Photosynthetic acclimation of the liana Stigmaphyllon lindenianum to light changes in a tropical dry forest canopy

Tropical plant canopies show abrupt changes in light conditions across small differences in spatial and temporal scales. Given the canopy light heterogeneity, plants in this stratum should express a high degree of plasticity, both in space (allocation to plant modules as a function of opportunity for resource access) and time (photosynthetic adjustment to temporal changes in the local environment). Using a construction crane for canopy access, we studied light acclimation of the liana Stigmaphyllon lindenianum to sun and shade environments in a tropical dry forest in Panama during the wet season. Measured branches were randomly distributed in one of four light sequences: high- to low-light branches started the experiment under sun and were transferred to shade during the second part of the experiment; low- to high-light branches (LH) were exposed to the opposite sequence of light treatments; and high-light and low-light controls , which were exposed only to sun and shade environments, respectively, throughout the experiment. Shade branches were set inside enclosures wrapped in 63% greenhouse shade cloth. After 2 months, we transferred experimental branches to opposite light conditions by relocating the enclosures. Leaf mortality was considerably higher under shade, both before and after the transfer. LH branches reversed the pattern of mortality by increasing new leaf production after the transfer. Rates of photosynthesis at light saturation, light compensation points, and dark respiration rates of transferred branches matched those of controls for the new light treatment, indicating rapid photochemical acclimation. The post-expansion acclimation of sun and shade foliage occurred with little modification of leaf structure. High photosynthetic plasticity was reflected in an almost immediate ability to respond to significant changes in light. This response did not depend on the initial light environment, but was determined by exposure to new light conditions. Stigmaphyllon responded rapidly to light changes through the functional adjustment of already expanded foliage and an increase in leaf production in places with high opportunity for carbon gain. Received: 24 April 1998 / Accepted: 11 May 1999     

Effects of N-enriched rock powder on soil chemistry,organic matter formation and plant nutrition in lignite-poor sandy mine spoil in the forest reclamation practice

The effects of a slow-release N-enriched rock powder on soil chemistry, on the development of the soil vegetation (field layer vegetation), on the nutritional status of pine seedlings (Pinus sylvestris L.), and on decomposition rates of cellulose in lignite-poor mine spoils were studied. In the initial phase after afforestation fertilization caused a significant increase in NO₃ ⁻-N concentrations in the soil solution of the top-soil (0–60 cm). Subsequently, NO₃ ⁻-N concentrations of all N fertilized treatments decreased with the exception of the highest N application area (500 kg N ha⁻¹). This decrease of NO₃ ⁻-N concentrations was related to the establishment of a field layer vegetation, which developed according to the amount of N applied. In the above-ground phytomass of the field layer vegetation a maximum N accumulation amount of 22 kg ha⁻¹ was measured. Cellulose decomposition increased with higher N application rates. In the second year after N-fertilization, the pine needles indicated insufficient supply for almost all nutrients except for N. The deficiency symptoms were most pronounced at the plots that had received the highest amounts of nitrogen. This phenomenon appears to be related to the competition by the field layer vegetation. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Modelling action potentials and membrane currents of mammalian skeletal muscle fibres in coherence with potassium concentration changes in the T-tubular system

During prolonged activity the action potentials of skeletal muscle fibres change their shape. A model study was made as to whether potassium accumulation and removal in the tubular space is important with respect to those variations. Classical Hodgkin-Huxley type sodium and (potassium) delayed rectifier currents were used to determine the sarcolemmal and tubular action potentials. The resting membrane potential was described with a chloride conductance, a potassium conductance (inward rather than outward rectifier) and a sodium conductance (minor influence) in both sarcolemmal and tubular membranes. The two potassium conductances, the Na-K pump and the potassium diffusion between tubular compartments and to the external medium contributed to the settlement of the potassium concentration in the tubular space. This space was divided into 20 coupled concentric compartments. In the longitudinal direction the fibre was a cable series of 56 short segments. All the results are concerned with one of the middle segments. During action potentials, potassium accumulates in the tubular space by outward current through both the delayed and inward rectifier potassium conductances. In between the action potentials the potassium concentration decreases in all compartments owing to potassium removal processes. In the outer tubular compartment the diffusion-driven potassium export to the bathing solution is the main process. In the inner tubular compartment, potassium removal is mainly effected by re-uptake into the sarcoplasm by means of the inward rectifier and the Na-K pump. This inward transport of potassium strongly reduces the positive shift of the tubular resting membrane potential and the consequent decrease of the action potential amplitude caused by inactivation of the sodium channels. Therefore, both potassium removal processes maintain excitability of the tubular membrane in the centre of the fibre, promote excitation-contraction coupling and contribute to the prevention of fatigue. Received: 5 May 1998 / Revised version: 27 October 1998 / Accepted: 19 January 1999     

Outer membrane protein A of E. coli folds into detergent micelles, but not in the presence of monomeric detergent.

Outer membrane protein A (OmpA) of Escherichia coli is a beta-barrel membrane protein that unfolds in 8 M urea to a random coil. OmpA refolds upon urea dilution in the presence of certain detergents or lipids. To examine the minimal requirements for secondary and tertiary structure formation in beta-barrel membrane proteins, folding of OmpA was studied as a function of the hydrophobic chain length, the chemical structure of the polar headgroup, and the concentration of a large array of amphiphiles. OmpA folded in the presence of detergents only above a critical minimal chain length of the apolar chain as determined by circular dichroism spectroscopy and a SDS-PAGE assay that measures tertiary structure formation. Details of the chemical structure of the polar headgroup were unimportant for folding. The minimal chain length required for folding correlated with the critical micelle concentration in each detergent series. Therefore, OmpA requires preformed detergent micelles for folding and does not adsorb monomeric detergent to its perimeter after folding. Formation of secondary and tertiary structure is thermodynamically coupled and strictly dependent on the interaction with aggregated amphiphiles.     

Mathematical model for a three-phase fluidized bed biofilm reactor in wastewater treatment

A mathematical model for a three phase fluidized bed bioreactor (TFBBR) was proposed to describe oxygen utilization rate, biomass concentration and the removal efficiency of Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) in wastewater treatment. The model consisted of the biofilm model to describe the oxygen uptake rate and the hydraulic model to describe flow characteristics to cause the oxygen distribution in the reactor. The biofilm model represented the oxygen uptake rate by individual bioparticle and the hydrodynamics of fluids presented an axial dispersion flow with back mixing in the liquid phase and a plug flow in the gas phase. The difference of settling velocity along the column height due to the distributions of size and number of bioparticle was considered. The proposed model was able to predict the biomass concentration and the dissolved oxygen concentration along the column height. The removal efficiency of COD was calculated based on the oxygen consumption amounts that were obtained from the dissolved oxygen concentration. The predicted oxygen concentration by the proposed model agreed reasonably well with experimental measurement in a TFBBR. The effects of various operating parameters on the oxygen concentration were simulated based on the proposed model. The media size and media density affected the performance of a TFBBR. The dissolved oxygen concentration was significantly affected by the superficial liquid velocity but the removal efficiency of COD was significantly affected by the superficial gas velocity. An erratum to this article can be found online at .     

Effect of dissolved oxygen concentration onnar promoter activity in batch and semi-continuous cultivations

The level of the dissolved oxygen concentration could significantly affect thenar promoter activity in the induction of the gene expression under the anaerobic condition. In batch culture, the β-galactosidase activity was about 12000 units/min/g cell under the anaerobic condition. The optimum DO concentration for the induction of the gene expression was 0% in both batch and continuous cultivations. In semi-continuous culture, the maximum enzyme activity was about 11000 units/min/g cell at 0% of the DO concentration. These results indicated that the absolutely anaerobic culture condition was required for the maximum gene expression.     

Effects of Elevated CO2 and High Temperature on Single Leaf and Canopy Photosynthesis of Rice

The increase of atmospheric CO2 concentration is indisputable. In such condition, photosynthetic response of leaf is relatively well studied, while the comparison of that between single leaf and whole canopy is less emphasized. The stimulation of elevated CO2 on canopy photosynthesis may be different from that on single leaf level. In this study, leaf and canopy photosynthesis of rice ( Oryza sativa L. ) were studied throughout the growing season. High CO2 and temperature had a synergetic stimulation on single leaf photosynthetic rate until grain filling. Photosynthesis of leaf was stimulated by high CO2, although the stimulation was decreased by higher temperature at grain filling stage. On the other hand, the simulation of elevated CO2 on canopy photosynthesis leveled off with time. Stimulation at canopy level disappeared by grain filling stage in beth temperature treatments. Green leaf area index was not significantly affected by CO2 at maturity, but greater in plants grown at higher temperature. Leaf nitrogen content decreased with the increase of CO2 concentration although it was not statistically significant at maturity. Canopy respiration rate increased at flowering stage indicating higher carbon loss. Shading effect caused by leaf development reached maximum at flowering stage. The CO2 stimulation on photosynthesis was greater in single leaf than in canopy. Since enhanced CO2 significantly increased biomass of rice stems and panicles, increase in canopy respiration caused diminishment of CO2 stimulation in canopy net photosynthesis, keaf nitrogen in the canopy level decreased with CO2 concentration and may eventually hasten CO2 stimulation on canopy photosynthesis. Early senescence of canopy leaves in high CO2 is also a possible cause.     

Experimental Study and Mathematical Simulation of Water Use Efficiency in Wheat Leaves Affected by Some Environmental Factors

By incorporating Ball-Berry model of stomatal conductance into the models of photosynthesis and transpiration, a model of leaf water use efficiency (WUE) as affected by several environmental variables [irradiance (Ⅰ), vapor pressure deficit (VPD) and atmospheric CO2 concentration (Ca) ] was constructed. Because the environmental variables influenced the photosynthetic rate and transpiration rate in different ways, the changes of leaf WUE with these factors were quite complicated. The rates of photosynthesis and transpiration of wheat leaves were also measured in the phytotron where the environmental variables were kept within certain ranges, and leaf WUE was calculated therefrom. The results of simulation fit quite well with the measurements except at high Ca.     

Structural Response of Soybean Leaf to Elevated CO２ Concentration

The effects of CO2 concentration on the morphological and anatomical characters of soybean (Glycine max) leaf were investigated by means of light microscopy and SEM. It was noticed that exomorphology did not show dramatic change, while stomatal density decreased with increasing CO2 concentration. Under SEM, no epicuticular wax was observed on both abaxial and adaxial sides of the control group as well as on adaxial side of the treatment group. However, leaf surface of abaxial side was noticed to be densely covered with microasterisk epicuticular wax when they were exposed to CO2-enriched environment. The epicuticular wax deposition was present in equal abundance on both stomatal and nonstomatal areas. Furthermore, leaf thickness increased significantly due largely to the origin of an extra layer of palisade in the treatment group. The results confirmed that CO2 enrichment might enhance cell division and induce greater quantity of epicuticular wax.     

浙江天童植物群落演替对土壤化学性质的影响

对浙江天童植物群落演替过程的土壤腐殖质层、0～10cm层和10～20cm层化学因子的比较研究结果表明,随着进展演替,土壤全氮含量呈明显增长趋势,但硝态氮、氨态氮、速效氮、速效磷和速效钾含量除演替初期的裸地、灌丛较小外,森林群落阶段增长趋势一般不明显;土壤pH值则缺乏明显的规律性,但有机质含量呈明显增长趋势,而富里酸和胡敏酸含量,除栲树木荷林和栲树林较高,裸地最低外,其它演替阶段增长趋势也不明显;HA/FA在腐殖质层缺乏明显的规律性,但在0～10cm和10～20cm层则呈减少趋势。可见,常绿阔叶林次生演替能增加土壤有机物质含量,促进土壤有机物质的矿化和再合成作用;而土壤化学性状的改善,也为常绿阔叶林的进展演替奠定了基础。