Cole–Cole, linear and multivariate modeling of capacitance data for on-line monitoring of biomass

This work evaluates three techniques of calibrating capacitance (dielectric) spectrometers used for on-line monitoring of biomass: modeling of cell properties using the theoretical Cole–Cole equation, linear regression of dual-frequency capacitance measurements on biomass concentration, and multivariate (PLS) modeling of scanning dielectric spectra. The performance and robustness of each technique is assessed during a sequence of validation batches in two experimental settings of differing signal noise. In more noisy conditions, the Cole–Cole model had significantly higher biomass concentration prediction errors than the linear and multivariate models. The PLS model was the most robust in handling signal noise. In less noisy conditions, the three models performed similarly. Estimates of the mean cell size were done additionally using the Cole–Cole and PLS models, the latter technique giving more satisfactory results.     

Counteractive biomass allocation responses to drought and damage in the perennial herb Convolvulus demissus

Herbivory and water shortage are key ecological factors affecting plant performance. While plant compensatory responses to herbivory include reallocation of biomass from below‐ground to above‐ground structures, plant responses to reduced soil moisture involve increased biomass allocation to roots and a reduction in the number and size of leaves. In a greenhouse study we evaluated the effects of experimental drought and leaf damage on biomass allocation in Convolvulus demissus (Convolvulaceae), a perennial herb distributed in central Chile, where it experiences summer drought typical of Mediterranean ecosystems and defoliation by leaf beetles and livestock. The number of leaves and internode length were unaffected by the experimental treatments. The rest of plant traits showed interaction of effects. We detected that drought counteracted some plant responses to damage. Thus, only in the control watering environment was it observed that damaged plants produced more stems, even after correcting for main stem length (index of architecture). In the cases of shoot : root ratio, relative shoot biomass and relative root biomass we found that the damage treatment counteracted plant responses to drought. Thus, while undamaged plants under water shortage showed a significant increase in root relative biomass and a significant reduction in both shoot : root ratio and relative shoot biomass, none of these responses to drought was observed in damaged plants. Total plant biomass increased in response to simulated herbivory, apparently due to greater shoot size, and in response to drought, presumably due to greater root size. However, damaged plants under experimental drought had the same total biomass as control plants. Overall, our results showed counteractive biomass allocation responses to drought and damage in C. demissus. Further research must address the fitness consequences under field conditions of the patterns found. This would be of particular importance because both current and expected climatic trends for central Chile indicate increased aridity.     

Land use and climatic factors structure regional patterns in soil microbial communities

Aim  Although patterns are emerging for macroorganisms, we have limited understanding of the factors determining soil microbial community composition and productivity at large spatial extents. The overall objective of this study was to discern the drivers of microbial community composition at the extent of biogeographical provinces and regions. We hypothesized that factors associated with land use and climate would drive soil microbial community composition and biomass.
Location  Great Basin Province, Desert Province and California Floristic Province, California, USA.
Methods  Using phospholipid fatty acid analysis, we compared microbial communities across eight land-use types sampled throughout the State of California, USA ( n = 1117).
Results  The main factor driving composition and microbial biomass was land-use type, especially as related to water availability and disturbance. Dry soils were more enriched in Gram-negative bacteria and fungi, and wetter soils were more enriched in Gram-positive, anaerobic and sulphate-reducing bacteria. Microbial biomass was lowest in ecosystems with the wettest and driest soils. Disturbed soils had less fungal and more Gram-positive bacterial biomass than wildland soils. However, some factors known to influence microbial communities, such as soil pH and specific plant taxa, were not important here.
Main conclusions  Distinct microbial communities were associated with land-use types and disturbance at the regional extent. Overall, soil water availability was an important determinant of soil microbial community composition. However, because of the inclusion of managed and irrigated agricultural ecosystems, the effect of precipitation was not significant. Effects of environmental and management factors, such as flooding, tillage and irrigation, suggest that agricultural management can have larger effects on soil microbial communities than elevation and precipitation gradients.     

Enhanced terrestrial carbon uptake in the Northern High Latitudes in the 21st century from the Coupled Carbon Cycle Climate Model Intercomparison Project model projections

The ongoing and projected warming in the northern high latitudes (NHL; poleward of 60 °N) may lead to dramatic changes in the terrestrial carbon cycle. On the one hand, warming and increasing atmospheric CO₂ concentration stimulate vegetation productivity, taking up CO₂. On the other hand, warming accelerates the decomposition of soil organic matter (SOM), releasing carbon into the atmosphere. Here, the NHL terrestrial carbon storage is investigated based on 10 models from the Coupled Carbon Cycle Climate Model Intercomparison Project. Our analysis suggests that the NHL will be a carbon sink of 0.3 ± 0.3 Pg C yr^?1 by 2100. The cumulative land organic carbon storage is modeled to increase by 38 ± 20 Pg C over 1901 levels, of which 17 ± 8 Pg C comes from vegetation (43%) and 21 ± 16 Pg C from the soil (8%). Both CO₂ fertilization and warming enhance vegetation growth in the NHL. Although the intense warming there enhances SOM decomposition, soil organic carbon (SOC) storage continues to increase in the 21st century. This is because higher vegetation productivity leads to more turnover (litterfall) into the soil, a process that has received relatively little attention. However, the projected growth rate of SOC begins to level off after 2060 when SOM decomposition accelerates at high temperature and then catches up with the increasing input from vegetation turnover. Such competing mechanisms may lead to a switch of the NHL SOC pool from a sink to a source after 2100 under more intense warming, but large uncertainty exists due to our incomplete understanding of processes such as the strength of the CO₂ fertilization effect, permafrost, and the role of soil moisture. Unlike the CO₂ fertilization effect that enhances vegetation productivity across the world, global warming increases the productivity at high latitudes but tends to reduce it in the tropics and mid‐latitudes. These effects are further enhanced as a result of positive carbon cycle–climate feedbacks due to additional CO₂ and warming.     

Best host‐plant attribute for species–area relationship,and effects of shade,conspecific distance and plant phenophase in an arthropod community within the grass Muhlenbergia robusta

Increased understanding of the species–area relationship (SAR) can improve its usefulness as a tool for prediction of species loss for biodiversity conservation targets. This study was conducted: (i) to determine the best plant attribute for the SAR in the community of arthropods living within the grass Muhlenbergia robusta; (ii) to determine the contribution of phenophases of plant foliage (dry and fresh), shade and conspecific distance to the variation in arthropod richness within the plant; (iii) to determine the best functional model of changes in the abundance, diversity and biomass in communities of arthropods in response to increases in plant size; (iv) to determine the best host‐plant attribute for prediction of these community attributes; and (v) to determine the effect of the plant phenophase, shade and M. robusta isolation on the abundance, diversity and biomass of the arthropod community. The above‐ground dry weight of grass was found to be the best host‐plant attribute for the SAR, while the light environment explained the arthropod richness within the grass, with higher richness observed in shaded environments. This study also showed that the best functional mathematical models for estimation of changes in the abundance, dry weight and diversity of arthropods in response to increases in grass size (dry weight) are the power model, exponential model and logarithmic model, respectively. Furthermore, the host‐plant foliage phenophase, shade and the isolation of M. robusta with other conspecifics had no effect on the abundance, biomass or diversity per basal area of the grass.     

Effects of an experimental drought on the functioning of a cacao agroforestry system,Sulawesi, Indonesia

Agroforestry systems may play a critical role in reducing the vulnerability of farmers' livelihood to droughts as tree‐based systems provide several mechanisms that can mitigate the impacts from extreme weather events. Here, we use a replicated throughfall reduction experiment to study the drought response of a cacao/Gliricidia stand over a 13‐month period. Soil water content was successfully reduced down to a soil depth of at least 2.5 m. Contrary to our expectations we measured only relatively small nonsignificant changes in cacao (?11%) and Gliricidia (?12%) sap flux densities, cacao leaf litterfall (+8%), Gliricidia leaf litterfall (?2%), soil carbon dioxide efflux (?14%), and cacao yield (?10%) during roof closure. However, cacao bean yield in roof plots was substantially lower (?45%) compared with control plots during the main harvest following the period when soil water content was lowest. This indicates that cacao bean yield was more sensitive to drought than other ecosystem functions. We found evidence in this agroforest that there is complementary use of soil water resources through vertical partitioning of water uptake between cacao and Gliricidia. This, in combination with acclimation may have helped cacao trees to cope with the induced drought. Cacao agroforests may thus play an important role as a drought‐tolerant land use in those (sub‐) tropical regions where the frequency and severity of droughts is projected to increase.     

添加氮肥对沙地樟子松幼苗生物量分配与叶片生理特性的影响

设计5个氮肥(NH4NO3)添加水平(g.m-2):0(CK)、10.0(N1)、20.0(N2)、40.0(N3)和50.0(N4),研究了沙地樟子松幼苗生长与生理学指标的季节变化。结果表明,添加氮肥促进了幼苗的高生长、相对生长速率、单株总生物量的增加,对叶片相对含水量没有影响;N4水平促进了叶片脯氨酸含量的积累。单叶重、株高、地径、叶重比、叶绿素(a b)、叶绿素a以及叶绿素b含量等均在N3水平下达到最大值。在1个生长季的观测中,添加氮肥主要促进了樟子松幼苗在5~7月份的生长,其中N3水平对樟子松幼苗生长发育的促进作用最大。     

西双版纳橡胶林生物量随海拔梯度的变化

对西双版纳低(550~600 m)、中(750~800 m)、高(950~1050 m)3个海拔梯度上橡胶林地上及各器官的生物量进行了测定。结果表明,海拔从低到高,地上生物量和干生物量都呈降低趋势,干生物量占地上生物量的70%以上;海拔间的地上生物量和干生物量差异显著(P<0.05)。枝和叶生物量为中海拔最高,低海拔次之,高海拔最低,二者分别占地上生物量20%和5%左右,仅高海拔和低海拔间差异显著(P<0.05)。气温的海拔间差异可能是引起生物量海拔间差异的重要原因之一。3个海拔上各器官生物量大小顺序为:干>枝>叶。橡胶林低海拔模型用于中海拔和高海拔、混合模型用于各海拔的生物量计算会导致不同程度的误差。     

平板式光生物反应器中紫球藻培养条件的优化

研究了平板式光生物反应器中紫球藻(Porphyridium cruentumNaegeli)的培养条件,运用均匀设计法对光照强度、通气速率、装液量、接种密度以及pH等影响紫球藻生长的因素进行优化,获得了在平板式光生物反应器中培养紫球藻的最佳条件:光照强度10 000 lx、通气速率350 L.h-1、装液量6 L、藻细胞接种密度1.1×106mL-1、pH9.0。在最佳条件下藻体的生物量产率和生物量产量分别达到0.431 g.L-1.d-1和3.240 g.L-1,最大生长速率达0.652 g.L-1.d-1,胞外多糖含量高达0.665 g.L-1。另外,在培养过程中隔天补充培养液有利于紫球藻生物量的增加和胞外多糖的产生。