Stomatal response to humidity in a sugarcane field: simultaneous porometric and micrometeorological measurements*

Abstract. Gas exchange data obtained with wellventilated leaf cuvettes provide clear evidence of a stomatal response to leaf-air vapour pressure difference (V). In contrast, remotely sensed leaf temperatures with specific assumptions regarding canopy boundary layer characteristics, have been interpreted to mean that stomata do not respond to V. We address this apparent discrepancy in a sugarcane field by simultaneous application of a single-leaf, porometric technique and a whole-canopy, Bowen ratioenergy balance technique. These methods indicated significant stomatal response to V in well-irrigated sugarcane. Stomatal responses to V in the field were obscured by strong covariance of major environmental parameters so that opening responses to light and closing responses to V tended to offset each other. Low boundary layer conductance significantly uncoupled V at the leaf surface (V_s) from V determined in the bulk atmosphere (V_a). This reduced the range of the stimulus, V_s, thereby reducing the range of the stomatal response, without indicating low stomatal sensitivity to V. Stomatal responses to V_a may be smaller than expected from V response curves in cuvettes, since V_s rather than the conventionally measured V_a is analogous to V in a well-stirred cuvette. Recently published conclusions that remotely sensed canopy temperatures are inconsistent with stomatal response to V may be based on erroneous estimates of canopy boundary layer conductance and thus of V_s, use of air saturation deficit rather than V to express evaporative demand, and investigation at higher levels of evaporative demand than those eliciting maximal stomatal response.     

黄土高原植被覆盖时空变化及其对气候因子的响应

为研究黄土高原地区退耕还林(草)后,植被覆盖变化及其对水热条件的响应,利用1999—2013年SPOT VGT NDVI 1km/10d分辨率数据,采用最大合成法、一元线性回归法和偏相关分析法,系统分析了黄土高原地区NDVI(归一化植被指数)的时空分布及变化趋势,及其与气候因子的关系。结果表明:黄土高原1999—2013年年最大NDVI的平均值为0.31,NDVI较高的区域位于黄土高原南部,而西北部植被覆盖度较低;自1999年开始,黄土高原地区NDVI呈极显著(P0.01)增加趋势,年最大NDVI的变化斜率为0.0099;不同季节(春、夏、秋、冬)和生长季的植被状况均呈现良性发展趋势;1998—2013年间,黄土高原地区气候呈现不显著的"冷湿化"特征;NDVI年际(及生长季和季节)变化与降雨和温度的相关性不显著,而在月时间尺度上,呈显著的相关性,并且月NDVI与当月降雨量的相关性要强于与当月温度的相关性;植被生长对温度的响应存在一个月的滞后期,而对降雨的响应无滞后效应。     

实时荧光定量PCR及RT-PCR与常规PCR及RT-PCR检测对虾病毒效果的比较

常规PCR及RT-PCR已用于对虾DNA及RNA病毒检测,但存在费时、灵敏度较低、不能定量等问题。建立了TaqMan实时荧光定量PCR及RT-PCR方法,分别用于检测白斑综合症病毒(WSSV)、传染性皮下及造血组织坏死病毒(IHHNV)及桃拉综合征病毒(TSV)、黄头病毒(YHV)4种对虾病毒。与常规PCR及RT-PCR比较,所建立的TaqMan实时荧光定量PCR及RT-PCR检测上述4种对虾病毒不仅有很高的特异性,检测灵敏度也提高了10～100倍,同时还具有快速、简便、不污染环境、重复性好、实时定量等优点,可明显提高对虾病毒检验检疫工作质量及效率。     

ND3, ND1 and 39 kDa subunits are more exposed in the de-active form of bovine mitochondrial complex I

An intriguing feature of mitochondrial complex I from several species is the so-called A/D transition, whereby the idle enzyme spontaneously converts from the active (A) form to the de-active (D) form. The A/D transition plays an important role in tissue response to the lack of oxygen and hypoxic deactivation of the enzyme is one of the key regulatory events that occur in mitochondria during ischaemia. We demonstrate for the first time that the A/D conformational change of complex I does not affect the macromolecular organisation of supercomplexes in vitro as revealed by two types of native electrophoresis. Cysteine 39 of the mitochondrially-encoded ND3 subunit is known to become exposed upon de-activation. Here we show that even if complex I is a constituent of the I + III₂ + IV (S₁) supercomplex, cysteine 39 is accessible for chemical modification in only the D-form. Using lysine-specific fluorescent labelling and a DIGE-like approach we further identified two new subunits involved in structural rearrangements during the A/D transition: ND1 (MT-ND1) and 39 kDa (NDUFA9). These results clearly show that structural rearrangements during de-activation of complex I include several subunits located at the junction between hydrophilic and hydrophobic domains, in the region of the quinone binding site. De-activation of mitochondrial complex I results in concerted structural rearrangement of membrane subunits which leads to the disruption of the sealed quinone chamber required for catalytic turnover.     

Isolation and analysis of a cDNA clone that encodes an alfalfa (Medicago sativa) aspartate aminotransferase

Summary Nitrate reductase (NR) assays revealed a bi-specific NAD(P)H-NR (EC 1.6.6.2.) to be the only nitrate-reducing enzyme in leaves of hydroponically grown birches. To obtain the primary structure of the NAD(P)H-NR, leaf poly(A)⁺ mRNA was used to construct a cDNA library in the lambda gt11 phage. Recombinant clones were screened with heterologous gene probes encoding NADH-NR from tobacco and squash. A 3.0 kb cDNA was isolated which hybridized to a 3.2 kb mRNA whose level was significantly higher in plants grown on nitrate than in those grown on ammonia. The nucleotide sequence of the cDNA comprises a reading frame encoding a protein of 898 amino acids which reveals 67%–77% identity with NADH-nitrate reductase sequences from higher plants. To identify conserved and variable regions of the multicentre electron-transfer protein a graphical evaluation of identities found in NR sequence alignments was carried out. Thirteen well-conserved sections exceeding a size of 10 amino acids were found in higher plant nitrate reductases. Sequence comparisons with related redox proteins indicate that about half of the conserved NR regions are involved in cofactor binding. The most striking difference in the birch NAD(P)H-NR sequence in comparison to NADH-NR sequences was found at the putative pyridine nucleotide binding site. Southern analysis indicates that the bi-specific NR is encoded by a single copy gene in birch. These sequence data appeared in the EMBL/GenBank/DDBJ nucleotide sequence data bases under the accession number X54097     

Isotopic fractionation with morphological change and sexual specificity in the lappet moth Euthrix potatoria

The δ¹⁵N values of adult holometabolous insects exceed those of larvae, but otherwise little information on terrestrial invertebrates has been obtained in food‐web analyses using stable isotope ratios (δ¹⁵N, δ¹³C). Changes in δ¹³C during metamorphosis and differences between males and females have not been examined. We collected the larvae and cocoons of Euthrix potatoria (L.) (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae) in the field and used them to assess the species’ isotopic fractionation. Each emerged moth was divided into five body parts. We conducted stable N and C isotope analyses for each body part, as well as for cocoons and exuviae, and also compared stable isotope ratios between sexes. We confirmed δ¹⁵N enrichment through metamorphosis and estimated that δ¹⁵N enrichment is accomplished by the relative concentration of ¹⁵N due to the excretion of copious meconium, which contains abundant ¹⁴N. We also observed changes in δ¹³C values through metamorphosis. Both isotope values tended to change more in males than in females. The proportion of the whole‐adult weight represented by meconium was higher in males than in females, suggesting that high meconium secretion in males contributes to the sexual difference in δ¹⁵N. These phenomena may be common in Holometabola, which require a pupal stage. For more accurate food‐web assessments, it is important to consider stable isotope changes during different life cycles, as well as sexual differences.     

基于增强回归树与区域增温敏感性指数的城市升温效应空间分异

热岛效应已成为城市化进程中备受关注的城市生态环境问题。有关城市热岛效应的研究对区域在地表升温过程中的空间分异关注尚不足。通过设计区域增温敏感性指数,借助增强回归树（boosted regression tree,BRT）机器学习算法,量化城市不同区域在地表升温过程中的敏感性差异。结果表明：（1）上海市各辖区增温敏感性从高至低依次是：黄浦区、杨浦区、虹口区、静安区、普陀区、徐汇区、长宁区、宝山区、闵行区、浦东新区、嘉定区、奉贤区、松江区、青浦区、金山区、崇明区;（2）区域增温敏感性在不同的温度梯度下具有明显差异,在高温梯度下区域间指数值的差异最大;（3）地表覆被的增温敏感性存在明显的区域分异特性;（4）基于BRT的增温敏感性指数具有较好的指示意义和较高的灵敏度。在城市热环境持续恶化背景下,探讨城市异质空间中地表温度变化的敏感性可为城市热环境调控提供科学依据。     

Paternal genetic effects on offspring fitness are context dependent within the extrapair mating system of a socially monogamous passerine

Avian extrapair mating systems provide an interesting model to assess the role of genetic benefits in the evolution of female multiple mating behavior, as potentially confounding nongenetic benefits of extrapair mate choice are seen to be of minor importance. Genetic benefit models of extrapair mating behavior predict that females engage in extrapair copulations with males of higher genetic quality compared to their social mates, thereby improving offspring reproductive value. The most straightforward test of such good genes models of extrapair mating implies pairwise comparisons of maternal half-siblings raised in the same environment, which permits direct assessment of paternal genetic effects on offspring traits. But genetic benefits of mate choice may be difficult to detect. Furthermore, the extent of genetic benefits (in terms of increased offspring viability or fecundity) may depend on the environmental context such that the proposed differences between extrapair offspring (EPO) and within-pair offspring (WPO) only appear under comparatively poor environmental conditions. We tested the hypothesis that genetic benefits of female extrapair mate choice are context dependent by analyzing offspring fitness-related traits in the coal tit (Parus ater) in relation to seasonal variation in environmental conditions. Paternal genetic effects on offspring fitness were context dependent, as shown by a significant interaction effect of differential paternal genetic contribution and offspring hatching date. EPO showed a higher local recruitment probability than their maternal half-siblings if born comparatively late in the season (i.e., when overall performance had significantly declined), while WPO performed better early in the season. The same general pattern of context dependence was evident when using the number of grandchildren born to a cuckolding female via her female WPO or EPO progeny as the respective fitness measure. However, we were unable to demonstrate that cuckolding females obtained a general genetic fitness benefit from extrapair fertilizations in terms of offspring viability or fecundity. Thus, another type of benefit could be responsible for maintaining female extrapair mating preferences in the study population. Our results suggest that more than a single selective pressure may have shaped the evolution of female extrapair mating behavior in socially monogamous passerines.     

杨属派间核型比较研究

对杨属五派代表种的核型进行了分析,各代表种核型公式如下:欧洲山杨(白杨派)2n=2x=38=21m(2SAT)+4sm+13st(1SAT);小叶杨(青杨派)2n=2x=38=1M+26m(1SAT)+8sm(1SAT)+1st+2t(1SAT);大叶杨(大叶杨派)2n=2x=38=2M+22m+8sm+6st;胡杨(胡杨派)2n=2x=38=2M+23m+3sm+10st(2SAT);箭杆杨(黑杨派)2n=2x=38=3M+29m(2SAT)+5sm+1st。杨属派间核型差异主要表现在中部与次中部着丝点(M,m)和近端部与端部着丝点(st,t)染色体数目上。白杨派和胡杨派具较多的st、t染色体,核型不对称系数比其它派高。按Stebbins理论白杨派和胡杨派属进化类型。     

Three-dimensional model on thermal response of skin subject to laser heating

A three-dimensional (3D) multilayer model based on the skin physical structure is developed to investigate the transient thermal response of human skin subject to laser heating. The temperature distribution of the skin is modeled by the bioheat transfer equation, and the influence of laser heating is expressed as a source term where the strength of the source is a product of a Gaussian shaped incident irradiance, an exponentially shaped axial attenuation, and a time function. The water evaporation and diffusion is included in the model by adding two terms regarding the heat loss due to the evaporation and diffusion, where the rate of water evaporation is determined based on the theory of laminar boundary layer. Cryogen spray cooling (CSC) in laser therapy is studied, as well as its effect on the skin thermal response. The time-dependent equation is discretized using the finite difference method with the Crank–Nicholson scheme and the stability of the numerical method is analyzed. The large sparse linear system resulted from discretizing the governing partial differential equation is solved by a GMRES solver and the expected simulation results are obtained.