexpression of DJ-1 Nt in different cell lines leads to a loss of clonogenic potential and sensitizes to staurosporin and 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+)-mediated caspase activation and apoptosis. Importantly, inhibition of endogenous DJ-1 expression with sh-RNA or DJ-1 deficiency mimics the effect of DJ-1 Nt on cell growth and apoptosis. Moreover, overexpression of DJ-1 Nt increases reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and sensitizes to MPP+-mediated apoptosis and DJ-1 oxidation. Finally, specific exclusion of DJ-1 Nt from the nucleus abrogates its pro-apoptotic effect. Taken together, our findings identify an original pathway by which generation of a nuclear fragment of DJ-1 through caspase 6-mediated cleavage induces ROS-dependent amplification of apoptosis.     

Interactive responses of old‐field plant growth and composition to warming and precipitation

As Earth's atmosphere accumulates carbon dioxide (CO₂) and other greenhouse gases, Earth's climate is expected to warm and precipitation patterns will likely change. The manner in which terrestrial ecosystems respond to climatic changes will in turn affect the rate of climate change. Here we describe responses of an old‐field herbaceous community to a factorial combination of four levels of warming (up to 4 °C) and three precipitation regimes (drought, ambient and rain addition) over 2 years. Warming suppressed total production, shoot production, and species richness, but only in the drought treatment. Root production did not respond to warming, but drought stimulated the growth of deeper (> 10 cm) roots by 121% in 1 year. Warming and precipitation treatments both affected functional group composition, with C₄ grasses and other annual and biennial species entering the C₃ perennial‐dominated community in ambient rainfall and rain addition treatments as well as in warmed treatments. Our results suggest that, in this mesic system, expected changes in temperature or large changes in precipitation alone can alter functional composition, but they have little effect on total herbaceous plant growth. However, drought limits the capacity of the entire system to withstand warming. The relative insensitivity of our study system to climate suggests that the herbaceous component of old‐field communities will not dramatically increase production in response to warming or precipitation change, and so it is unlikely to provide either substantial increases in forage production or a meaningful negative feedback to climate change later this century.     

No growth stimulation by CO2 enrichment in alpine glacier forefield plants

Since 1850, glaciers in the European Alps have lost around 40% of their original area, releasing bare forefields, which are colonized by alpine pioneer species, setting the scene for later successional stages. These expanding pioneer communities are likely less restricted by resources and competition than late‐successional systems. We thus hypothesized that rising atmospheric CO₂ concentration will enhance plant growth in these high‐elevation communities. Nine characteristic, perennial glacier forefield species were assembled in microcosms and grown at a nearby experimental site in the Swiss Alps (2440 m a.s.l.). The communities were exposed to an elevated CO₂ concentration of 580 ppm by free‐air CO₂ enrichment for three seasons. Four study species were additionally grown in isolation in containers, half of which received a low dose of mineral fertilizer (25 kg N ha^‐1 a^‐1) in order to explore a potential nutrient limitation of the CO₂ response. Responses of growth dynamics and peak season biomass of the two graminoid species, four forbs and three cushion forming species were analysed by repeated nondestructive assessments and a final biomass harvest. After three seasons, none of the species were stimulated by elevated CO₂, irrespective of mineral nutrient addition, which by itself enhanced growth in the fertilized plants by +34% on average. Increased CO₂ concentration did not affect total (above‐ plus belowground) biomass but reduced aboveground biomass by ?35% across all species, even in the fast growing ones. This reduced aboveground biomass was associated with higher biomass partitioning to roots. Foliar nonstructural carbohydrate concentration increased and nitrogen concentration in leaves decreased under elevated CO₂. We observed downward adjustment of photosynthetic capacity by on average ?26% under long‐term exposure to 580 ppm CO₂ (assessed in graminoids only). Our results indicate that glacier forefield pioneers, growing under harsh climatic conditions are not carbon limited at current atmospheric CO₂ concentration.     

Chip calorimetry and biomagnetic separation: Fast detection of bacterial contamination at low cell titers

We present a new chip calorimeter for fast and quantitative measurement of metabolic heat rates of microorganisms attached to magnetic beads. In biomagnetic separation (BMS) experiments, Escherichia coli K12 immobilized on nonspecifically functionalized beads has a specific heat rate of around 1 pW per cell at 37°C. Therefore, at least 2 × 10⁴ bacteria are required to exceed the calorimetric signal resolution of 20 nW. If the samples to be analyzed have the original volume of 4 mL, bacteria at less than 10⁴ cells mL^?1 should be detectable. In practice, we achieved the detection of approximately 2 × 10⁴ cells mL^?1. The method presented here might also find some applications in the investigation of biofilms and study of biomolecular interactions.     

生物法合成丙烯酸的研究进展

丙烯酸是一种重要的化工原料,被广泛应用于涂料、超吸附材料等领域。目前丙烯酸的获得主要通过丙烯氧化,但由于石油资源日渐枯竭以及生产过程造成的环境问题,利用生物质资源生产丙烯酸已成为研究热点。介绍了丙烯酸的性质及其在工业上的应用,并详细综述了生物法制备丙烯酸的研究进展。根据丙烯酸生产中是否应用传统的化工过程,将其分为半生物合成和全生物合成。半生物法主要包括乳酸化学法脱水以及丙烯腈、丙烯酰胺的生物转化;全生物法主要包括乳酸生物法脱水、3-羟基丙酸途径、糖直接发酵法以及DMSP(二甲基巯基丙酸内盐)途径。由于乳酸发酵的工艺成熟、原料易得,因此对乳酸脱水进行了重点介绍,其中生物法脱水符合可持续发展的要求,对其进行了详细介绍。同时还分析了各种方法的优缺点,探讨了利用生物质资源生产丙烯酸的研究趋势。     

宁夏国外小麦种质资源考察、引进和利用

国外小麦种质资源引进在宁夏小麦引种中发挥着重要的作用。碧玉麦、阿勃、墨卡(卡杰姆F-71)、WC-20(宁春37)、9186(宁冬6号)等国外小麦品种在宁夏生产上直接利用。宁夏春小麦的品质杂交选育始于1953年,利用国外小麦种质资源先后培育出斗地1号、宁春4号等50余个春麦品种。1990年宁夏国外冬麦种质资源的引进带动了宁夏引黄灌区冬麦北移和耕作改制的研究,也引发了宁夏冬麦品种杂交选育的研究。宁夏引黄灌区冬小麦品种的杂交选育的工作始于1991年,经过15年的努力,杂交选育出第一批冬麦品种宁冬10号、宁冬11号,2010年在冬麦生产上取代了明丰5088,不仅实现了宁夏引黄灌区冬小麦品种第3次更新、实现了小麦品种的5次更新,而且使宁夏小麦生产水平跃上新台阶,有力地促进宁夏引黄灌区耕作制度改善和种植业结构的调整。     

生物制氢及其与以海水为介质的高盐有机废水处理的耦合研究

当前,全球能源系统的主体是＂碳基能源＂——石油和煤等。这些不可再生的资源已日渐枯竭,而且大量使用会破坏地球生态系统。因此,用＂氢基能源＂逐步取代＂碳基能源＂已成为发达国家能源战略的首选目标,有的国家甚至将这一目标定在本世纪中叶。对于中国等发展中国家,大力开发生物质能等新的可再生＂碳基能源＂,同时加速发展＂氢基能源＂,争取提前进入氢能时代,才能实现可持续发展,甚至跨越式发展。制氢技术包括非生物制氢和生物制氢。非生物制氢目前已小量生产和应用,生物制氢的研究也有相当长的时间,其中影响生物制氢进入实用的主要因素是能耗和生产成本过高。因此,如果作为一个孤立的技术系统,生物制氢只能作为战略性项目。首先介绍了生物制氢的主要原理、目前限制生物制氢产业化的关键限制因子;提出了从系统论的原理出发,通过技术集成,突破生物制氢成本的＂瓶颈＂,达到环保和资源利用的双重目的,使其提前实用化;最后,重点阐述了以海水为介质的高盐有机废水的生物制氢技术的研究进展,尤其介绍我国在相关方面的研究进展。     

草乌花蜜产量的梯度分布及熊蜂自下而上的访花行为

收益降低假说(declining reward hypothesis)认为熊蜂自下而上的访花顺序是对花蜜产量的直接响应,先访问下部花蜜产量高的花可以获得更多的收益;花开口方向假说认为自下而上访花是因为熊蜂更容易看见其上部的花朵。为了验证上述两个假说,我们于2008年8月在北京小龙门国家森林公园调查了红光熊蜂(Bombus ignitus)访问草乌(Aconitum kusnezoffii)直立和倒立顶生花序的访问顺序,测量了直立花序下部雌性阶段花和上部雄性阶段花花蜜的糖浓度、体积,计算了花蜜中的糖含量。结果表明,红光熊蜂在直立花序和倒立花序内均以向上运动为主,分别占总运动次数的62.77%和68.35%;直立花序下部雌性阶段花花蜜糖浓度比上部雄性阶段花低1.44%,但是花蜜体积和花蜜中的糖含量都显著高于雄性阶段的花。由于熊蜂访问倒立花序时先访问的是下部的低回报雄性阶段的花,然后再访问上部高回报的雌性阶段的花,这与收益降低假说矛盾,表明红光熊蜂自下而上访问草乌直立花序可能不是受到花蜜产量的调节。