Leaf chlorophyll content as a proxy for leaf photosynthetic capacity

Improving the accuracy of estimates of forest carbon exchange is a central priority for understanding ecosystem response to increased atmospheric CO₂ levels and improving carbon cycle modelling. However, the spatially continuous parameterization of photosynthetic capacity (Vcmax) at global scales and appropriate temporal intervals within terrestrial biosphere models (TBMs) remains unresolved. This research investigates the use of biochemical parameters for modelling leaf photosynthetic capacity within a deciduous forest. Particular attention is given to the impacts of seasonality on both leaf biophysical variables and physiological processes, and their interdependent relationships. Four deciduous tree species were sampled across three growing seasons (2013–2015), approximately every 10 days for leaf chlorophyll content (Chl_Leaf) and canopy structure. Leaf nitrogen (N_Area) was also measured during 2014. Leaf photosynthesis was measured during 2014–2015 using a Li‐6400 gas‐exchange system, with A‐Ci curves to model Vcmax. Results showed that seasonality and variations between species resulted in weak relationships between Vcmax normalized to 25°C () and N_Area (R² = 0.62, P < 0.001), whereas Chl_Leaf demonstrated a much stronger correlation with (R² = 0.78, P < 0.001). The relationship between Chl_Leaf and N_Area was also weak (R² = 0.47, P < 0.001), possibly due to the dynamic partitioning of nitrogen, between and within photosynthetic and nonphotosynthetic fractions. The spatial and temporal variability of was mapped using Landsat TM/ETM satellite data across the forest site, using physical models to derive Chl_Leaf. TBMs largely treat photosynthetic parameters as either fixed constants or varying according to leaf nitrogen content. This research challenges assumptions that simple N_Area– relationships can reliably be used to constrain photosynthetic capacity in TBMs, even within the same plant functional type. It is suggested that Chl_Leaf provides a more accurate, direct proxy for and is also more easily retrievable from satellite data. These results have important implications for carbon modelling within deciduous ecosystems.     

Patterns and drivers of Araucaria araucana forest growth along a biophysical gradient in the northern Patagonian Andes: Linking tree rings with satellite observations of soil moisture

Araucaria araucana (Araucaria) is a long‐lived conifer growing along a sharp west–east biophysical gradient in the Patagonian Andes. The patterns and climate drivers of Araucaria growth have typically been documented on the driest part of the gradient relying on correlations with meteorological records, but the lack of in situ soil moisture observations has precluded an assessment of the growth responses to soil moisture variability. Here, we use a network of 21 tree‐ring width chronologies to investigate the spatiotemporal patterns of tree growth through the entire gradient and evaluate their linkages with regional climate and satellite‐observed surface soil moisture variability. We found that temporal variations in tree growth are remarkably similar throughout the gradient and largely driven by soil moisture variability. The regional spatiotemporal pattern of tree growth was positively correlated with precipitation (r = 0.35 for January 1920–1974; P < 0.01) and predominantly negatively correlated with temperature (r = ?0.38 for January–March 1920–1974; P < 0.01) during the previous growing season. These correlations suggest a temporally lagged growth response to summer moisture that could be associated with known physiological carry‐over processes in conifers and to a response to moisture variability at deeper layers of the rooting zone. Notably, satellite observations revealed a previously unobserved response of Araucaria growth to summer surface soil moisture during the current rather than the previous growing season (r = 0.65 for 1979–2000; P < 0.05). This new response has a large spatial footprint across the mid‐latitudes of the South American continent (35°–45°S) and highlights the potential of Araucaria tree rings for palaeoclimatic applications. The strong moisture constraint on tree growth revealed by satellite observations suggests that projected summer drying during the coming decades may result in regional growth declines in Araucaria forests and other water‐limited ecosystems in the Patagonian Andes.     

Succession of bacterial community composition over two consecutive years in two aquatic systems: a natural lake and a lake-reservoir

The succession in bacterial community composition was studied over two years in the epilimnion and hypolimnion of two freshwater systems: a natural lake (Pavin Lake) and a lake-reservoir (Sep Reservoir). The bacterial community composition was determined by cloning-sequencing of 16S rRNA and by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism. Despite large hydrogeological differences, in the Sep Reservoir and Pavin Lake the dominant bacteria were from the same taxonomic divisions, particularly Actinobacteria and Betaproteobacteria. In both ecosystems, these major bacterial divisions showed temporal fluctuations that were much less marked than those occurring at a finer phylogenetic scale. Nutrient availability and mortality factors, the nature of which differed from one lake to another, covaried with the temporal variations in the bacterial community composition at all sampling depths, whereas factors related to seasonal forces (temperature and outflow for Sep Reservoir) seemed to account only for the variation of the hypolimnion bacterial community composition. No seasonal reproducibility in temporal evolution of bacterial community from one year to the next was observed.     

The coiled-coil domain of Escherichia coli FtsLB is a structurally detuned element critical for modulating its activation in bacterial cell division

The FtsLB complex is a key regulator of bacterial cell division, existing in either an off state or an on state, which supports the activation of septal peptidoglycan synthesis. In Escherichia coli, residues known to be critical for this activation are located in a region near the C-terminal end of the periplasmic coiled-coil domain of FtsLB, raising questions about the precise role of this conserved domain in the activation mechanism. Here, we investigate an unusual cluster of polar amino acids found within the core of the FtsLB coiled coil. We hypothesized that these amino acids likely reduce the structural stability of the domain and thus may be important for governing conformational changes. We found that mutating these positions to hydrophobic residues increased the thermal stability of FtsLB but caused cell division defects, suggesting that the coiled-coil domain is a “detuned” structural element. In addition, we identified suppressor mutations within the polar cluster, indicating that the precise identity of the polar amino acids is important for fine-tuning the structural balance between the off and on states. We propose a revised structural model of the tetrameric FtsLB (named the “Y-model”) in which the periplasmic domain splits into a pair of coiled-coil branches. In this configuration, the hydrophilic terminal moieties of the polar amino acids remain more favorably exposed to water than in the original four-helix bundle model (“I-model”). We propose that a shift in this architecture, dependent on its marginal stability, is involved in activating the FtsLB complex and triggering septal cell wall reconstruction.     

Novel strategies for inhibition of bacterial biofilm in chronic rhinosinusitis

An important role has been recently reported for bacterial biofilm in the pathophysiology of chronic diseases, such as chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). CRS, affecting sinonasal mucosa, is a persistent inflammatory condition with a high prevalence around the world. Although the exact pathological mechanism of this disease has not been elicited yet, biofilm formation is known to lead to a more significant symptom burden and major objective clinical indicators. The high prevalence of multidrug-resistant bacteria has severely restricted the application of antibiotics in recent years. Furthermore, systemic antibiotic therapy, on top of its insufficient concentration to eradicate bacteria in the sinonasal biofilm, often causes toxicity, antibiotic resistance, and an effect on the natural microbiota, in patients. Thus, coming up with alternative therapeutic options instead of systemic antibiotic therapy is emphasized in the treatment of bacterial biofilm in CRS patients. The use of topical antibiotic therapy and antibiotic eluting sinus stents that induce higher antibiotic concentration, and decrease side effects could be helpful. Besides, recent research recognized that various natural products, nitric oxide, and bacteriophage therapy, in addition to the hindered biofilm formation, could degrade the established bacterial biofilm. However, despite these improvements, new antibacterial agents and CRS biofilm interactions are complicated and need extensive research. Finally, most studies were performed in vitro, and more preclinical animal models and human studies are required to confirm the collected data. The present review is specifically discussing potential therapeutic strategies for the treatment of bacterial biofilm in CRS patients.     

The applicability of empirical vegetation indices for determining leaf chlorophyll content over different leaf and canopy structures

Retrieving leaf chlorophyll content at a range of spatio-temporal scales is central to monitoring vegetation productivity, identifying physiological stress and managing biological resources. However, estimating leaf chlorophyll over broad spatial extents using ground-based traditional methods is time and resource heavy. Satellite-derived spectral vegetation indices (VIs) are commonly used to estimate leaf chlorophyll content, however they are often developed and tested on broadleaf species. Relatively little research has assessed VIs for different leaf structures, particularly needle leaves which represent a large component of boreal forest and significant global ecosystems. This study tested the performance of 47 published VIs for estimating foliar chlorophyll content from different leaf and canopy structures (broadleaf and needle). Coniferous and deciduous sites were selected in Ontario, Canada, representing different dominant vegetation species (Picea mariana and Acer saccharum) and a variety of canopy structures. Leaf reflectance data was collected using an ASD Fieldspec Pro spectroradiometer (400–2500 nm) for over 300 leaf samples. Canopy reflectance data was acquired from the medium resolution imaging spectrometer (MERIS). At the canopy level, with both leaf types combined, the DD-index showed the strongest relationship with leaf chlorophyll (R² = 0.78; RMSE = 3.56 μg/cm²), despite differences in leaf structure. For needleleaf trees alone the relationship with the top VI was weaker (D_[red], R² = 0.71; RMSE = 2.32 μg/cm²). A sensitivity study using simulated VIs from physically-modelled leaf (PROSPECT) and canopy (4-Scale) reflectance was performed in order to further investigate these results and assess the impacts of different background types and leaf area index on the VIs’ performance. At the leaf level, the MNDVI8 index showed a strong linearity to changing chlorophyll and negligible difference to leaf structure/type. At canopy level, the best performing VIs were relatively consistent where LAI ≥ 4, but responded strongly to differences in background at low canopy coverage (LAI = 2). This research provides comprehensive assessments for the use of spectral indices in retrieval of spatially-continuous leaf chlorophyll content at the leaf (MTCI: R² = 0.72; p < 0.001) and canopy (DD: R² = 0.78; p < 0.001) level for resource management over different spatial and temporal scales.     

Landscape,soil and meteorological influences on canopy dynamics of northern flooding Pampa grasslands,Argentina

Question: How do meteorological variations at seasonal, interannual scales differentially affect the canopy dynamics of four contrasting landscape units within a region? Location: Flooding Pampa, Buenos Aires, Argentina. 5000 km². Central point: 35°15′S, 57°45′W. Methods: We used a 19‐year series of the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) derived from NOAA‐AVHRR PAL (Pathfinder AVHRR Land) images and meteorological data provided by a nearby weather station. The NDVI was used as surrogate of canopy photosynthetic status. The relationship between annually integrated NDVI and meteorological conditions was explored by stepwise multiple regressions for each defined unit. PC A was performed to compare units and growing seasons on a multivariate basis. Results: Mean seasonal NDVI curve was similarly shaped among landscapes. However, the absolute values differed widely. There was high interannual variation so that the mean seasonal pattern was seldom observed in any particular year. Annually integrated NDVI of all landscapes was negatively associated with summer temperature and positively with previous year precipitation. It was also directly related with current year winter precipitation in two landscapes and with summer precipitation in the others. NDVI response to September and March precipitation accounted for some of the differences in interannual variation among landscapes. Conclusions: Our results revealed a strong intra‐regional variation of canopy dynamics, closely linked to landscape (vegetation‐soil) and water availability (mainly in summer and during the previous year). These links may be used to predict forage production rates for livestock.     

The Preprotein Binding Domain of SecA Displays Intrinsic Rotational Dynamics

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基于高通量测序的乐安江冬季细菌群落特征分析

【目的】分析乐安江从上游至下游水体细菌群落结构组成变化,揭示细菌群落结构组成变化的影响因素。【方法】分析不同河段水体中C、N、P、Cu、Zn、As和Pb等化学指标。对水体DNA的16S rRNA基因进行高通量测序确定细菌群落特征。基于Bray-Curtis距离的采样点非度量多维尺度(NMDS)分析和聚类分析研究乐安江水体细菌群落结构差异,基于冗余分析(RDA)研究环境因子与细菌群落的关系。【结果】乐安江水体中C、N、P、Cu、Zn、As和Pb等化学指标含量中下游偏高。中游河水受德兴铜矿废水影响,细菌群落多样性降低,下游受农业、生活废水影响,细菌群落丰富度和多样性升高。水体中优势菌群为β-变形菌纲(Beta-proteobacteria,53.03%)、放线菌门(Actinobacteria,20.24%)和拟杆菌门(Bacteroidetes,14.75%)。中游受德兴铜矿废水影响,Beta-proteobacteria丰度增大,而Actinobacteria丰度减小;下游受微生物间捕食影响,Bacteroidetes丰度下降。在细菌群落与环境因子的关系中,DO是解释乐安江细菌群落结构变化的最佳环境因子。【结论】乐安江中游德兴铜矿废水和中下游农业、生活废水明显改变了水体细菌群落结构组成,使水体细菌群落特征从上游到下游发生显著变化。本研究为揭示人类活动对乐安江水生态环境的影响提供了参考性数据。