Behavioral thermoregulation in a tropical gastropod: links to climate change scenarios

Tropical species are vulnerable to global warming because they live at, or near to, their upper thermal threshold limits. Therefore, the predicted increase in the frequency of warming events in the tropics is expected to be critical for the survival of local species. This study explored the major environmental variables which were thought to be correlated with body temperatures (BTs) of the tropical snail Littoraria scabra at the niche level. A correlation between BT and substrate temperature (ST) was detected from field observations which suggests a possible causal relationship between both substrate and BTs. In contrast, there was no correlation between BT and air temperature. Field observations suggest that 33.4 °C may be L. scabra upper limit of substrate surface temperature, although further experiments are needed to assess if the upper limit of physiological tolerance is actually different. As L. scabra individuals were free to choose their substrata, the observed distribution pattern at the niche level is related to L. scabra's behavior. Additionally, substrate surface temperatures were very heterogeneous at centimeter scale (i.e. from 22.5 to 53.1 °C) and L. scabra was shown to select specific STs (i.e. between 22.5 and 33.4 °C) rather than microhabitat type. Therefore, L. scabra did not seem to behaviorally thermoregulate through microhabitat selection nor aggregation. In contrast, behavioral experiments showed that L. scabra has the ability to actively select a thermally favorable site over short temporal scale (i.e. individual average speed of 1.26 cm min^?1) following exposure to high temperatures above 33.4 °C. Hence, this study supports the crucial need to integrate intertidal invertebrate behavioral responses to thermal constraints in climate change studies.     

Estimating transpiration from 6-year-old Eucalyptus grandis trees: development of a canopy conductance model and comparison with independent sap flux measurements

Daily patterns of stomatal conductance (g_s), xylem pressure potential (P) and canopy microclimatic variables were recorded on 11 sample days as part of a one-year study of the water use of Eucalyptus grandis Hill ex Maiden in the eastern Transvaal, South Africa. Measured g_s was found to be largely controlled by quantum flux density (Q) and ambient vapour pressure deficit (D). Canopy conductance (g_c) was determined for hourly intervals using g_s measurements and leaf areas in four different canopy levels. A simple model was constructed to allow the prediction of g_c and transpiration from Q, D and season of year. The model was used to estimate transpiration rates from 10 trees in a later study of similarly-aged E. grandis trees, in which sap flow in each tree was measured using the heat pulse velocity (HPV) technique. Five of the trees were monitored on a summer day and five on a winter day. Correspondence between HPV sap flow and modelled transpiration was good for the summertime comparisons, but measured winter-time sap flow rates were underestimated by the model, especially under conditions of high sap flow. The discrepancy is believed to result from having insufficient data from the conductance study to describe the response of g_s to relatively high D in winter. Marked variation in transpiration per unit leaf area indicates that a relatively large number of trees must be sampled for the HPV technique to be used to obtain a mean rate for an entire stand in winter.     

Effect of Elevated CO2 on Photosynthesis and Chlorophyll Fluorescence of Rose Plants Grown at High Temperature and High Photosynthetic Photon Flux Density

Gas exchange and chlorophyll (Chl) fluorescence were measured on young mature leaves of rose plants (Rosa hybrida cvs. First Red and Twingo) grown in two near-to-tight greenhouses, one under control ambient CO₂ concentration, AC (355 µmol mol^–1) and one under CO₂ enrichment, EC (700 µmol mol^–1), during four flushes from late June to early November. Supply of water and mineral elements was non-limiting while temperature was allowed to rise freely during daytime. Leaf diffusive conductance was not significantly reduced at EC but net photosynthetic rate increased by more than 100 %. Although the concentration of total non-structural saccharides was substantially higher in the leaves from the greenhouse with EC, _PS2 (quantum efficiency of radiation use) around noon was not significantly reduced at EC indicating that there was no down-regulation of electron transport. Moreover, CO₂ enrichment did not cause any increase in the risk of photo-damage, as estimated by the 1 – q_P parameter. Non-photochemical quenching was even higher in the greenhouse with EC during the two summer flushes, when temperature and photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) were the highest. Hence rose photosynthesis benefits strongly from high concentrations of atmospheric CO₂ at both high and moderate temperatures and PPFD.     

Comparing contributions of soil versus root colonization to variations in stomatal behavior and soil drying in mycorrhizal Sorghum bicolor and Cucurbita pepo

In prior studies we learned that colonization of soil can be as important as colonization of roots in determining mycorrhizal influence on the water relations of host plants. Here we use a path analysis modeling approach to test (a) whether quantity of hyphae in soil contributes to variations in stomatal behavior and soil drying, and (b) whether soil colonization or root colonization has a stronger influence on these stomatal and soil drying responses. Experiments were performed on Sorghum bicolor and Cucurbita pepo, with soils and roots colonized by a mixture of Glomus intraradices and Gigaspora margarita. Soil colonization generally made more significant contributions to stomatal conductance than did root colonization. Soil colonization did not make significant direct contributions to soil water potential measures (soil water potential at stomatal closure or soil drying rate), whereas root colonization did contribute a potentially important path to each. The findings further support a role for mycorrhization of the soil itself in contributing to the regulation of stomatal behavior of host plants.     

荷木整树蒸腾对干湿季土壤水分的水力响应

降雨在时间上的非均匀分配导致森林土壤含水量呈现明显的干、湿季变化,并可能在干季形成水分胁迫,引起植物蒸腾变化。在监测环境因子的同时,利用Granier热消散探针连续监测荷木(Schima superba)的树干液流,以液流密度值计算整树蒸腾,并结合水力导度与叶片/土壤的水势差,探讨环境因子和水力导度对荷木整树蒸腾的协同控制。结果表明,华南地区的季节性降雨形成的干、湿季并未引起荷木蒸腾在季节上的显著差异,但对产生蒸腾的水力生理产生了显著影响。荷木蒸腾在干、湿季均与主要驱动环境因子(光合有效辐射PAR和水汽压亏缺VPD)呈显著正相关。在水热充足的湿季,荷木蒸腾主要受气孔导度调节;在干季,当空气水汽压亏缺达2.132 MPa时,水力导度与气孔导度协同控制蒸腾。整树水力导度对整树蒸腾的水力补偿出现在15:00—17:00,平均补偿值为0.08 g/s。利用蒸腾的估测值与实测值之间的差值量化荷木的水力补偿效应,是对水力导度与气孔导度协同控制树木蒸腾机理的深入探索。研究结果对于掌握季节性降雨不均背景下华南地区主要造林树种需水和耗水规律,有效发挥森林保水功能具有重要意义。     

乳果糖和枯草杆菌屎球菌二联活菌治疗轻微性肝性脑病疗效观察

目的:探讨乳果糖和枯草杆菌屎球菌二联活菌治疗肝硬化所致轻微性肝性脑病(MHE)的疗效。方法:将患有MHE的患者84例随机分为四组,对照组(A组,仅接受肝硬化综合治疗),乳果糖组(B组,在A组基础上加用乳果糖口服液),枯草杆菌屎球菌二联活菌组(C组,在A组基础上加用枯草杆菌屎球菌二联活菌胶囊),联合组(D组,在A组基础上联合应用乳果糖和枯草杆菌屎球菌二联活菌胶囊),每组均治疗4周。分别于治疗后第一周,第二周,第四周观察患者的数字连接实验(NCT)、数字符号实验(DST)结果,血氨变化及不良反应的发生情况。结果:B、C、D组NCT时间,DST分数及血氨均较A组改善明显,其中以D组最显著(P0.05),且随着治疗时间延长,B、C、D组以上各指标逐渐改善,其中D组以治疗后2周效果最明显(P0.05)。四组均无明显不良反应,其中D组不良反应率最低。结论:单用乳果糖与单用枯草杆菌二联活菌均可改善MHE患者的病情,但联合用药效果明显优于单药治疗,且随用药时间延长,疗效明显,安全性高,值得在临床推广。     

钾营养对扬花期小麦旗叶光合速率日变化的影响

在田间栽培条件下,小麦旗叶的气孔导度、净光合速率与钾之间呈显著的正相关.钾可减少由于光合“午睡“造成的26.5%～37%的光合产量损失.     

Physiological characteristics of the primitive CO2 concentrating mechanism in PEPC transgenic rice

C4 plants such as maize have CO2 concentrating mechanism and higher photosynthetic efficiency than C3 plants, especially under high light intensity, high temperature and drought conditions. In recent years, due to the rapid development of transgenic technique, different transgenic rice plants with high-level expression of C4 genes have been created by the successful introduction of genes encoding the key C4 photosynthetic path enzymes PEPC, PPDK and NADP-ME through agrobacteria-mediated…