Development of the photosynthetic apparatus during light-dependent greening of a mutant of Chlorella fusca

The formation of chlorophyll, cytochrome f, P-700, ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase as well as photosynthesis and Hill reaction activities were tested during the light-dependent greening process of the Chlorella fusca mutant G 10. Neither chlorophyll nor protochlorophyllide was detected in the darkgrown cells. When transferred to light the mutant cells developed chlorophyll and established its photosynthetic capacity after a short lag phase. In the in vivo absorption spectra a spectral shift of the red absorption peak position from 674 to 680 nm was indicated during the first 3 h of greening. Cytochrome f was already present in the dark-grown cells, but during the greening phase a threefold increase in the cytochrome f content could be seen. At the early stages of greening a characteristic primary oscillation in the content of cytochrome f was observed. P-700 was lacking in the dark and during the first 30 min of illumination. From the first to the second h of light a forced synthesis of P-700 took place and the time-course curve for the ratios of P-700/chlorophyll rose to a sharp maximum. The synthesis of P-700 started together with photosystem I activity and showed similar kinetics. We found the simultaneous appearance of photosystem II, photosystem I, and photosynthetic activities 30 min after the beginning of the illumination. Based on chlorophyll content they attained maximum activity after 2 h of light, but at this time photosystem I capacity proved to be remarkably higher than photosynthetic and photosystem II activities. Highest carboxylase activity existed in darkgrown cells. During the greening process the activity of the enzyme decreased continuously. After 2 h of illumination chlorophyll synthesis partially served to increase the size of the photosynthetic unit, which consequently led to a decrease in the light energy needed to saturate photosynthesis and also to a decrease of photosynthetic rate based on chlorophyll content.Abbreviations Chl chlorophyll - Cyt f cytochrome f - DPIP 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol - EDTA ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid - GSH glutathione - LH light-harvesting - PS photosystem - RuBP ribulose bisphosphate     

Comparative genet survival after fire in woody Mediterranean species

Summary Using data from three fires in northeastern Spain, we tested a condition necessary to support the idea that fire has been a factor in the evolution of the resprouting habit: populations of all resprouting species within a community should show high levels of genet survival after fires and show a low coefficient of variation. Species with high mean survival values were:Quercus ilex L.,Phillyrea latifolia L., andViburnum tinus L., with 88, 86 and 83% survival respectively; these groups had resprouts emerging from rootcrowns. Then followedArbutus unedo L. (75%),Pistacia lentiscus L. (73%),Erica arborea L. (77%),Erica multiflora L. (57%) andJuniperus oxycedrus L. (55%). This last group had resprouts from lignotubers or burls. These two groups also differed in the variability around the mean: the first showed a lower coefficient of variation, 6–12, and the second ranged from 19 to 26. Slope exposure had no significant influence on the process of resprouting, but soil depth did, with precipitation as a covariate. In the shallow soil category, the difference in genet survival between southern and northern exposures was 14% (71% vs. 57%); while the difference in the deep soil category was low, 5% (87% vs. 82%). There was no significant interaction. The component of variance for soils was larger than that for species-specific effects; substantial overlap of the within-species variance indicated that species responded as if they were a single hypothetical population, in which most of the variation in chances of survival was due to the soil conditions. The possession of the resprouting habit did not ensure a high performance. Hence, we find weak support for fire as a factor in the evolution of the resprouting habit.     

Power of different sampling strategies to detect quantitative trait loci variance effects

Summary Many studies have shown that segregating quantitative trait loci (QTL) can be detected via linkage to genetic markers. Power to detect a QTL effect on the trait mean as a function of the number of individuals genotyped for the marker is increased by selectively genotyping individuals with extreme values for the quantitative trait. Computer simulations were employed to study the effect of various sampling strategies on the statistical power to detect QTL variance effects. If only individuals with extreme phenotypes for the quantitative trait are selected for genotyping, then power to detect a variance effect is less than by random sampling. If 0.2 of the total number of individuals genotyped are selected from the center of the distribution, then power to detect a variance effect is equal to that obtained with random selection. Power to detect a variance effect was maximum when 0.2 to 0.5 of the individuals selected for genotyping were selected from the tails of the distribution and the remainder from the center.     

Chloroplast movements in leaves: Influence on chlorophyll fluorescence and measurements of light-induced absorbance changes related to ΔpH and zeaxanthin formation

Light-induced chloroplast movements were found to cause changes in chlorophyll fluorescence emission, closely matching those in leaf absorptance, both in terms of the kinetics and the maximum extent of the changes observed in different species. The results demonstrate that chloroplast movements can have a significant effect on the efficiency of light utilization in photosynthesis. They further show that chloroplast movements need to be taken into account in measurements of fluorescence quenching and especially in measurements of light-induced optical changes used to monitor zeaxanthin formation and pH associated light scattering in leaves. Means of minimizing and of adjusting for the influences of chloroplast movements in such measurements are discussed.Abbreviations F fluorescence emission - PFD photon flux density - R reflectance - T transmittance - absorptance C.I.W.-D.P.B. Publication No. 1116.     

Calcaneus secundarius: description and frequency in six skeletal samples

The calcaneus secundarius (CS) is a small accessory ossicle of the anterior calcaneal facet. A sample of 1,367 calcanei including early 20th century U.S. blacks and whites, XIIth Dynasty Egyptians, Islamic Period Bahrainis, and protohistoric American Indians from two states were examined to determine the frequency of this nonmetric trait. Statistical testing of the correlation of the trait with sex could only be performed on the blacks and whites, a documented cadaver collection. Tests of chi 2 indicated that, although sex differences were insignificant, significant group (not necessarily racial or geographical) differences existed at the .05 level. There was no correlation of side dominance in the overall sample, although significant population differences existed. The trait frequencies of the black and white samples were more similar to one another than to the nonindustrial groups who, in turn, were more similar to each other than to the Terry sample. The findings suggest that a CS is of genetic or congenital origin resulting in a secondary center of ossification in the anterior calcaneal facet.     

On the role of ß-carotene in the reaction center chlorophyll a antennae of photosystem I

Absorption and low temperature fluorescence emission spectra were measured on chloroplast thylakoids and on purified reaction center chlorophyll a-protein complexes of photosystem I, CP-a₁. A clear association between the presence of ß-carotene and the occurrence of far red absorbing and emitting chlorophyll a components of the reaction center antennae of photosystem I was demonstrated. For this study chloroplasts and CP-a₁ were obtained from normal and carotenoid deficient plant material of various sources. The experimental material included 1) lyophilized pea chloroplasts extracted with petroleum ether, 2) the carotenoid deficient mutant C-6E of Scenedesmus obliquus and 3) wheat chloroplasts derived from normal and SAN-9789 treated plants. Removal of carotenoids, most likely principally ß-carotene, caused a loss of long wavelength absorbing chlorophylls in chloroplasts and purified CP-a₁, and the loss or diminution of the long wavelength peak seen in the low temperature fluorescence emission spectrum. This association between ß-carotene and special chlorophyll a forms may explain both the photoprotective and antenna functions ascribed to ß-carotene. In the absence of carotenoids in wheat and in the Scenedesmus mutant, the chlorophyll a antenna of photosystem I was extremely photosensitive. A triplet-triplet resonance energy transfer from chlorophyll a to ß-carotene and a singlet-singlet energy transfer from excited ß-carotene to chlorophyll would explain the photoprotective and antenna functions, respectively. The role of this association in determining some of the fluorescence properties of photosystem I is also discussed.     

籽粒镉低积累水稻地上部镉高积累遗传特性分析

农田土壤镉（Cd）污染日益严重,导致稻米Cd含量超标事件频繁出现,使粮食安全问题备受关注。因此,合理利用Cd污染农田、降低水稻籽粒Cd含量成为亟待解决的问题。籽粒Cd低积累水稻雅恢2816的地上部具有较强的Cd积累能力,研究旨在弄清其地上部Cd积累能力的遗传稳定性,进一步揭示控制该性状的遗传基础,为利用分子标记辅助选育地上部Cd富集能力强、籽粒Cd安全的水稻提供途径。以水稻雅恢2816和3个不同品种水稻分别组配获得的F₁为研究对象,分析地上部Cd积累相关性状的杂种优势。进一步以优势组合C268A/雅恢2816构建F₂作图群体,对地上部Cd积累相关性状进行QTL定位分析。结果表明：（1） F₁地上部Cd积累相关性状杂种优势明显,遗传稳定性强。地上部Cd积累相关性状属数量性状,F₂中/超亲分离现象明显。（2）在第4、6号染色体上共挖掘到1个控制水稻地上部生物量和3个控制地上部Cd积累量的QTL位点,分别为qSB-6、qSCdA-4、qSCdA-6-1和qSCdA-6-2,表型贡献率为10.6%—14.4%,且增效等位基因均来自雅恢2816。（3）地上部Cd积累量与地上部生物量、Cd含量,根、糙米的生物量、Cd积累量,根-地上部转移系数均呈极显著正相关,与地上部-籽粒转移系数呈极显著负相关,存在4个QTL集簇区Cl-4-1、Cl-6-1、Cl-6-2和Cl-6-3。（4）区间marker 04171-marker 04197控制着地上部生物量和Cd积累量,与控制糙米Cd含量的QTL不重叠。研究表明：籽粒Cd低积累水稻雅恢2816携带控制地上部Cd高积累的等位基因,可在世代间稳定遗传,QTL位点qSCdA-4、qSCdA-6-1、qSCdA-6-2是控制该性状的重要遗传基础,可为分子标记辅助选育地上部Cd高积累、籽粒Cd低积累水稻提供理论依据。     

群落/生态系统功能多样性研究方法及展望

功能多样性是指影响群落/生态系统功能的物种性状值和范围,是解释和预测生态系统结构和功能的有效手段之一,可将植物个体尺度与群落尺度和生态系统尺度的相关生态学问题联系起来。虽已发展出多种功能多样性定量化研究方法,但不同方法结果差异较大,难以进行多研究间的比较研究。比较探讨各功能多样性研究方法的优缺点有利于拓展功能多样性内涵,也有助于功能生态学的应用与发展。回顾了当前10种功能多样性的定量化研究方法,并指出选取合适功能多样性方法的关键在于,应考虑选取群落/生态系统中的哪些物种、哪些功能性状、选取的功能性状数目、以及如何对功能性状权重等。对比发现,功能分散性指数和Rao二次熵系数的研究方法在众多方法中优势明显,具有较高的应用潜力;标准化功能多样性的研究方法在未来仍需进一步完善。利用功能多样性指数预测群落/生态系统过程和功能当前仍多侧重于理论研究,野外实证研究较为缺乏,是功能生态学未来研究的重点和难点之一。     

Ontogenetic trait variation and metacommunity effects influence species relative abundances during tree community assembly

Predicting species abundance is one of the most fundamental pursuits of ecology. Combining the information encoded in functional traits and metacommunities provides a new perspective to predict the abundance of species in communities. We applied a community assembly via trait selection model to predict quadrat-scale species abundances using functional trait variation on ontogenetic stages and metacommunity information for over 490 plant species in a subtropical forest and a lowland tropical forest in Yunnan, China. The relative importance of trait-based selection, mass effects, and stochasticity in shaping local species abundances is evaluated using different null models. We found both mass effects and trait selection contribute to local abundance patterns. Trait selection was detectable at all studied spatial scales (0.04–1 ha), with its strength stronger at larger scales and in the subtropical forest. In contrast, the importance of stochasticity decreased with spatial scale. A significant mass effect of the metacommunity was observed at small spatial scales. Our results indicate that tree community assembly is primarily driven by ontogenetic traits and metacommunity effects. Our findings also demonstrate that including ontogenetic trait variation into predictive frameworks allows ecologists to infer ecological mechanisms operating in community assembly at the individual level.