An analysis of the energetic reward offered by field bean (Vicia faba) flowers: Nectar,pollen, and operative force

Global consumption of crops with a yield that is dependent on animal pollinators is growing, with greater areas planted each year. However, the floral traits that influence pollinator visitation are not usually the focus of breeding programmes, and therefore, it is likely that yield improvements may be made by optimizing floral traits to enhance pollinator visitation rates. We investigated the variation present in the floral reward of the bee‐pollinated crop Vicia faba (field bean). We examined the genetic potential for breeding flowers with a greater reward into current commercial varieties and used bee behavioral experiments to gain insight into the optimal nectar concentration to maximize bee preference. There was a large range of variation in the amount of pollen and nectar reward of flowers in the genotypes investigated. Bee behavioral experiments using nectar sugar concentrations found in V. faba lines suggest that Bombus terrestris prefers 55% w/w sugar solution over 40% w/w, but has no preference between 55% w/w and 68% w/w sugar solution. We provide a first indication of the force required to open V. faba flowers. Our results provide a valuable starting point toward breeding for varieties with optimized floral reward. Field studies are now needed to verify whether the genetic potential for breeding more rewarding flowers can translate into higher yield and yield stability.     

人为干扰对闽北森林群落物种多样性的影响

本文从群落及其组成结构等方面分析了闽北长期封禁保护的森林（ｃｏｎｓｅｒｖｅｄｆｏｒｅｓｔ,ＣＦ）和人为干扰后的退化森林（ｄｅｇｒａｄｅｄｆｏｒｅｓｔ,ＤＦ）群落物种多样性,结果认为,ＤＦ群落的植物物种丰富度和ＳｈａｎｎｏｎＷｉｅｎｅｒ指数与ＣＦ群落相近或略高,但ＤＦ群落植物种类组成和层次结构的物种多样性发生明显变化,群落物种种群基础已改变,稀有种和渐危种缺乏,这正是ＤＦ与ＣＦ群落物种多样性的本质差异。     

Herbicide resistant rice (Oryza sativa L.): Global implications for weedy rice and weed management*

Rice cultivars resistant to broad‐spectrum herbicides have been developed and their commercial release is imminent, especially for imidazolinone and glufosinate resistant varieties in the USA and Latin America. Glyphosate‐resistant rice should follow within a few years. Rice growers throughout the world could benefit from the introduction of herbicide‐resistant rice cultivars that would allow in‐crop, selective control of weedy Oryza species. Other perceived benefits are the possibility to control ‘hard‐to‐kill’ weed species and weed populations that have already evolved resistance to herbicides currently used in rice production, especially those of the Echinochloa species complex. Weed management could also be improved by more efficient post‐emergence control. Introduction of herbicide resistant rice could also bring areas heavily infested with weedy rice that have been abandoned back to rice production, allow longer term crop rotations, reduce consumption of fossil fuels, promote the replacement of traditional chemicals by more environmentally benign products, and provide more rice grain without adding new land to production. There are also concerns, however, about the impact of releasing herbicide‐resistant rice on weed problems. Of most concern is the possibility of rapid transfer of the resistance trait to compatible weedy Oryza species. Development of such herbicide resistant weedy rice populations would substantially limit the chemical weed management options for farmers. Herbicide‐resistant rice volunteers also could become problematic, and added selection pressure to weed populations could aggravate already serious weed resistance problems. Because of the risk of weedy Oryza species becoming resistant to broad‐spectrum herbicides, mitigating measures to prevent gene flow, eventually attainable by both conventional breeding and molecular genetics, have been proposed. With commercialisation of the first herbicide resistant varieties planned for 2001, these mitigating measures will not be available for use with this first generation of herbicide resistant rice products. Release of herbicide resistant rice should depend on a thorough risk assessment especially in areas infested with con‐specific weedy rice or intercrossing weedy Oryza species. Regulators will have to balance risks and benefits based on local needs and conditions before allowing commercialisation of herbicide‐resistant rice varieties. If accepted, these varieties should be considered as components of integrated weed management, and a rational herbicide use and weedy rice control should be promoted to prevent losing this novel tool.     

UDP-galactose 4′-epimerase from vicia faba seeds

UDP-Galactose 4′-epimerase was purified ca 800-fold through a multi-step procedure which included affinity chromatography using NAD⁺ -Agarose. Three forms of the enzyme were separated by gel-filtration but only the major form was purified. The pH optimum of the enzyme was 9.5. Exogenous NAD⁺ was not required for enzymic activity but its removal caused inactivation. The enzyme was unstable below pH 7.0 but stable at pH 8.0 in the presence of glycerol and at ?20° for two months. The equilibrium constant for the enzyme-catalysed reaction was 3.2 ± 0.15. The K_m for UDP-galactose and UDP-glucose were 0.12 mM and 0.25 mM, respectively. The inhibition by NADH was competitive, with a K_i of 5 μM. The MW of the enzyme was 78 000; the two minor forms showed the values of 158 000 and 39 000, respectively.     

Very-broad-scale assessment of human impacts on river condition

1. Management of whole rivers and river catchments requires a comprehensive set of information about river condition and use, both existing and historical, and the links between them at regional, state or national scales. This paper outlines a new approach to the assessment of river condition, using a small team was able to assess 210 000 km of rivers across more than 3 million km² of Australia in little more than a year. 2. The approach was driven by a hierarchical model of river function, which assumed that broad‐scale catchment characteristics affect local hydrology, habitat features, water quality and, ultimately, aquatic biota. The model provided the basis for selecting important ecologically relevant features that indices should represent. For each reach of each river we derived a biological index and an environmental index based on measures quantifying catchment and hydrological condition, and habitat and water quality condition. Data came from existing state and national databases, satellite images, site measurements and process models. 3. All indices were calculated as deviation from a reference condition, were range‐standardised and were divided into equivalent bands of condition. Amalgamation of index components and of sub‐indices was determined by consideration of their ecological effects; for example, general degradation might be additive, but toxic effects of one component would override all others. 4. Several internal and external validation methods were employed, with the all‐important validation of the final assessments undertaken by comparison with a similar index based on locally measured data. 5. The environmental assessment classified 14% of reaches as largely unmodified, 67% as moderately modified and 19% as substantially modified by human impacts. The biological assessment based on site assessments and modelled data using invertebrates indicated that 70% of reaches were equivalent to reference condition and that 30% were significantly impaired. Catchment disturbance, elevated sediment and nutrient loads, and habitat degradation all contributed to these results. These impacts have all occurred during the last 200 years (post‐European settlement). 6. Partly as a result of the assessments of this study the Australian Government has begun to adopt a more environmentally sustainable approach to broad‐scale water management.     

Raman spectroscopic study of the valinomycin--KSCN complex

This paper reports the first Raman spectroscopic study of the potassium complex of the cation-specific antibiotic valinomycin. Complete Raman spectra (140 to 3600 cm^?1) of crystalline valinomycin-KSCN and its CCl₄, CHCl₃ and C₂H₅OH solutions are presented and used to probe the structure of the complex in these environments. In all cases a single, narrow peak is observed in the ester CO stretch region (1750 to 1775 cm^?1) which contrasts strongly with the broad bands observed in solutions of uncomplexed valinomycin. This is consistent with the presence of a single conformation in which all six ester CO groups co-ordinate an enclosed potassium ion. We find that although the ester CO stretch frequencies of the complex are similar in the solid state and in non-polar solution (~1770 cm^?1) they are considerably different in the presence of polar solvents (~1756 cm^?1); this may indicate that the complexed potassium ion is still free to interact with nearby solvent ions (and possibly its counterion) through gaps in the hydrophobic “shield” provided by the hydrocarbon residues of valinomycin. In contrast the amide CO frequencies of the complex (~1650 cm^?1) are solvent-independent. These groups are apparently strongly hydrogen-bonded to provide a rather rigid, compact framework for the complex conformation.     

Some Characteristics of Red Light-induced Substance(s) against Botrytis cinerea Produced in Broad Bean Leaflets

The red light-induced antifungal substance(s) produced in broad bean was of relatively high molecular weight, water soluble, heat stable and fungi specific. Cellulose thin layer chromatography (TLC) of infection droplets of Botrytis cinerea or water droplets without spores of B. cinerea, recovered from inoculated broad bean leaflets kept under red light for 48 h, displayed inhibition zones at approximate Rf values of 0.0 and 0.6. Inhibition zones observed in cellulose TLC of water droplets were relatively faint compared to those of infection droplets. In a time-course study of accumulation of the antifungal substance(s), antifungal activity in both water and infection droplets recovered from red light irradiated broad bean leaflets occurred after 24 h irradiation. However, the antifungal activity in infection droplets was significantly higher than in water droplets. The antifungal substance(s) was less active against Botrytis fabae than B. cinerea.     

青冈常绿阔叶林内的小气候特征

分析我国中亚热带东部青冈（Ｑｕｅｒｃｕｓｇｌａｕｃａ）常绿阔叶林内的小气候特征,１９９３～１９９５年的研究结果表明：①到达青冈林的总太阳辐射为３３４４７８０ｋＪ／（ｍ２·ａ）,四季中群落的反射率、透射率和吸收率分别为１６％～２２％、９％～１２％和６７％～７４％。②林冠外上方及群落上层气温在白天高于群落下层,夜间低于群落下层,可相差３～５℃,夏季差异最大。③林内外空气相对湿度的日动态呈“Ｕ”型变化,林内夜间湿度高达９０％左右,午间较低,在５０％左右。在四季的晴天中,林冠上方的空气相对湿度均低于林内,相差５％～２２％,夏季和冬季差异最大。④林中的ＣＯ２浓度在林冠层最低,近地面层最高,各季节始终低于林外,其中夏、秋两季最明显。⑤在春、夏、秋３季中,土壤温度为白天高于夜间,而冬季则为夜间高于白天;土壤湿度以冬、春季较高（３１．９％和２８．５％）,夏季最低（１４．２％）。由于青冈次生林的叶面积指数较小,群落结构较简单,因而整个群落的透光系数较大,群落内外空气温湿度的差异也较小,体现出幼年林向中年林过渡阶段的特点     

浙江天童常绿阔叶林演替过程凋落物数量及分解动态

浙江天童常绿阔叶林演替过程森林凋落物量呈增长趋势,其中：乔木叶比例最大,其它器官组分在不同演替阶段的比例不一致,灌木叶和草本、树皮比例随着演替进程而呈减少趋势,树枝和繁殖器官则呈增大趋势。以分解袋法测得凋落物年失重率和指数方程模拟的分解系数Ｋ在演替过程中均呈增长趋势,这与年凋落物数量变化趋势相似。可见,随着演替进程,生物循环加快,群落自肥能力增强。     

增强UV—B辐射和CO2复合作用对蚕豆幼苗生长和光合作用的影响

在4.52 kJ*m-2*d-1 UV-BBE的UV-B辐射和700 μmol*mol-1的CO2浓度人工模拟复合处理下,研究了对蚕豆(Vicia faba L.)幼苗的生长和光合作用的影响.结果表明,UV-B辐射单因子明显降低蚕豆幼苗的株高、叶面积和生物量,CO2单因子的作用正好相反,二者的作用程度随着处理时间的延长而增大.UV-B辐射和CO2复合作用对蚕豆幼苗的生长影响不明显.同时,增强的UV-B辐射单因子还使蚕豆幼苗的光合速率、气孔导度和水分利用率下降,CO2单因子的作用也相反,且CO2单因子的促进程度大于UV-B辐射单因子的抑制程度.而在UV-B辐射和CO2复合作用下,蚕豆幼苗的光合作用参数基本与对照同步.分析认为,UV-B辐射和CO2复合作用对蚕豆幼苗的影响是一种拮抗作用.