CO2浓度倍增、高氮沉降和高降雨对南亚热带人工模拟森林生态系统土壤呼吸的影响

 土壤呼吸响应全球气候变化对全球C循环具有重要作用。应用大型开顶箱(Open-top chamber, OTC)人工控制手段, 研究了大气CO₂浓度倍增、高氮沉降和高降雨处理对南亚热带人工森林生态系统土壤呼吸的影响。结果表明: 对照箱、CO₂浓度倍增处理以及高氮沉降处理下土壤呼吸速率都具有明显的季节变化, 雨季(4~9月)的土壤呼吸速率显著高于旱季(10月至次年3月) (p<0.001); 但高降雨处理下无明显的季节差异(p>0.05)。CO₂浓度倍增能显著提高土壤呼吸速率(p<0.05), 其他处理则变化不大。大气CO₂浓度倍增、高氮沉降、高降雨处理和对照箱的土壤呼吸年通量分别为4 241.7、3 400.8、3 432.0和3 308.4 g CO₂·m^–2·a^–1。但在不同季节, 各种处理对土壤呼吸的影响是不同的。在雨季, 大气CO₂浓度倍增和高氮沉降的土壤呼吸速率显著提高(p<0.05), 其他处理无显著变化; 而在旱季, 高降雨的土壤呼吸速率显著高于对照箱(p<0.05), 氮沉降处理则抑制土壤呼吸作用(p<0.05)。各处理的土壤呼吸速率与地下5 cm土壤温度之间具有显著的指数关系(p<0.001); 当土壤湿度低于15%时, 各处理的土壤呼吸速率与地下5 cm土壤湿度具有显著的线性关系(p<0.001)。     

川西亚高山采伐迹地草坡群落对模拟增温的短期响应

采用开顶式生长室(open-top chamber, OTC),研究了川西亚高山采伐迹地草坡群落物候、群落结构和地上生物量对模拟增温的初期响应.生长季中OTC内日平均气温较对照(CK)增加2.2 ℃,5 cm土壤温度增加0.8 ℃.和CK相比,建群种牛尾蒿和糙野青茅萌动期、花蕾期和花期均显著提前,而枯黄期显著推迟.群落各种群高度、密度和重要值增加、减少或无影响,生物多样性指数有所下降,群落结构发生一定变化.OTC内糙野青茅和牛尾蒿地上生物量较CK分别增加46.3%和42.0%.中华羊茅和其它草类植物地上生物量有所下降,但差异不显著.地上总生物量增加34.0%.     

吉林省不同地区基物黏菌湿室培养的初步研究

对采自吉林省不同地区的基物进行了黏菌的湿室培养,共获得5目7科17属42种黏菌,其中柄罐无丝菌（Licea operculata）、钉形钙皮菌（Didymium davus）和长轴绒泡菌（Physarum puniceum）为吉林省新记录种。     

Plants,microorganisms, and soil temperatures contribute to a decrease in methane fluxes on a drained Arctic floodplain

As surface temperatures are expected to rise in the future, ice‐rich permafrost may thaw, altering soil topography and hydrology and creating a mosaic of wet and dry soil surfaces in the Arctic. Arctic wetlands are large sources of CH₄, and investigating effects of soil hydrology on CH₄ fluxes is of great importance for predicting ecosystem feedback in response to climate change. In this study, we investigate how a decade‐long drying manipulation on an Arctic floodplain influences CH₄‐associated microorganisms, soil thermal regimes, and plant communities. Moreover, we examine how these drainage‐induced changes may then modify CH₄ fluxes in the growing and nongrowing seasons. This study shows that drainage substantially lowered the abundance of methanogens along with methanotrophic bacteria, which may have reduced CH₄ cycling. Soil temperatures of the drained areas were lower in deep, anoxic soil layers (below 30 cm), but higher in oxic topsoil layers (0–15 cm) compared to the control wet areas. This pattern of soil temperatures may have reduced the rates of methanogenesis while elevating those of CH₄ oxidation, thereby decreasing net CH₄ fluxes. The abundance of Eriophorum angustifolium, an aerenchymatous plant species, diminished significantly in the drained areas. Due to this decrease, a higher fraction of CH₄ was alternatively emitted to the atmosphere by diffusion, possibly increasing the potential for CH₄ oxidation and leading to a decrease in net CH₄ fluxes compared to a control site. Drainage lowered CH₄ fluxes by a factor of 20 during the growing season, with postdrainage changes in microbial communities, soil temperatures, and plant communities also contributing to this reduction. In contrast, we observed CH₄ emissions increased by 10% in the drained areas during the nongrowing season, although this difference was insignificant given the small magnitudes of fluxes. This study showed that long‐term drainage considerably reduced CH₄ fluxes through modified ecosystem properties.     

青藏高原东缘林线交错带糙皮桦幼苗光合特性对模拟增温的短期响应

采用开顶式生长室(OTC)模拟增温对植被影响的研究方法, 研究了青藏高原东缘林线交错带糙皮桦(Betula utilis)光合特性对模拟增温的响应。结果表明: 与对照样地相比, OTC内日平均气温(1.2 m)在植物生长季中增加2.9 ℃, 5 cm土壤温度增加0.4 ℃。增温使糙皮桦幼苗叶片的净光合速率(P_n)、蒸腾速率(T_r)和气孔导度(G_s)分别增加17.4%、21.4%和33.9%, 但对糙皮桦幼苗叶片的水分利用率(WUE)却没有明显影响, 而对糙皮桦的叶氮浓度却表现为显著的负效应。同时, 增温能显著增加糙皮桦幼苗的最大同化速率(P_nmax) (+19.6%)、暗呼吸速率(R_d) (+14.3%)、表观量子效率(AQY) (+7.9%), 但对其光补偿点(LCP)和光饱和点(LSP)却没有明显的影响。此外, 增温使糙皮桦幼苗叶片的最大羧化速率(V_cmax)和电子传递速率(J)分别增加了12.3%和11.7%, 而磷酸丙糖利用率(TPU)和CO₂补偿点(CCP)对增温却并不敏感。该研究表明, 模拟增温对林线糙皮桦光合生理总体上表现为正效应, 这有可能帮助该物种对未来气候变化更快更好地适应。     

A flexible bioreactor system for constructing in vitro tissue and organ models

To develop in vitro models of cells, tissues and organs we have designed and realized a series of cell culture chambers. Each chamber is purpose designed to simulate a particular feature of the in vivo environment. The bioreactor system is user friendly, and the chambers are easy to produce, sterilize and assemble. In addition they can be connected together to simulate inter-organ or tissue cross-talk. Here we discuss the design philosophy of the bioreactor system and then describe its construction. Preliminary results of validation tests obtained with hepatocytes and endothelial cells are also reported. The results show that endothelial cells are extremely sensitive to small levels of shear stress and that the presence of heterotypic signals from endothelial cells enhances the endogenous metabolic function of hepatocytes.     

Human keratinocytes in culture exhibit no response when exposed to short duration, low amplitude, high frequency (900 MHz) electromagnetic fields in a reverberation chamber

We exposed normal human epidermal keratinocytes to short duration, high frequency, and low amplitude electromagnetic fields, similar to that used by mobile phone technologies. We paid particular attention to the control of the characteristics of the electromagnetic environment generated within a mode stirred reverberation chamber (statistical homogeneity and isotropy of the field and SAR distribution). Two non‐thermal exposure conditions were tested on the epidermal cells: 10‐min exposure with a field amplitude of 8 V/m, and 30 min with 41 V/m. Corresponding specific absorption rates ranged from 2.6 to 73 mW/kg (continuous wave, 900 MHz carrier frequency). We collected RNA from cells subjected to these conditions and used it for a large‐scale microarray screening of over 47000 human genes. Under these conditions, exposure of keratinocytes to the electromagnetic field had little effect; only 20 genes displayed significant modulation. The expression ratios were very small (close to 1.5‐fold change), and none of them were shared by the two tested conditions. Furthermore, those assayed using polymerase chain reaction did not display significant expression modulation (overall mean of the exposed samples: 1.20 ± 0.18). In conclusion, the data presented here show that cultured keratinocytes are not significantly affected by EMF exposure. Bioelectromagnetics 32:302–311, 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Intermittent Right Ventricular Outflow Tract Capture due to Chronic Right Atrial Lead Dislodgement

A 58 year old male, known case of type 2 diabetes and hypertension, had undergone implantation of a dual chamber pacemaker(DDDR) in 2007 for complaints of recurrent syncope and trifascicular block with a normal ejection fraction andnormal coronaries. His post implantation parameters were normal at that time.He now presented to our pacemaker clinic where his ECG done showed two types o fpaced complexes. The first few complexes were consistent with atrial sensed right ventricular apical pacing with left superior axis. Later complexes showed loss of atrial sensing with pacing from right ventricular outflow tract(inferior axis) with subtle oscillation in it''s axis. On application of magnet, two pacemaker spikes were visible withinterspike interval of 120 ms and paced complexes with inferior axis starting from the first spike suggesting that the atrial lead was responsible for RVOT depolarization. On interrogation of the pacemaker, atrial EGM showed sensed activity from atrium followed by large sensed ventricular complex. Fluoroscopy confirmed that the atrial lead was dislodged and was intermittently prolapsing into the RVOT. Since the patient was asymptomatic, he refused any intervention and subsequentlyhis atrial lead was switched off by telemetry. The above case signifies that asymptomatic lead dislodgement is no talways manifested as loss of capture and even subtle variation of the axis o fthe paced complexes can provide us with a clue that can be confirmed by telemetry of the pacemaker and fluoroscopy.