液态地膜覆盖对土壤水分有效性的影响

采用田间微区试验方式,观测和分析了液膜地表覆盖下土壤含水量、花生植株伸长速率、叶面积指数、叶片光合速率、水分利用效率及产量等指标,并利用隶属函数法进行数值转换后,对液膜覆盖的土壤水分有效性进行了分析.结果表明,液膜覆盖提高土壤含水量103％ ～ 167％,且随液膜浓度的增大有效性提高;不同土层间,花生耗水量差异显著,其中以土层深度为20 ～ 40 cm差异最大;液膜覆盖也明显提高了光合速率,增幅为1.9％～15.6％;叶面积指数提高0.3％ ～26.4％,改善了植株光合形态.综合全部指标表明,液膜类型为3号,液膜浓度为高水平时,覆盖效应最为明显.     

An Arylamidase from Flavobacterium meningosepticum

An arylamidase was purified from Flavobacterium meningosepticum by a series of chromatographies on CM-cellulose, DEAE-Sephadex A-50 and Sephadex G-150. The purified enzyme appeared homogeneous on SDS-gel electrophoresis. The molecular weight of the enzyme was estimated to be more than 500,000 dalton by using a column of Sepharose 4B and to be 62,000 when checked by SDS-gel electrophoresis. The enzyme was most active at pH 7.5 toward Leu-β-naphthylamide (Leu-β-NA). It catalyzed the hydrolysis of not only various amino acid-β-naphthylamides but also some peptides, but the hydrolysis rate of the latter substrates was quite low. Cys-di-β-naphthylamide was split by this enzyme at an optimal pH of 6.2. Incubation of oxytocin with the enzyme resulted in a decrease in the biological activity, indicating that this arylamidase possesses an oxytocinase (cystyl aminopeptidase)-like activity.     

Evaluation of Nutritional Availability and Anti-Tumor Activity of Selenium Contained in Selenium-Enriched Kaiware Radish Sprouts

We estimated the nutritional availability of selenium (Se) in Se-enriched Kaiware radish sprouts (SeRS) by the tissue Se deposition and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) activity of rats administered the sprouts, and examined the effect of SeRS on the formation of aberrant crypt foci (ACF) in the colon of mice administered 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH) to evaluate anti-tumor activity. Male weanling Wistar rats were divided into seven groups and fed a Se-deficient basal diet or the basal diet supplemented with 0.05, 0.10, or 0.15 μg/g of Se as sodium selenite or SeRS for 28 d. Supplementation with Se dose-dependently increased serum and liver Se concentrations and GPX activities, and the selenite-supplemented groups showed a higher increase than the SeRS-supplemented groups. The nutritional availability of Se in SeRS was estimated to be 33 or 64% by slope ratio analysis. Male 4-week-old A/J mice were divided into seven groups and fed a low Se basal diet or the basal diet supplemented with selenite, SeRS, or selenite + non-Se-enriched radish sprouts (NonSeRS) at a level of 0.1 or 2.0 μg Se/g for 9 weeks. After 1 week of feeding, all mice were given six subcutaneous injections of DMH (20 mg/kg) at 1-week intervals. The average number of ACF formed in the colon of mice fed the basal diet was 4.3. At a supplementation level of 0.1 μg Se/g, only SeRS significantly inhibited ACF formation. At a supplementation level of 2.0 μg Se/g, both selenite and SeRS significantly inhibited ACF formation. The addition of NonSeRS to the selenite-supplemented diets tended to inhibit ACF formation, but this was not statistically significant. These results indicate that SeRS shows lower nutritional availability but higher anti-tumor activity than selenite.     

Effects of predation environment and food availability on somatic growth in the Livebearing Fish Brachyrhaphis rhabdophora (Pisces: Poeciliidae)

Variation in somatic growth rates is of great interest to biologists because of the relationship between growth and other fitness‐determining traits, and it results from both genetic and environmentally induced variation (i.e. plasticity). Theoretical predictions suggest that mean somatic growth rates and the shape of the reaction norm for growth can be influenced by variation in predator‐induced mortality rates. Few studies have focused on variation in reaction norms for growth in response to resource availability between high‐predation and low‐predation environments. We used juvenile Brachyrhaphis rhabdophora from high‐predation and low‐predation environments to test for variation in mean growth rates and for variation in reaction norms for growth at two levels of food availability in a common‐environment experiment. To test for variation in growth rates in the field, we compared somatic growth rates in juveniles in high‐predation and low‐predation environments. In the common‐environment experiment, mean growth rates did not differ between fish from differing predation environments, but the interaction between predation environment and food level took the form of a crossing reaction norm for both growth in length and mass. Fish from low‐predation environments exhibited no significant difference in growth rate between high and low food treatments. In contrast, fish from high‐predation environments exhibited variation in growth rates between high and low food treatments, with higher food availability resulting in higher growth rates. In the field, individuals in the high‐predation environment grow at a faster rate than those in low‐predation environments at the smallest sizes (comparable to sizes in the common‐environment experiment). These data provide no evidence for evolved differences in mean growth rates between predation environments. However, fish from high‐predation environments exhibited greater plasticity in growth rates in response to resource availability suggesting that predation environments may exhibit increased variation in food availability for prey fish and consequent selection for plasticity.     

Incest versus abstinence: reproductive trade‐offs between mate limitation and progeny fitness in a self‐incompatible invasive plant

Plant mating systems represent an evolutionary and ecological trade‐off between reproductive assurance through selfing and maximizing progeny fitness through outbreeding. However, many plants with sporophytic self‐incompatibility systems exhibit dominance interactions at the S‐locus that allow biparental inbreeding, thereby facilitating mating between individuals that share alleles at the S‐locus. We investigated this trade‐off by estimating mate availability and biparental inbreeding depression in wild radish from five different populations across Australia. We found dominance interactions among S‐alleles increased mate availability relative to estimates based on individuals that did not share S‐alleles. Twelve of the sixteen fitness variables were significantly reduced by inbreeding. For all the three life‐history phases evaluated, self‐fertilized offspring suffered a greater than 50% reduction in fitness, while full‐sib and half‐sib offspring suffered a less than 50% reduction in fitness. Theory indicates that fitness costs greater than 50% can result in an evolutionary trajectory toward a stable state of self‐incompatibility (SI). This study suggests that dominance interactions at the S‐locus provide a possible third stable state between SI and SC where biparental inbreeding increases mate availability with relatively minor fitness costs. This strategy allows weeds to establish in new environments while maintaining a functional SI system.     

Effects of simultaneous infections of endophytic fungi and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on the growth of their shared host grass Achnatherum sibiricum under varying N and P supply

Grasses can be infected by endophytic fungi and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi simultaneously. Here, we investigated the interactions of a native grass, Achnatherum sibiricum, with both endophytic and AM fungi (Glomus mosseae, GM and Glomus etunicatum, GE) at different nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) levels. The results showed that endophyte infection significantly suppressed the colonization rates and spore density of GE, but had no effect on those of GM. Endophyte infection increased shoot biomass regardless of the nutrient conditions. The effects of AM fungi on host growth were dependent on mycorrhizal species. There was no significant interaction between endophytic fungi and GE on host growth; however, a significant interaction between endophytic fungi and GE occurred in total phenolic concentrations and P uptake. As for GM, a significant interaction among endophytic fungi, AM fungi and nutrient availability occurred in shoot growth. Under sufficient N and P conditions, endophyte infection alleviated the detrimental effects of GM colonization on host growth.     

Urban gardens promote bee foraging over natural habitats and plantations

Increasing human land use for agriculture and housing leads to the loss of natural habitat and to widespread declines in wild bees. Bee foraging dynamics and fitness depend on the availability of resources in the surrounding landscape, but how precisely landscape related resource differences affect bee foraging patterns remains unclear. To investigate how landscape and its interaction with season and weather drive foraging and resource intake in social bees, we experimentally compared foraging activity, the allocation of foragers to different resources (pollen, nectar, and resin) and overall resource intake in the Australian stingless bee Tetragonula carbonaria (Apidae, Meliponini). Bee colonies were monitored in different seasons over two years. We compared foraging patterns and resource intake between the bees'' natural habitat (forests) and two landscapes differently altered by humans (suburban gardens and agricultural macadamia plantations). We found foraging activity as well as pollen and nectar forager numbers to be highest in suburban gardens, intermediate in forests and low in plantations. Foraging patterns further differed between seasons, but seasonal variations strongly differed between landscapes. Sugar and pollen intake was low in plantations, but contrary with our predictions, it was even higher in gardens than in forests. In contrast, resin intake was similar across landscapes. Consequently, differences in resource availability between natural and altered landscapes strongly affect foraging patterns and thus resource intake in social bees. While agricultural monocultures largely reduce foraging success, suburban gardens can increase resource intake well above rates found in natural habitats of bees, indicating that human activities can both decrease and increase the availability of resources in a landscape and thus reduce or enhance bee fitness.     

There's no place like home: seedling mortality contributes to the habitat specialisation of tree species across Amazonia

Understanding the mechanisms generating species distributions remains a challenge, especially in hyperdiverse tropical forests. We evaluated the role of rainfall variation, soil gradients and herbivory on seedling mortality, and how variation in seedling performance along these gradients contributes to habitat specialisation. In a 4‐year experiment, replicated at the two extremes of the Amazon basin, we reciprocally transplanted 4638 tree seedlings of 41 habitat‐specialist species from seven phylogenetic lineages among the three most important forest habitats of lowland Amazonia. Rainfall variation, flooding and soil gradients strongly influenced seedling mortality, whereas herbivory had negligible impact. Seedling mortality varied strongly among habitats, consistent with predictions for habitat specialists in most lineages. This suggests that seedling performance is a primary determinant of the habitat associations of adult trees across Amazonia. It further suggests that tree diversity, currently mostly harboured in terra firme forests, may be strongly impacted by the predicted climate changes in Amazonia.