The role of weed invasion in controlling sand dune reactivation in abandoned fields in semi-arid Inner Mongolia, China

The growth of crops and invading weeds were examined at six sites under different cultivation conditions in semi-arid Inner Mongolia, where sand dune reactivation has been controlled by weed invasion. The soil moisture content was not sufficient for crop growth in over-cultivated farmland. The shortage of moisture in the soil suppresses the growth of both crops and weeds. Accordingly, farmers carry out weeding to maintain better soil moisture conditions for crop growth. Over-cultivated farmland is often abandoned when the crop yield decreases to an economically unprofitable level. If weed vegetation before abandonment remains, it becomes a core of vegetation expansion and recovers the entire soil surface. While weedy vegetation is lacking or has been grazed by livestock, sand dune reactivation occurs.     

蒙古苍耳核型分析

首次对蒙古苍耳染色体数目及核型进行了研究,结果表明,染色体数目２ｎ＝３６,核型公式为Ｋ（２ｎ）＝３６＝２６ｍ＋２ｍ（ｓａｔ）＋８ｓｍ．与苍耳的核型进行比较,认为蒙古苍耳的核型比苍耳的原始。     

Sesquiterpene lactone stereochemistry influences herbivore resistance and plant fitness in the field

Background and Aims

Stereochemical variation is widely known to influence the bioactivity of compounds in the context of pharmacology and pesticide science, but our understanding of its importance in mediating plant–herbivore interactions is limited, particularly in field settings. Similarly, sesquiterpene lactones are a broadly distributed class of putative defensive compounds, but little is known about their activities in the field.

Methods

Natural variation in sesquiterpene lactones of the common cocklebur, Xanthium strumarium (Asteraceae), was used in conjunction with a series of common garden experiments to examine relationships between stereochemical variation, herbivore damage and plant fitness.

Key Results

The stereochemistry of sesquiterpene lactone ring junctions helped to explain variation in plant herbivore resistance. Plants producing cis-fused sesquiterpene lactones experienced significantly higher damage than plants producing trans-fused sesquiterpene lactones. Experiments manipulating herbivore damage above and below ambient levels found that herbivore damage was negatively correlated with plant fitness. This pattern translated into significant fitness differences between chemotypes under ambient levels of herbivore attack, but not when attack was experimentally reduced via pesticide.

Conclusions

To our knowledge, this work represents only the second study to examine sesquiterpene lactones as defensive compounds in the field, the first to document herbivore-mediated natural selection on sesquiterpene lactone variation and the first to investigate the ecological significance of the stereochemistry of the lactone ring junction. The results indicate that subtle differences in stereochemistry may be a major determinant of the protective role of secondary metabolites and thus of plant fitness. As stereochemical variation is widespread in many groups of secondary metabolites, these findings suggest the possibility of dynamic evolutionary histories within the Asteraceae and other plant families showing extensive stereochemical variation.     

The contact separation force of the fruit burrs from five plant taxa dispersing by epizoochory

Abstract

Many plant diaspores dispersing by epizoochory bear special structures, such as burrs with hooks, which are responsible for the mechanical interlocking with animal fur or feathers. The number, dimensions and distribution of the interlocking structures on the diaspore can strongly vary depending on the plant species. In this study, to evaluate the interlocking ability of distantly related plants having different diaspore morphologies, the contact separation force (CSF) of single burrs was measured in Arctium lappa, Bidens tripartita, Desmodium sp., Uncinia uncinata and Xanthium strumarium. This force is required to separate the single burr from interlocking with the loop. Usually in the experiment, the burr was broken after separation. The CSFs differed significantly, ranging from 7.07 to 820.94?mN, among the five taxa studied. Six morphometrical variables were measured from each burr and the correlations between the CSFs and these morphometrical variables were analyzed. We have shown that (1) the burr length, (2) the diameter of the distal part and (3) the hook span had significant influences on the CSF. The comparison between the CSF and the fruit weight indicated that single burrs of all taxa studied could bear at least 100-fold weight of the diaspore.     

消落带湿地优势植物竞争关系

竞争是植物间贯穿于整个生活史的行为,对植物生长、繁殖产生重要影响.本文以三峡库区消落带植物调查为基础,对广泛分布于消落带的优势植物苍耳(Xanthium sibirium)群落种内、种间竞争关系进行了研究.结果表明:苍耳群落平均高度1.4m,盖度90％,多度40;单株苍耳最高为2.6m,最大生物量为1622.3 g;植物竞争强度随距离的增大而减小(P＜0.01),0～10cm竞争最为激烈,0～30 cm范围是受竞争影响的主要区域,种间竞争强度大干种内竞争;优势种个体数量和高度随距离的增大而增加,生物量、结实量、分枝数量先减小后增加;高繁殖力和高生长率的物种在竞争中具有优势,确保其能在消落带生存.     

环氧苍耳素Ⅰ对菜青虫中肠消化酶和羧酸酯酶活性的影响

【目的】探明苍耳Xanthium sibiricum活性物质--环氧苍耳素Ⅰ对菜青虫的作用机理。【方法】采用饲喂法处理4龄菜青虫Pieris rapae, 测试从苍耳中分离提纯的环氧苍耳素Ⅰ（为倍半萜内酯类物质）对菜青虫中肠蛋白酶、 淀粉酶和羧酸酯酶活性的影响。【结果】环氧苍耳素Ⅰ对蛋白酶活性的抑制最强, 处理后12, 24和48 h, 菜青虫中肠蛋白酶抑制率分别为20.95%,29.38%和50.06%; 其次为淀粉酶, 抑制率分别为11.89%,39.01%和31.92%。同时,中肠羧酸酯酶活性在处理后12 h与对照之间无显著变化, 24 h 时活性被显著抑制, 而48 h时活性却明显高于对照。【结论】环氧苍耳素Ⅰ对昆虫中肠消化酶活性的抑制, 可能是引起昆虫表现取食抑制和生长发育不良的重要原因之一。     

Zinc phytoavailability after remediation in soils contaminated by sphalerite-containing pyritic sludge

Zinc can be toxic to plants growing on soils in areas of the Guadiamar River valley (southwestern Spain) affected by the spillage of pyritic sludge in April 1998. The shoots and the soil around the roots of two wild plants (viz. Amaranthus blitoides S. Wats., November 2000; and Xanthium strumarium L., June 2001) growing in the sludge-affected areas were sampled with the purpose of relating Zn phytoavailability to soil properties. The soils were calcareous and non-calcareous Entisols and Inceptisols which, after remediation, contained ploughed-in residual sludge and unevenly distributed industrial lime. Chemical extracts from the soils suggested that much of the sphalerite (ZnS) originally present in the sludge had weathered and Zn was partly bound to carbonates and Fe oxides, the total Zn concentration ranging from 37 to 2407 mg kg ^–1. To identify the soil properties that influenced Zn phytoavailability under controlled conditions, the soil samples (n=63) were homogenized and oilseed rape (Brassica napus var. Karola) was pot-grown on them in a growth chamber. The concentrations of Zn in oilseed rape shoots and roots were below phytotoxic levels, with mean ± standard deviation values of 142 ± 128 and 244 ± 328 mg kg ^–1 dry matter, respectively. Citrate/bicarbonate-extractable Zn in soil (Zn _cb) was found to be the best predictor for the Zn concentration in both shoots and roots. Also, the Zn _cb/Olsen P ratio exhibited a high predictive power for Zn in shoots as the likely result of the Zn-P interaction in soil. The shoot Zn concentration in the wild plants, generally lay below phytotoxic levels (the mean ± standard deviation values were 261 ± 255 and 200 ± 228 mg kg ^–1 dry matter for Amaranthus blitoides and Xanthium strumarium, respectively) and was not correlated with soil properties – by exception, there was slight correlation between the Zn concentration in Amaranthus blitoides and Zn _cb/Olsen P. Such a lack of correlation can be ascribed to the local small-scale soil heterogeneity caused by remediation practices. The Zn concentration in wild plants growing on CaCO ₃-poor soils was weakly correlated with Zn _cb/Olsen P; no similar correlation was found in CaCO ₃-rich soils, however. The wild plants growing on CaCO ₃-poor and CaCO ₃-rich soils differed little in Zn concentration; this suggests that further addition of lime to reduce Zn phytoavailability may be unjustified.     

蒙古冰草MYB转录因子基因的序列分析

MYB转录因子是一类与植物抗逆相关的蛋白家族,通过激活植物抗逆应答基因的表达而提高其抗逆性。为挖掘蒙古冰草(Agropyron mongolicum)抗旱相关的MYB基因,本研究在已有转录组测序数据的基础上,用Plant TFDB数据库中的Prediction和Blast对MYB基因筛选及保守结构域分析,通过生物学方法对筛选出的MYB转录因子进行分析,预测其分子量和等电点等理化性质、基序、二级结构和三级结构;并用MEGA 7.0.21与已报道具有抗旱功能的29个MYB蛋白进行多序列比对分析并构建系统进化树。结果表明:蒙古冰草中筛选出9个MYB基因,蛋白大小在113~576 aa,分子量和等电点分别介于12.83~61.52 kD和4.68~9.80 kD之间,都为不稳定的亲水性蛋白;基序预测得到2个特征基序,最长的基序含50个氨基酸;α-螺旋和无规则卷曲是主要的二级结构,三级结构中都含有螺旋-转角-螺旋结构;进化树分析中,38个基因很好的聚为两类,其中Unigene 25843、Unigene 42380、Unigene 52355、Unigene 54016分别于AtMYB33、AtMYB61、Os MYB48-1、AtMYB20在同一分支上,高度同源,推测从蒙古冰草中筛选得到的MYB基因参与干旱胁迫应答,该研究为下一步蒙古冰草MYB基因功能的研究提供帮助。     

苍耳4种溶剂提取物除草活性的研究

以油菜(Brassica campestris L.)、黄瓜(Cucumis sativus L.)、小麦(Triticum aestivum L.)和高粱(Sorghum vulgare Pers.)4种作物种子为供试材料,用种子萌发法测定了苍耳(Xanthium sibiricum Patrin)全株的石油醚、乙酸乙酯、丙酮和苯4种溶剂提取物的除草活性。结果表明,苍耳丙酮提取物对4种作物生长的抑制活性最高,其次为乙酸乙酯提取物和苯提取物,石油醚提取物对4种作物生长的抑制活性最低。不同作物幼根和幼茎对4种溶剂提取物的敏感性不同,油菜和高粱的幼根对苍耳丙酮提取物极为敏感,5 g.L-1苍耳丙酮提取物对油菜和高粱幼根生长的抑制率分别为90.7%和92.1%。     

沙地生境沙拐枣(Calligonum mongolicum)种群特征及其扩张

沙拐枣(Calligonum mongolicum)是分布于我国北方荒漠、半荒漠的一种主要固沙植物,研究沙拐枣种群在沙地生境中的扩张对沙漠-绿洲过渡带的生态恢复和重建管理具有重要的实践意义.以巴丹吉林沙漠延伸带与河西走廊中部张临高绿洲过渡带为研究区域,采用踏查与样方调查相结合的方法对4种不同沙地生境(固定沙丘、半流动沙丘迎风坡、背风坡、丘间低地)中沙拐枣种群特征、繁殖规律、种群的扩张域和扩张速率进行了研究.结果表明:(1) 沙地生境中沙拐枣以有性繁殖为主.固定沙丘、半流动沙丘丘间低地、迎风坡和背风坡萌蘖苗密度占总密度的比值分别为35%、45%、2%、9%;实生苗密度比值分别为65%、55%、98%、91%.(2)不同生境中沙拐枣种群都为增长型种群;(3) 固定沙丘、半流动沙丘迎风坡、背风坡、丘间低地中,沙拐枣种群无性繁殖的扩张域和平均扩张速率分别为1～5m和0.67m/a、1～8m和0.64m/a、0～2m和0.15m/a、1～4m和0.41m/a.同时,3种生境中沙拐枣种群密度及其扩张速率都随着年龄的增长而下降.(4)沙拐枣种群在侵入新的生境过程中,开始于有性繁殖,利用无性繁殖拓展生存空间.