Simulated effects of low atmospheric CO2 on structure and composition of North American vegetation at the Last Glacial Maximum

1. Physiological experiments have indicated that the lower CO₂ levels of the last glaciation (200 μmol mol^?1) probably reduced plant water-use efficiency (WUE) and that they combined with increased aridity and colder temperatures to alter vegetation structure and composition at the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). 2. The effects of low CO₂ on vegetation structure were investigated using BIOME3 simulations of leaf area index (LAI), and a two-by-two factorial experimental design (modern/LGM CO₂, modern/LGM climate).3. Using BIOME3, and a combination of lowered CO₂ and simulated LGM climate (from the NCAR-CCM1 model), results in the introduction of additional xeric vegetation types between open woodland and closed-canopy forest along a latitudinal gradient in eastern North America.4. The simulated LAI of LGM vegetation was 25–60% lower in many regions of central and eastern United States relative to modern climate, indicating that glacial vegetation was much more open than today.5. Comparison of factorial simulations show that low atmospheric CO₂ has the potential to alter vegetation structure (LAI) to a greater extent than LGM climate.6. If the magnitude of LAI reductions simulated for glacial North America were global, then low atmospheric CO₂ may have promoted atmospheric warming and increased aridity, through alteration of rates of water and heat exchange with the atmosphere.     

鼎湖山地带性植被种间联结变化研究

研究鼎湖山地带性植被厚壳桂属（Cryptocarya）群落种间联结15年的变化,以期揭示该群落随时间演替过程中种间关系的变化情况。结果表明,群落的优势种种类组成基本没变化,但与15年前比较,优势种群的种对正负联结比例基本一致,但种间关系趋向平缓,高的正或负联结系数值少见;阳生性的先锋种与中生性建群种的联结系数值增大;群落中的2个亚群丛分化更为明显。表明南亚热带地带性顶极群落稳定是相对的,而波动变化是明显的,尤其是当群落循环演替的进程加剧时。     

黄土高原北部草地的恢复与重建对土壤有机碳的影响

草地的恢复与重建是黄土高原生态建设的重要内容,探讨草地恢复过程中土壤有机碳密度（SOCD）的变化规律对于合理评价北方水蚀风蚀交错带地区生态恢复的环境效应及其对土壤碳固存潜力的影响具有重要的理论价值。以黄土高原北部水蚀风蚀交错带地区不同生长年限的紫花苜蓿（Medicago sativa）人工草地及其退化后形成的次生草地为主要研究对象,探讨了SOCD的动态变化特征。结果表明,研究区0-100cm土体的SOCD普遍较低,变化范围为1.18-2.81kgCm^-2,略高于地球上荒漠带的水平（1.4kgCm^-2）,显著低于黄土高原中部（4.46-9.95kgCm^-2）与全国（11.52-12.04kgCm^-2）的平均水平。但是当土地利用方式由农田转变为人工草地以后,以及随着人工草地向长芒草（Stipabungeana）次生天然草地的自然演替,SOCD均有不同程度的增加,增加幅度最大可达72%,土壤表现为明显的碳汇。不同土地利用方式0-100cmSOCD的变化顺序为：灌木林地（2.11kgCm^-2）〉次生天然草地（1.95kgCm^-2）〉人工草地（1.91kgCm^-2）〉弃耕地（1.69kgCm^-2）〉农田（1.68kgCm^-2）,但统计差异不显著,意味着植被恢复对土壤碳固存的影响相对较小,该地区土壤固存CO2的潜力并不大,发育较好的次生天然草地0-100cm土体SOCD平均仅为2.20kgCm^-2。对SOCD垂直变化的分析结果表明表层SOC主要固存于表层0-20cm土壤,而且与0-100cm土体的SOCD具有显著的线性相关性,由表层观测值可以有效估计0-100cm土体的SOCD,估计误差为9.9%（0.18kgCm^-2）。     

中国天然草地植被生长气象条件评价模型

应用模糊数学方法,构造了影响中国天然草地植被生长的光、温、水函数;通过光、温、水评价结果之间的"与"运算,建立了天然草地植被生长气象条件综合评价模型;采用积分方法,反映草地植被任意时段气象条件的时间累积影响效应;通过气象条件指数的年际对比,评价草地植被生长气象条件的优劣;最后,利用上述模型计算了2005年和2006年中国天然草地植被月、季以及主要生长期气象条件指数,并进行了对比分析、应用和效果检验。结果表明,2年不同时间尺度的气象条件指数对比结果能够客观地反映2006年中国天然草地植被生长气象条件的优劣分布,与实际产草量、株高的对比结果基本一致,应用效果较好。     

Establishment and characterization of conditionally immortalized endothelial cell lines from the thoracic duct and inferior vena cava of tsA58/EGFP double-transgenic rats

The basic biology of blood vascular endothelial cells has been well documented. However, little is known about that of lymphatic endothelial cells, despite their importance under normal and pathological conditions. The lack of a lymphatic endothelial cell line has hampered progress in this field. The objective of this study has been to establish and characterize lymphatic and venous endothelial cell lines derived from newly developed tsA58/EGFP transgenic rats harboring the temperature-sensitive simian virus 40 (SV40) large T-antigen and enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP). Endothelial cells were isolated from the transgenic rats by intraluminal enzymatic digestion. The cloned cell lines were named TR-LE (temperature-sensitive rat lymphatic endothelial cells from thoracic duct) and TR-BE (temperature-sensitive rat blood-vessel endothelial cells from inferior vena cava), respectively, and cultured on fibronectin-coated dishes in HuMedia-EG2 supplemented with 20% fetal bovine serum and Endothelial Mitogen at a permissive temperature, 33°C. A temperature shift to 37°C resulted in a decrease in proliferation with degradation of the large T-antigen and cleavage of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase. TR-LE cells expressed lymphatic endothelial markers VEGFR-3 (vascular endothelial growth factor receptor), LYVE-1 (a lymphatic endothelial receptor), Prox-1 (a homeobox gene product), and podoplanin (a glomerular podocyte membrane mucoprotein), together with endothelial markers CD31, Tie-2, and VEGFR-2, whereas TR-BE cells expressed CD31, Tie-2, and VEGFR-2, but no lymphatic endothelial markers. Thus, these conditionally immortalized and EGFP-expressing lymphatic and vascular endothelial cell lines might represent an important tool for the study of endothelial cell functions in vitro.M. Matsuo and K. Koizumi contributed equally to this work. This study was supported in part by Grants-in-Aid for the 21st Century COE Program and for CLUSTER (Cooperative Link of Unique Science and Technology for Economy Revitalization) from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology, Japan.     

Elevated CO2 and the mineral content of herbaceous and woody plants

The CO₂ enrichment effects (300–650 µmol mol^-1) on mineral concentration (N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Mn, Fe, Zn), absolute total mineral contents per individual and of whole stands of four herbaceous (Trifolium repens L.,Trifolium pratense L.,Lolium perenne L.,Festuca pratensis HUDS.) and two woody species (Acer pseudo-platanus L.,Fagus sylvatica L.) were investigated.In general, the mineral concentration of the plant tissues decreased (all six species: N>Ca>K>Mg) with the exception of P. Mn and Fe were only determined for the tree species. Both decreased in concentration (Mn>Fe). Zn was only analysed forTrifolium pratense andFestuca pratensis and decreased significantly in the grass.Despite of decreases in concentrations of as much as 20% in some cases there were increases in absolute amounts per individual and, therefore, in the whole vegetation up to 25% because of the enhanced dry matter accumulation at elevated CO₂ supply.Dedicated to Prof. Dr. R. Bornkamm, TU-Berlin, on behalf of his 60th birthday     

Physico-chemical characteristics of a permanent Spanish hypersaline lake: La Salada de Chiprana (NE Spain)

La Salada de Chiprana Lake, located in the Ebro River basin, northeastern Spain, is the only permanent and deep water hypersaline ecosystem in all of western Europe. With a total surface of 31 ha and a maximum depth of 5.6 m, it has several basins bounded by elongated sandstone-bodies or ribbons which are paleochannels of Miocene age. Its salinity varied from 30 to 73 g 1^–1 during the 1989 hydrological cycle and the most abundant ions were magnesium and sulphate. Depth-time distributions of major physico-chemical variables demonstrated that the lake was stratified in two distinctive layers during most of the year. The chemocline disappeared only in October, with the complete overturn of the water column. In the deep water, three conditions occurred which allowed development of green sulphur bacteria populations: (1) oxygen depletion, (2) presence of hydrogen sulphide and (3) presence of light. Benthic microbial mats covered the sediments of shallow shores of moderate slope.     

Can mobile sandy land be vegetated in the cold and dry Tibetan Plateau in China?

Desertification has taken place in the overgrazed grassland of the Tibetan Plateau,China,and the area of mobile sandy land has increased in recent decades.The challenging problem about desertification control is how to restore the vegetation of mobile sandy lands caused by severe desertification.Sand drifting is now regarded as the limiting factor of vegetation restoration in such lands.The initial phase of vegetation restoration is plant colonization,but it is often aborted due to sand drifting,and then vegetation restoration fails to proceed.For the sake of revegetation,the first step is to stop sand drifting to ensure plant colonization.In the northeastern Tibetan Plateau,China,feasible approaches have been found through long-term experiments,and the vegetation is being restored satisfactorily with these approaches in experimental sandy lands.The approaches comprise three types:enclosure,mechanical barriers and biological barriers.Different sandy lands require dissimilar combinations of these approaches.Enclosures may be adequate to revegetate inter-dunes or degraded grassland even in cold regions like the Tibetan Plateau,China,but it is deficient for revegetation of the shifting sand dunes unless mechanical and biological barriers are established simultaneously.     

A CONCEPTUAL MODEL OF A SILTATION SYSTEM IN SHALLOW LAKES WITH LITTORAL VEGETATION

SUMMARY

In shallow lakes a siltation system develops when wind driven water turbulence erodes the lake floor, silt is resuspended and transported by means of waterdrift into the littoral vegetation. Here, due to the resistance of the vegetation, the turbulence is reduced and the silt deposited. Through this mechanism, the prevailing winds have a major rôle in the erosion and siltation pattern, lake morphology, vegetation pattern and in the mixing of water and nutrients from the open water and the reedswamp and vice versa. The model explains the uneven distribution of vegetation at the lakes Neusiedlersee (Austria) and Chilwa (Malawi) satisfactorily, if one assumes a positive correlation between siltation and reedswamp growth and spread.