古田山24 ha森林动态监测样地常绿阔叶林群落结构和组成动态: 探讨2008年冰雪灾害的影响

常绿阔叶林是我国亚热带地区的地带性植被, 其中最为典型而且分布最广泛的是中亚热带常绿阔叶林。为探讨2008年初我国南方发生的冰雪灾害对中亚热带常绿阔叶林的影响, 以浙江省古田山国家级自然保护区24 ha森林动态监测样地内的中亚热带常绿阔叶林为例, 研究了该森林在冰雪灾害前后(2005-2010年)的群落结构及物种组成动态。结果表明, 群落径级结构变化较小, 但群落整体补员不足且死亡率较高; 多个粒度上的群落动态显示出一致的衰退特征, 但不同生境间的群落动态存在差异; 物种多度和胸高截面积多呈减小趋势, 但频度和重要值变化不明显。同时, 物种的多度、胸高截面积、频度和重要值等次序均无明显变化。这说明2008年发生的冰雪灾害对古田山中亚热带常绿阔叶林群落的短期动态产生了较大的负面影响, 且其影响程度与植物胸径和地形等因素密切相关; 同时也反映了古田山中亚热带常绿阔叶林群落结构对冰雪灾害干扰具有一定的抵抗力。     

Integrated population modeling reveals the impact of climate on the survival of juvenile emperor penguins

Early‐life demographic traits are poorly known, impeding our understanding of population processes and sensitivity to climate change. Survival of immature individuals is a critical component of population dynamics and recruitment in particular. However, obtaining reliable estimates of juvenile survival (i.e., from independence to first year) remains challenging, as immatures are often difficult to observe and to monitor individually in the field. This is particularly acute for seabirds, in which juveniles stay at sea and remain undetectable for several years. In this work, we developed a Bayesian integrated population model to estimate the juvenile survival of emperor penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri), and other demographic parameters including adult survival and fecundity of the species. Using this statistical method, we simultaneously analyzed capture–recapture data of adults, the annual number of breeding females, and the number of fledglings of emperor penguins collected at Dumont d'Urville, Antarctica, for the period 1971–1998. We also assessed how climate covariates known to affect the species foraging habitats and prey [southern annular mode (SAM), sea ice concentration (SIC)] affect juvenile survival. Our analyses revealed that there was a strong evidence for the positive effect of SAM during the rearing period (SAMR) on juvenile survival. Our findings suggest that this large‐scale climate index affects juvenile emperor penguins body condition and survival through its influence on wind patterns, fast ice extent, and distance to open water. Estimating the influence of environmental covariates on juvenile survival is of major importance to understand the impacts of climate variability and change on the population dynamics of emperor penguins and seabirds in general and to make robust predictions on the impact of climate change on marine predators.     

Climate change alters the reproductive phenology and investment of a lacustrine fish,the three‐spine stickleback

High‐latitude lakes are particularly sensitive to the effects of global climate change, demonstrating earlier ice breakup, longer ice‐free seasons, and increased water temperatures. Such physical changes have implications for diverse life‐history traits in taxa across entire lake food webs. Here, we use a five‐decade time series from an Alaskan lake to explore effects of climate change on growth and reproduction of a widely distributed lacustrine fish, the three‐spine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus). We used multivariate autoregressive state‐space (MARSS) models to describe trends in the mean length for multiple size classes and to explore the influence of physical (date of ice breakup, surface water temperature) and biological (density of con‐ and heterospecifics) factors. As predicted, mean size of age 1 and older fish at the end of the growing season increased across years with earlier ice breakup and warmer temperatures. In contrast, mean size of age 0 fish decreased over time. Overall, lower fish density and warmer water temperatures were associated with larger size for all cohorts. Earlier ice breakup was associated with larger size for age 1 and older fish but, paradoxically, with smaller size of age 0 fish. To explore this latter result, we used mixing models on age 0 size distributions, which revealed an additional cohort in years with early ice breakup, lowering the mean size of age 0 fish. Moreover, early ice breakup was associated with earlier breeding, evidenced by earlier capture of age 0 fish. Our results suggest that early ice breakup altered both timing and frequency of breeding; three‐spine stickleback spawned earlier and more often in response to earlier ice breakup date. While previous studies have shown the influence of changing conditions in northern lakes on breeding timing and growth, this is the first to document increased breeding frequency, highlighting another pathway by which climate change can alter the ecology of northern lakes.     

A one-step procedure for immobilising the thermostable carbonic anhydrase (SspCA) on the surface membrane of Escherichia coli

The carbonic anhydrase superfamily (CA, EC 4.2.1.1) of metalloenzymes is present in all three domains of life (Eubacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya), being an interesting example of convergent/divergent evolution, with its seven families (α-, β-, γ-, δ-, ζ-, η-, and θ-CAs) described so far. CAs catalyse the simple, but physiologically crucial reaction of carbon dioxide hydration to bicarbonate and protons. Recently, our groups characterised the α-CA from the thermophilic bacterium, Sulfurihydrogenibium yellowstonense finding a very high catalytic activity for the CO₂ hydration reaction (k_cat?=?9.35?×?10⁵?s^?1 and k_cat/K_m?=?1.1?×?10⁸?M^?1?s^?1) which was maintained after heating the enzyme at 80?°C for 3?h. This highly thermostable SspCA was covalently immobilised within polyurethane foam and onto the surface of magnetic Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles. Here, we describe a one-step procedure for immobilising the thermostable SspCA directly on the surface membrane of Escherichia coli, using the INPN domain of Pseudomonas syringae. This strategy has clear advantages with respect to other methods, which require as the first step the production and the purification of the biocatalyst, and as the second step the immobilisation of the enzyme onto a specific support. Our results demonstrate that thermostable SspCA fused to the INPN domain of P. syringae ice nucleation protein (INP) was correctly expressed on the outer membrane of engineered E. coli cells, affording for an easy approach to design biotechnological applications for this highly effective thermostable catalyst.     

车八岭山地常绿阔叶林冰灾后林木受损的生态学评估

从植物生态学的角度对2008年初南方冻雨冰雪灾害对典型的亚热带山地常绿阔叶林造成的损害情况做了研究。对12个优势种和亚优势种的受灾情况做了对比分析, 对不同径级和不同地形因子下林木抵抗冻雨灾害的差异做了对比。统计检验结果显示林木受损程度存在显著的种间差异、径级差异和地形级差异。优势种米槠(Castanopsis carlesii)比多数亚优势种受害更严重; 各树种抗冻雨灾害能力以山茶科和樟科的种较强, 而壳斗科的多个种, 如米槠、栲(C. fargesii)受灾较为严重; 林木的受损比例随着胸径(diameter at breast height, DBH)增加而增大; 在未受灾的各级林木中, 超过70%的个体集中在最小一级径阶(1-5 cm)。χ²检验显示坡度、坡向、坡位等地形因子对林木受损状况有显著的影响, 随着坡位上升, 林木受损程度逐渐加重, 上坡位的林木受损比例最大, 下坡位最小, 这可能与随着坡位升高, 迎风面降温效果更迅速有关。对于坡向和坡度而言, 位于半阳坡的林木受灾比例显著高于半阴坡, 位于坡度级III (15°-25°)、IV (25°-35°)、V (35°-45°)上的林木受灾最严重。该研究结果对于亚热带常绿阔叶林的保育和应对未来可能再次发生的冰雪灾害有重要意义; 同时对于森林恢复和演替、乡土阔叶树种的选育及森林经营等方面的研究和应用也有重要的参考价值。     

Change of supercooling capability in solutions containing different kinds of ice nucleators by flavonol glycosides from deep supercooling xylem parenchyma cells in trees

Deep supercooling xylem parenchyma cells (XPCs) in Katsura tree contain flavonol glycosides with high supercooling-facilitating capability in solutions containing the ice nucleation bacterium (INB) Erwinia ananas, which is thought to have an important role in deep supercooling of XPCs. The present study, in order to further clarify the roles of these flavonol glycosides in deep supercooling of XPCs, the effects of these supercooling-facilitating (anti-ice nucleating) flavonol glycosides, kaempferol 3-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (K3Glc), kaempferol 7-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (K7Glc) and quercetin 3-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (Q3Glc), in buffered Milli-Q water (BMQW) containing different kinds of ice nucleators, including INB Xanthomonas campestris, silver iodide and phloroglucinol, were examined by a droplet freezing assay. The results showed that all of the flavonol glycosides promoted supercooling in all solutions containing different kinds of ice nucleators, although the magnitudes of supercooling capability of each flavonol glycoside changed in solutions containing different kinds of ice nucleators. On the other hand, these flavonol glycosides exhibited complicated nucleating reactions in BMQW, which did not contain identified ice nucleators but contained only unidentified airborne impurities. Q3Glc exhibited both supercooling-facilitating and ice nucleating capabilities depending on the concentrations in such water. Both K3Glc and K7Glc exhibited only ice nucleation capability in such water. It was also shown by an emulsion freezing assay in BMQW that K3Glc and Q3Glc had no effect on homogeneous ice nucleation temperature, whereas K7Glc increased ice nucleation temperature. The results indicated that each flavonol glycoside affected ice nucleation by very complicated and varied reactions. More studies are necessary to determine the exact roles of these flavonol glycosides in deep supercooling of XPCs in which unidentified heterogeneous ice nucleators may exist.     

Do ice nucleating lipoproteins protect frozen insects against toxic chemical agents?

As the body fluid of freeze-tolerant organisms freezes, solutes become concentrated in the gradually smaller unfrozen fluid fraction, and dissolved trace metals may reach toxic levels. A dialysis technique was used to investigate the metal binding capacity of the low density fraction of the hemolymph from the freeze tolerant beetle Phyto depressus. The low density fraction, assumed to contain the ice nucleating lipoproteins, showed approximately 100 times greater capacity to bind metals (Cd ²⁺, Cu ²⁺ and Zn ²⁺) than the proteins albumin, hemoglobin and similar to metallothionein. The high metal binding capacity in the low density fraction raises the question if the ice nucleating lipoproteins might assist in detoxification of potentially toxic concentrations of metals that may occur when a large fraction of the bodyfluids of freeze tolerant insects freeze. This hypotheis is consistent with the fact that the lipoprotein ice nucleators are present in far greater amounts than required for ice nucleation, and also with the fact that the lipoprotein ice nucleators have a remarkably high content of amino acids with negatively charged residues that may act as metal binding sites.