CAM variations in the leaf-succulent Delosperma tradescantioides (Mesembryanthemaceae), native to southern Africa

Drought responses of diurnal gas exchange, malic acid accumulation and water status were examined in Delosperma tradescantioides , a succulent that grows in drought-prone microenvironments in summer rainfall and all-year rainfall regions of southern Africa. When well-watered, this species exhibited Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM)-cycling, but its carbon fixation pattern changed during the development of drought, shifting to either low-level CAM or to CAM-idling. The rate and pattern of this change depended on environmental conditions, duration of water stress and leaf age. At the onset of drought, diurnal malate fluctuation increased, but was strongly depressed (by ca 70%) as drought continued, and when leaf water content and water potential were low (ca 35 and 50% of the initial levels, respectively). When rewatered, rates of growth and photosynthesis, gas exchange and water status recovered fully to pre-stressed values within two days. Whole-shoot carbon uptake rates suggested that leaf growth had continued unabated during a short-term (∼ one week) drought. This emphasises that CAM-idling allows the maintenance of active metabolism with negligible gas exchange when soil water is limiting. It is possible that old or senescent leaves may provide water for the expansion of developing leaves during initial periods of drought. Regardless of the water regime and environmental conditions, leaf nocturnal malate accumulation and water content were positively correlated and increased with leaf age. Thus the gradual loss of water from older mature leaves may induce CAM-idling, which reduces water loss. An important ecological consequence of this combination of CAM modes is the potential to switch rapidly between fast growth via C₃ gas exchanges when well-watered to water-conserving CAM-idling during drought.     

Relative growth rate, biomass allocation pattern and water use efficiency of three wheat cultivars during early ontogeny as dependent on water availability

We have investigated the water use efficiency of whole plants and selected leaves and allocation patterns of three wheat cultivars (Mexipak, Nesser and Katya) to explore how variation in these traits can contribute to the ability to grow in dry environments. The cultivars exhibited considerable differences in biomass allocation and water use efficiency. Cultivars with higher growth rates of roots and higher proportions of biomass in roots (Nesser and Katya) also had higher leaf growth rates, higher proportions of their biomass as leaves and higher leaf area ratios. These same cultivars had lower rates of transpiration per unit leaf area or unit root weight and higher biomass production per unit water use. They also had higher ratios of photosynthesis to transpiration, and lower ratios of intercellular to external CO₂ partial pressure. The latter resulted from large differences in stomatal conductance associated with relatively small differences in rates of photosynthesis. There was little variation between cultivars in response to drought, and differences in allocation pattern and plant water use efficiency between cultivars as found under well-watered conditions persisted under dry conditions. At the end of the non-watered treatment, relative growth rates and transpiration rates decreased to similar values for all cultivars. High ratios of photosynthesis to transpiration, and accordingly high biomass production per unit of transpiration, is regarded as a favourable trait for dry environments, since more efficient use of water postpones the decrease in plant water status.     

Chemical soil conditions in pristineNothofagus forests of New Zealand as compared to German forests

In many German forest soils low base saturation of CEC in deeper soil layers was reported and acidic deposition is seen as the major cause of these findings. To test this hypothesis we sampled 5 New Zealand forest soils from pristine beech (Nothofagus fusca, N. menziesii, N. solandri) sites under climatic and geological conditions comparable to higher elevations in Germany. The soils developed from granite and greywacke. Soil samples were analyzed for pH and the exchangeable cations were extracted with 1M NH₄Cl. The base saturation of all soil profiles was very low, even in deeper layers and was thus similar to the patterns found in many German forest soils. The pH was generally higher in the New Zealand soils as compared to Germany. The reason for the depletion of base cations in deeper soil layers of New Zealand forest soils is most likely the leaching of base cations with HCO₃ ^- resulting from the dissociation of carbonic acid in connection with high amounts of seepage. Thus, under high rainfall conditions, the low base saturation found in deeper layers of forest soils cannot exclusively be attributed to the effects of acidic depositions and land use. ei]Section editor: R F Huettl     

Exchange of NO and NO2 between wheat canopy monoliths and the atmosphere

The fluxes of NO and NO₂ between wheat canopy monoliths and the atmosphere were investigated with the dynamic chamber technique. For this purpose monoliths were dug out at different plant growth stages from a field site, transported to the institute, and placed in an environmental growth chamber. The wheat canopy monoliths were exposed over a period of four days to the average ratios of atmospheric NO₂ and NO measured at the field site, i.e. NO₂ concentration of about 18 mL L^-1 plus NO concentration lower than 0.5 nL L^-1. Under these conditions NO emission into the atmosphere and NO₂ deposition into canopy monoliths was observed. Both fluxes showed diurnal variation with maximum rates during the light and minimum rates during darkness. NO₂ fluxes correlated with soil temperature as well as with light intensity. NO fluxes correlated with soil temperature but not with light intensity. From the investigation performed the diurnal variation of the NO and NO₂ compensation points, the maximum rates of NO and NO₂ emission, and the total resistances of NO and NO₂ fluxes were calculated. Under the assumption that the measured data are representative for the whole vegetation period, annual fluxes of NO and NO₂ were estimated. Annual NO emission into the atmosphere amounted to 87 mg N m^-2 y^-1 (0.87 kg ha^-1 y^-1), annual NO₂ deposition into canopy monoliths amounted to 1273 mg N m^-2 y^-1 (12.73 kg ha^-1 y^-1). Apparently, the uptake of atmospheric nitrogen by the wheat field from NO₂ deposition is about 15 times higher than the loss of nitrogen from NO emission. It can therefore be assumed that even in rural areas wheat fields are a considerable sink for atmospheric nitrogen. The annual sink strength estimated in the present study is ca. 12 kg N ha^-1 y^-1. The possible origin of the NO emitted and the fate of atmospheric NO₂ taken up by the wheat canopy monoliths are discussed.Preliminary results of this paper were presented at the Joint Workshop COST 611/Working Party 3 and EUROTRAC in Delft, The Netherlands (Ludwig et al., 1991).     

无花果蛋白酶在阴离子交换树脂上的固定化

无花果蛋白酶通过８％戊二醛活化载体,共价结合到聚苯乙烯阴离子交换树脂ＧＭ２０１上,固定化作用在ｐＨ７．７,酶浓度０．８ｍｇ／ｇ树脂,４℃下进行６ｈ。得到的固定化酶表观Ｋ_ｍ值（酪蛋白,１．１１×１０~（－４）ｍｏｌ／Ｌ）小于溶液酶Ｋ_ｍ值（１．９６×１０~（－４）ｍｏｌ／Ｌ）;固定化酶活性在ｐＨ６～８保持稳定,溶液酶最适ｐＨ为７．２;固定化酶最适温度由溶液酶的５０～６０℃移至３７℃;固定化酶２５℃保持７ｄ,重复水解酪蛋白７次后,保留８３．３％活性。固定化酶对酪蛋白水解度达４７．５％,对大豆球蛋白达１１．６％。     

Sodium transport through the amiloride-sensitive Na-Mg pathway of hamster red cells

Previous work showed that in hamster red cells the amiloride-sensitive (AS) Na⁺ influx of 0.8 mmol/liter cells/hr is not mediated by Na-H exchange as in other red cells, but depends upon intracellular Mg²⁺ and can be increased by 40-fold by loading cells with Mg²⁺ to 10 mm. The purpose of this study was to verify the connection of AS Na⁺ influx with Na-dependent, amiloride-sensitive Mg²⁺ efflux and to utilize AS Na⁺ influx to explore that pathway.Determination of unidirectional influx of Na⁺ and net loss of Mg²⁺ in parallel sets of cells showed that activation by extracellular [Na⁺] follows a simple Michaelis-Menten relationship for both processes with a K _m of 105–107 mm and that activation of both processes is sigmoidally dependent upon cytoplasmic [Mg²⁺] with a [Mg²⁺]_0.5 of 2.1–2.3 mm and a Hill coefficient of 1.8. Comparison of V_max for both sets of experiments indicated a stoichiometry of 2 Na: l Mg. Amiloride inhibits Na⁺ influx and Mg²⁺ extrusion in parallel (K _i = 0.3 mm). Like Mg²⁺ extrusion, amiloride-sensitive Na⁺ influx shows an absolute requirement for cytoplasmic ATP and is increased by cell swelling. Hence, amiloride-sensitive Na⁺ influx in hamster red cells appears to be through the Na-Mg exchange pathway.There was no amiloride-sensitive Na⁺ efflux in hamster red cells loaded with Na⁺ and incubated with high [Mg²⁺] in the medium with or without external Na⁺, nor with ATP depletion. Hence, this is not a simple Na-Mg exchange carrier.     

Agents that Promote Protein Phosphorylation Inhibit the Activity of the Na+/Ca2+ Exchanger and Prolong Ca2+ Transients in Bovine Chromaffin Cells

Abstract: The Na⁺/Ca²⁺ exchanger is an important element in the maintenance of calcium homeostasis in bovine chromaffin cells. The Na⁺/Ca²⁺ exchanger from other cell types has been extensively studied, but little is known about its regulation in the cell. We have investigated the role of reversible protein phosphorylation in the activity of the Na⁺/Ca²⁺ exchanger of these cells. Cells treated with 1 m M dibutyryl cyclic AMP (dbcAMP), 1 µ M phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate, 1 µ M okadaic acid, or 100 n M calyculin A showed lowered Na⁺/Ca²⁺ exchange activity and prolonged cytosolic Ca²⁺ transients caused by depolarization. A combination of 10 n M okadaic acid and 1 µ M dbcAMP synergistically inhibited Na⁺/Ca²⁺ exchange activity. Conversely, 50 µ M 1-(5-isoquinolinylsulfonyl)-2-methylpiperazine, a protein kinase inhibitor, enhanced Na⁺/Ca²⁺ exchange activity. Moreover, we used cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase and calcium phospholipid-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunits to phosphorylate isolated membrane vesicles and found that the Na⁺/Ca²⁺ exchange activity was inhibited by this treatment. These results indicate that reversible protein phosphorylation modulates the activity of the Na⁺/Ca²⁺ exchanger and suggest that modulation of the exchanger may play a role in the regulation of secretion.     

Acclimation of photosynthesis to increasing atmospheric CO2: The gas exchange perspective

The nature of photosynthetic acclimation to elevated CO₂ is evaluated from the results of over 40 studies focusing on the effect of long-term CO₂ enrichment on the short-term response of photosynthesis to intercellular CO₂ (the A/C_i response). The effect of CO₂ enrichment on the A/C_i response was dependent on growth conditions, with plants grown in small pots (< 5 L) or low nutrients usually exhibiting a reduction of A at a given C_i, while plants grown without nutrient deficiency in large pots or in the field tended to exhibit either little reduction or an enhancement of A at a given C_i following a doubling or tripling of atmospheric CO₂ during growth. Using theoretical interpretations of A/C_i curves to assess acclimation, it was found that when pot size or nutrient deficiency was not a factor, changes in the shape of A/C_i curves which are indicative of a reallocation of resources within the photosynthetic apparatus typically were not observed. Long-term CO₂ enrichment usually had little effect or increased the value of A at all C_i. However, a minority of species grown at elevated CO₂ exhibited gas exchange responses indicative of a reduced amount of Rubisco and an enhanced capacity to metabolize photosynthetic products. This type of response was considered beneficial because it enhanced both photosynthetic capacity at high CO₂ and reduced resource investment in excessive Rubisco capacity. The ratio of intercellular to ambient CO₂ (the C_i/C_a ratio) was used to evaluate stomatal acclimation. Except under water and humidity stress, C_i/C_a exhibited no consistent change in a variety of C₃ species, indicating no stomatal acclimation. Under drought or humidity stress, C_i/C_a declined in high-CO₂ grown plants, indicating stomata will become more conservative during stress episodes in future high CO₂ environments.Abbreviations A net CO₂ assimilation rate - C_i (C_a) intercellular (ambient) partial pressure of CO₂ - operational C_i intercellular partial pressure of CO₂ at a given ambient partial pressure of CO₂ - g_s stomatal conductance - normal CO₂ current atmospheric mole fraction of CO₂ (330 to 355 mol mol^–1) - Rubisco ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase     

Exchange of reduced sulfur gases between lichens and the atmosphere

Fourteen lichens, 10 green algal lichens and four cyanolichens, as well as a cyanobacterium emitted significant quantities of H₂S (0.01–0.04 pmol g dw^–1 s^–1) and DMS (0.005–0.025 pmol g dw^–1 s^–1) but were sinks for COS (0.015–0.14 pmol g dw^–1 s^–1). In contrast, exchange of CH₃SH and CS₂ were sporatic and inconsistent. Although some interspecific variation occurred for the first three gases, exchange rates were relatively uniform and were not influenced by irradiance conditions. In contrast to DMS and H₂S emission, COS uptake was strongly influenced by degree of thallus hydration. Because lichen dominated systems cover extensive terrestrial habitats, COS uptake is potentially important in the world's sulfur budget.