Carbohydrate storage and use in an alpine population of the perennial herb, Oxytropis sericea

I tested hypotheses for ecological roles of storage carbohydrates in perennating organs (roots and branches) of alpine Oxytropis sericea, a leguminous herb. In naturally growing plants, total nonstructural carbohydrates achieved their maximal concentration in the fall, declined during winter, and reached minimal levels immediately after growth initiation in the spring. Experimental manipulation of carbon sink-source relations through shading of leaves of reproductive plants revealed that the normally unused portion of these carbohydrates is largely available for withdrawal. In another experiment, plants subjected to carbohydrate depletion through shading suffered decreased leaf growth after winter dormancy and had a lower probability of flowering and decreased inflorescence biomass. The dependence of reproductive growth on stored carbohydrates, however, was limited to its initial stages, because accumulation of storage carbohydrates occurred simultaneously with inflorescence expansion, flowering, and fruiting. Moreover, the whole-plant photosynthetic rate, estimated from gas exchange measurements also peaked at the time of inflorescence growth. To address whether stored reserves allow compensatory regrowth following defoliation, plants were subjected to experimental removal of leaves and inflorescences. Defoliated O. sericea partly regrew the lost leaves but withdrawal of stored carbohydrates was limited. Similarly, in a second defoliation experiment where infructescences were left intact, the plants used little stored carbohydrate and only partly compensated for fruit growth. However, carbohydrate accumulation was negatively affected by defoliation. While the ecological importance of stored nonstructural carbohydrates cannot be attributed to any function in isolation, winter respiration, leaf regrowth after winter, and early reproductive growth in O. sericea all depend to a significant extent on stored reserves. Maintaining a large storage pool may protect these functions in years when carbon status is less favorable than during this study. Received: 13 May 1998 / Accepted: 24 November 1998     

Partner limitation and restoration of sexual reproduction in the clonal dwarf shrubLinnaea borealis L. (Caprifoliaceae)

Summary Reports suggest that there is widespread reproductive failure inLinnaea borealis in Britain, Scandinavia, and North America. Our investigations of Scottish populations of this clonal dwarf shrub indicate that, although visited by a number of different insects, pollen transfer in this species is highly effective and principally occurs by small flies (Muscidae). However, natural levels of fruit set varied between populations (from 0% to 25.1%) and reproductive failure was most severe in populations which were composed of single clones. Microscopic examination of stigmas showed that there is no barrier to pollen flow since at least 85% of stigmas have sufficient germinating pollen to effect seed set. Fluorescence microscopy of germinating pollen grains indicates high levels of pollen rejection in the style and only a small proportion of the pollen tubes were able to reach the ovary. It was concluded that lack of xenogamous pollination limits fruit formation in populations ofL. borealis. Reproductive success in an isolated population with extreme reproductive failure was restored by experimental field pollination with viable pollen imported from plants from another population. In Scotland,L. borealis occurs in small, isolated populations and restoration of reproduction can be achieved by the reintroduction of compatible mating partners. This is an important consideration for the conservation management of isolated populations since their long-term recovery may only be possible by translocation of different genotypes from elsewhere into the population. Habitat fragmentation in any part of the species range may impose a potential reproductive bottleneck by causing loss of population diversity and this could explain the low levels of seed set recorded for this species in other parts of its range.     

in Vitro Somatic Embryogenesis in Typhonium Trilobatum Schott.

An in vitro protocol was developed for the production of plants via somatic embryogenesis in callus cultures derived from petiole and leaf explants of Typhonium trilobatum. Optimum callus formation was achieved on semisolid Murashige and Skoog's [9] medium supplemented with 0.25 mg L–1 kinetin and 3.0 mgL–1 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) after 6 weeks of culture. Somatic embryogenesis was achieved upon transferring the callus to a medium containing 1.0 mg Lminus 1 kinetin and 0.25 mg Lminus 1 NAA. In vitro tuberization was also achieved on medium containing 1/2 strength MS basal salts supplemented with 1.0 mg L–1 Kinetin and 0.1 mg L–1 NAA. Embryo maturation and germination was achieved on the MS basal salts supplemented with 0.01 mg L–1 NAA and 2% (w/v) sucrose. Some thousands somatic embryo derived plantlets were hardened in the greenhouse and eventually planted in the open field.     

Literature on archaeological remains of cultivated plants (1997/1998)

Publications on archaeological remains of cultivated plants have been collected, mainly from 1997, with some earlier and some from 1998. A list is given of the finds according to taxon, country, site, and age.     

Life cycle assessment of the selective catalytic reduction process for power plants

The overall reduction of the environmental impact by the use of selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of nitrogen oxide emissions in power plants was determined by strict application of ISO 14040 and ISO/DIS 14041. Special emphasis was placed on the implementation of the total product life cycle (PLC) of ammonium molybdate as a key input material. The environmental impact was generated by application of the life cycle assessment (LCA) concept of “ecoscarcity” and integrated in the life cycle inventory analysis (LCI) of SCR systems. The LCI was used to generate the life cycle impact assessment (LC1A) by use of different quantitative valuation methods. Under consideration of the overall LCIA results and the environmental protection costs of the SCR variants, the Ecological Effectiveness of the SCR alternatives was determined. The results enable plausible conclusions with regard to the ecological advantages of the use of deNOx catalysts in the SCR used in hard-coal fired power plants.     

Genetic variation in the Afromontane tree Prunus africana,an endangered medicinal species

An understanding of the patterns of variation within and among populations of tropical trees is essential for devising optimum genetic management strategies for their conservation and sustainable utilization. Here, random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis was used to partition variation within and among 10 populations of the endangered Afromontane medicinal tree, Prunus africana, sampled from five countries across the geographical range of the species (Cameroon, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar and Uganda). Analysis of molecular variance ( AMOVA ) employed 48 RAPD markers and revealed most variation among countries (66%, P < 0.001). However, variation among individuals within populations and among populations within Cameroon and Madagascar was also highly significant. Analysis of population product frequency data indicated Ugandan material to be more similar to populations from Cameroon than populations from Kenya and Ethiopia, while Malagash populations were most distinct. The implications of these findings for determining appropriate approaches for conservation of the species, particularly in Cameroon and Madagascar, are discussed.     

Molecular phylogeography of Dryas integrifolia: glacial refugia and postglacial recolonization

Chloroplast DNA variation in the Arctic plant species Dryas integrifolia (Rosaceae) was analysed in relation to both the present-day geographical distribution of populations and to Pleistocene fossil records of this species. The phylogeographical structure was weak but the analysis of haplotype diversity revealed several groups of haplotypes having present-day geographical ranges that overlap locations postulated from geographical and fossil evidence to have been glacial refugia. Based on this information we infer that two important refugial sources of Arctic recolonization by this species were Beringia and the High Arctic. Two other putative refugia, located southeast of the ice sheet and along coastal regions of the eastern Arctic may have served as sources for recolonization of smaller portions of the Arctic. The genetic substructure in the species is mostly due to variation among populations regardless of the ecogeographical region in which they are found. Spatial autocorrelation at the regional scale was also detected. High levels of diversity both within populations and ecogeographical regions are probably indicative of population establishment from several sources possibly combined with recent gene flow.     

陕西省汉中地区中国种子植物特有属的分析

汉中地区种子植物区系自然分布有中国特有属48属,隶属于33科,包括裸子植物1属,被子植物47属,其中单种属24属,少种属18属,多种属6属,从其生活习性上看,木本习性有25属,草本习性的有23属。本文主要分析了汉中地区分布的中国种子植物特有属的地理分布及特点,分析结果表明：其特点主要为显著的温带性质,众多的特有属和丰富的珍稀濒危物种,在地理分布上与华中,西南地区联系密切。     

Phytogeographical and community similarities of alpine tundras of Changbaishan Summit,China, and Indian Peaks,USA

Abstract. We compared the diversity, phytogeography, and plant communities in two mid-latitude alpine tundras with comparable aerial and elevational extents: Changbaishan Summit in eastern Asia and Indian Peaks in western North America. Despite wide separation, the two areas shared 72 species. In all, 43% of the species on Changbaishan Summit are also distributed in the alpine zones of western North America, while 22% of the species on Indian Peaks are also distributed in the alpine zones of eastern Asia. Almost all the shared species also occur in the Beringian region. Phytogeographical profiles of species and genera showed that 69% of species and over 90% of genera in both alpine tundras belong to the three phytogeographical categories: cosmopolitan, circumpolar, and Asian-North American. We attributed the current floristic relationship between these widely separated areas to the periodic past land connection between the two continents during the Tertiary and Pleistocene. Indian Peaks has a closer floristic relationship with the Arctic tundra than does Changbaishan Summit. Indian Peaks also has 45% higher species richness and lower vegetation cover than Changbaishan Summit. Plant communities from the two areas were completely separated in the two-way indicator species analysis and non-metric multidimensional scaling on floristic data at both species and generic levels, whereas ordination of communities by soil data produced a greater overlap. The plant communities on Changbaishan Summit in general have lower alpha diversity, higher beta diversity (lower between-community floristic similarity), and more rare species than does Indian Peaks. Mosaic diversity does not differ in the two alpine tundras, although the analysis suggests that Changbaishan Summit communities are more widely spaced on gradients than the Indian Peaks communities.     

Vegetation development in dune slacks: the role of persistent seed banks

Abstract. The soil seed bank composition was determined at four sites in the dune slack ‘Koegelwieck’ on the Dutch Wadden Sea island of Terschelling. At three different sites in the slack, where sod-cutting experiments down to the mineral sand had been carried out, the established vegetation and seed bank were assessed after 5, 9 and 39 yr of undisturbed development, respectively. In addition, a fourth site in the slack was investigated, where vegetation development had proceeded for 80 yr since plant colonization of bare soil and where nowadays a vegetation dominated by Calamagrostis epigejos and Salix repens occurs. Together these four sites can be regarded as a chronosequence of dune slack formation. Clear time sequences were detected in the seed bank data. Many late successional species showed a significant increase in the number of seeds during the succession. Some of the early successional basiphilous pioneer species such as Anagallis minima, Centaurium littorale, Littorella uniflora, Radiola linoides and Samolus valerandi, showed either a decrease during the time of succession or an optimum in the vegetation while remaining present in the seed bank in low but detectable numbers. They could, therefore, play a role in re-establishment of the vegetation after sod-cutting. One of the target species, Schoenus nigricans, established within a few years after removal of the sod. However, no seeds of this species have been detected in the soil below either of the successional stages. Based on the species disappearance from the established vegetation and based on the independent data of Thompson et al. (1997) an estimation of seed longevity could be made for several Red List species of wet dune slacks.