Physiological aspects of Taxus brevifolia seeds in relation to seed storage characteristics

Water relations, desiccation tolerance and longevity of Taxus brevifolia (Nutt.) seeds were studied to determine the optimal stage of development and storage conditions for seeds of this species. Seeds equilibrated to a range of relative humidities (RHs) had unusually low water contents which can be accounted for by the high lipid content of gametophyte tissues (71% of the dry mass). Water relations of embryonic tissue were more typical of those reported for other seed species. The water content below which freezing transitions were not observable in the embryo was ca 0.24 g H₂O (g dry weight)⁻¹ (g g⁻¹) for all maturity classes studied. Embryos did not achieve significant levels of desiccation tolerance (survival to water contents less than 0.5 g g⁻¹) until the latter stages of development when dry matter was maximal. Mature embryos could be dried to 0.025 g g⁻¹ (seed water content of 0.010 g g⁻¹) with no loss of viability. Thus, at the latter stages of development, embryo water content could be optimized to avoid both desiccation and freezing damage. Survival of mature seeds declined over a 2-year period when seeds were stored at temperatures between 5 and 35°C and RHs between 14 and 75%, corresponding to seed water contents between 0.015 and 0.07 g g⁻¹. The deterioration rate was slowest for seeds stored at the lowest RH and temperature. Our data indicate that seeds of Taxus brevifolia show orthodox rather than recalcitrant storage characteristics, but that the optimum water content for storage was extremely low. The results suggest that even if stored at optimal water contents and low temperatures, T. brevifolia seeds will be relatively short lived. The high quantity of lipids or reducing sugars may be contributing factors in the poor storage characteristics.     

Ultrastructural changes in rhizome parenchyma of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Polypodium vulgare</Emphasis> during dehydration with or without abscisic acid pretreatment

Common polypody (Polypodium vulgare L.) belongs to desiccation-tolerant ferns. The structure of storage parenchyma of their rhizome was examined by transmission electron microscopy after dehydration and subsequent rewetting. Analysis revealed that treatment with supplemental abscisic acid resulted in protection of cells against ultrastructural damage compared to untreated ones. Dehydration rate appears to modify the ability of rhizome parenchyma to stand water stress.     

枇杷种子的脱水敏感性与膜脂过氧化作用

枇杷种子不耐贮藏,属于脱水敏感的种子。在干燥脱水过程中,子叶和胚轴的超氧物歧化酶（ＳＯＤ） 和过氧化物酶（ＰＯＤ） 活性不断下降,而丙二醛（ ＭＤＡ） 含量及种子浸泡液的电导率不断增加,种子活力逐渐降低。外源０ ．０５ ～０ ．２５ ｍｍｏｌ／Ｌ 的抗坏血酸（ＡＳＡ） ,０ ．０５ ～５ ．０ ｍｍｏｌ／Ｌ 的还原性谷胱甘肽（ＧＳＨ）和０ ．０５ ～０ ．５ ｍｍｏｌ／Ｌ 的Ｃａ２ ＋ 处理能有效地增强种胚防御过氧化的能力,缓解氧自由基对种胚的伤害,提高脱水劣变的种子活力。     

PHYSIOLOGICAL SNAPSHOTS REFLECT ECOLOGICAL PERFORMANCE OF THE SEA PALM,POSTELSIA PALMAEFORMIS (PHAEOPHYCAEA) ACROSS INTERTIDAL ELEVATION AND EXPOSURE GRADIENTS1

Postelsia palmaeformis Ruprecht is an intertidal kelp found only on very wave‐exposed rocky shores of the northeast Pacific. In areas dominated by mussels, Postelsia depends on wave‐induced disturbances to complete its life‐history cycle. Postelsia also recruits where mussels are absent, but not at less wave‐exposed shores. Thus, physical conditions related to wave exposure limit its horizontal distribution. It is not clear what limits the vertical distribution of Postelsia. We investigated factors contributing to Postelsia's limited distribution using transplant experiments, demographic monitoring, and field fluorometry to evaluate growth and performance across gradients of tidal elevation and wave exposure. Survivorship and growth were sharply reduced at upper and wave‐protected edges relative to mid‐level, wave‐exposed sporophytes. Reproductive output was reduced at upper and lower levels, and growth but not survivorship was lower at the lower level. Effects were independent of population of origin and were a manifestation of the environment. Maximum electron transport rates (ETR_m), light saturation parameters (E_k), and maximum quantum yields (ΔF/F_m) provided insight into physiological dynamics; all were lowest at the high edge, but increased when desiccation stress was alleviated by a mock sea‐spray treatment. The ETR_m and E_k values of low sporophytes were not as high as the values for mid‐sporophytes, despite higher or equivalent nitrogen content, chl a, and absorptance, suggesting a trade‐off between light‐capturing and carbon‐fixation capacity. Physiological limitations at upper and lower levels and deleterious desiccation effects at wave‐protected sites prevent establishment, thus constraining Postelsia to a mid‐zone, wave‐exposed distribution. Physical conditions related to wave exposure may limit the horizontal distribution of Postelsia because this kelp is also found in areas where mussels are lacking but not on less wave‐exposed shores.     

Constitutive expression of small heat shock proteins in vegetative tissues of the resurrection plant Craterostigma plantagineum

Using antibodies raised against two sunflower small heat shock proteins (sHSPs), we have detected immunologically related proteins in unstressed vegetative tissues from the resurrection plant Craterostigma plantagineum. In whole plants, further accumulation of these polypeptides was induced by heat-shock or water-stress. In desiccation-intolerant Craterostigma callus tissue, we failed to detect sHSP-related polypeptides, but their expression, and the concurrent acquisition of desiccation tolerance was induced by exogenous abscisic acid (ABA) treatment. In untressed plants, the cross-reacting polypeptides were abundant in the roots and lower part of the shoots, where they showed homogeneous tissue-distributions. This constitutive expression is novel for vegetative tissues of higher plants, and resembles the expression patterns of sHSPs in desiccation-tolerant zygotic embryos and germinating seeds.J.A. and C.A. contributed equally to this work and are both considered to be first author     

Seasonal adaptations of the tuberous roots of Ranunculus asiaticus to desiccation and resurrection by changes in cell structure and protein content

The annual developmental cycle of tuberous roots of Ranunculus asiaticus was studied with respect to structure and content of their cells, to understand how these roots are adapted to desiccation, high temperature and rehydration. Light microscopy, histochemical analysis, and protein analyses by SDS-PAGE were employed at eight stages of annual root development. During growth and maturation of the roots, cortical cells increased in size and their cell walls accumulated pectin materials in a distinct layer to the inside of the primary walls, with pits between adjoining cells. The number of starch granules and protein bodies also increased within the cells. Several discrete proteins accumulated. Following quiescence and rehydration of the roots there was a loss of starch and proteins from the cells, and cell walls decreased in thickness. The resurrection geophyte R. asiaticus possesses desiccation-tolerant annual roots. They store carbon and nitrogen reserves within their cells, and pectin within the walls to support growth of the plant following summer quiescence and rehydration.     

辛香蔬菜冻干工艺研究

本文研究了三种辛香蔬菜的真空冷冻干燥工艺,得到其冻干曲线,测定了三种蔬菜的共晶点,找到了比较适宜的物料铺放厚度和前处理方式以及干燥速率。根据本研究工艺真空冷冻干燥辛香蔬菜,较好的保持了辛香蔬菜的品质。     

Desiccation-time limits of photosynthetic recovery in Equisetum hyemale (Equisetaceae) spores

The chlorophyllous spores of Equisetum survive desiccation, yet cannot tolerate this quiescent state for more than ~2 wk. The hypothesis that spore viability of Equisetum hyemale L. is limited by inhibition of photosynthetic recovery was tested using chlorophyll a fluorescence and oxygen-exchange analyses. Experimental spores were desiccated at 2% relative humidity and 25C for time periods of 24 h, 1 wk, and 2 wk, and then rehydrated at 200 mmol photons/m2s (PAR) and 25C for up to 24 h. Spores desiccated for 24 h recovered photosynthetic competence very rapidly during rehydration, reaching the O2 compensation point in 6.3 ~ 0.3 (mean +/- SE) min. Recovery of photosynthetic performance of spores desiccated for 1 wk was slower, as judged by significantly slower increases of (1) photochemical efficiency of photosystem (PS) II, (2) PS II quinoneB-reducing center concentration, (3) quinoneB concentration, (4) water-oxidation activity, (5) rate of light-induced O2 evolution, and (6) apparent quantum yield of net O2 exchange. Photosystem-II and whole-spore photosynthetic competence of 2-wk desiccated spores was increasingly impaired, and did not recover during rehydration. Origin fluorescence yield and dark respiration were not affected by desiccation time following rehydration. The results suggest that the extremely short viability of disseminated spores of Equisetum hyemale is due to the inability to recover losses of water oxidation and photosystem II-core function following 2 wk of desiccation.     

Peroxidase activity of desiccation-tolerant loblolly pine somatic embryos

Summary Desiccation tolerance can be induced by culturing somatic embryos of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) on medium supplemented with 50 μM abscisic acid (ABA) and/or 8.5% polyethylene glycol (PEG₆₀₀₀). Scanning electron microscopy of desiccated somatic embryos showed that the size and external morphology of the desiccation-tolerant somatic embryos recovered to the pre-desiccation state within 24–36 h, whereas the non-desiccation-tolerant somatic embryos did not recover and remained shriveled, after rehydration. Peroxidase activity of desiccated somatic embryos increased sharply after 1 d of desiccation treatment at 87% relative humidity (RH), and desiccation-tolerant somatic embryos had higher peroxidase activity compared to sensitive somatic embryos. Higher peroxidase activity of desiccation-tolerant somatic embryos may have allowed them to catalyze the reduction of H₂O₂ produced by drought stress, and protected them from oxidative damage.