Carbon storage and root penetration in deep soils under small-farmer land-use systems in the Eastern Amazon region,Brazil

The north-east of Pará state in the Eastern Amazon of Brazil was settled over 100 years ago. Today the region is an agricultural landscape with variously-aged secondary vegetation and fields with annual cultures, plantation crops and pastures. The effect of these different land covers on carbon sequestration as well as on water and nutrient extraction remain subject of debate. Therefore, we assessed the importance of land use on soil carbon stocks by measuring various C fractions and root biomass (0–6 m) in slash-and-burn systems and (semi-) permanent cultures. An extensive root system down to at least 6 m depth was present under various secondary vegetation stands and slashed and burned fields recently taken into cultivation as well as under a primary forest. Shallower rooting patterns were evident under (permanent) oil palm (4.5 m) and (semi-permanent) passion fruit plantations (2.5 m). Carbon storage in soils of traditional slash-and-burn agriculture up to 6 m depth (185 t ha^-1) was not significantly lower than under a primary forest (196 t ha^-1) but declined significantly under (semi-) permanent cultures (to 146–167 t ha^-1). Compared to above-ground C losses, soil C losses due to slash-and-burn agriculture may thus be small. This is an argument for maintaining the secondary vegetation as part of the agricultural land-use system, as the root system of its trees is conserved and thus C is sequestered also at greater depth.     

华北山地典型天然次生林群落的树种空间分布格局及其关联性

关帝山华北落叶松、云杉、杨桦天然次生林植被类型是华北高海拔地带代表性的森林类型。以该地区上述3种典型的天然次生林群落为例,运用点格局分析中的单变量O-ring统计方法,分析各群落主要树种的种群空间分布格局;用双变量O-ring统计方法,分析各群落中树种间的空间关联性;并对同一树种在不同森林群落类型中种群空间分布格局和种间关联性的变化进行比较,以探讨华北山地次生林群落空间格局形成和种群维持与动态机制。研究结果表明,(1)各种群在相对小的尺度上聚集分布特征明显,随尺度增加树木种群的聚集性减弱并逐渐表现出随机分布的格局特征;(2)同一树种在不同森林群落类型中空间分布格局差异很大。红桦、白桦和山杨在阔叶林中呈明显的小尺度聚集分布格局,而在针叶林群落呈随机分布。在阔叶次生林中混生的小龄级华北落叶松呈现聚集性空间分布格局。在华北落叶松为优势树种的针叶林中,大龄级的华北落叶松表现出小尺度上均匀分布和较大尺度上随机分布的格局特征;(3)各群落中树种间的空间关联性主要表现在小尺度范围,随尺度加大空间关联性逐渐不明显;(4)在阔叶树占优势的次生林,小龄级华北落叶松与桦木的分布有较明显的空间正关联性,而在华北落叶松为优势树种的针叶林,桦与华北落叶松并未表现明显的空间关联性。种群分布格局和种群间的空间关联性随群落结构、空间尺度和龄级结构不同而有较大变化。     

Insectivory by Gorilla gorilla gorilla in Southeast Cameroon

Our study extends quantitative analyses of insect-eating by gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) to Cameroon. During a 2-mo period (May–June 2001), we recorded and analyzed feeding traces on plants and insects and in gorilla feces. We found 180 feeding traces, 17% of which involved insectivory. Seventy-eight percent of the fecal samples (n = 36) contained insects. Ants were found in 61% of the samples, termites in 39%, while 56% of the samples contained remains of other insects. We added 14 new species to the known insect diet of western lowland gorillas. Overall, social insects are predominant. The choice of prey by the Ntonga gorillas gives new clues for the existence of cross-cultural differences among gorilla populations. A comparison of the overall frequency of insectivory with those at other sites in Central Africa indicate a possible effect of forest disturbance on the insectivorous behavior of gorillas. The study suggests the existence of temporal variation in ant- and termite-eating by gorillas.     

New insights on ChlD1 function in Photosystem II from site-directed mutants of D1/T179 in Thermosynechococcus elongatus

The monomeric chlorophyll, Chl_D1, which is located between the P_D1P_D2 chlorophyll pair and the pheophytin, Pheo_D1, is the longest wavelength chlorophyll in the heart of Photosystem II and is thought to be the primary electron donor. Its central Mg²⁺ is liganded to a water molecule that is H-bonded to D1/T179. Here, two site-directed mutants, D1/T179H and D1/T179V, were made in the thermophilic cyanobacterium, Thermosynechococcus elongatus, and characterized by a range of biophysical techniques. The Mn₄CaO₅ cluster in the water-splitting site is fully active in both mutants. Changes in thermoluminescence indicate that i) radiative recombination occurs via the repopulation of *Chl_D1 itself; ii) non-radiative charge recombination reactions appeared to be faster in the T179H-PSII; and iii) the properties of P_D1P_D2 were unaffected by this mutation, and consequently iv) the immediate precursor state of the radiative excited state is the Chl_D1⁺Pheo_D1^? radical pair. Chlorophyll bleaching due to high intensity illumination correlated with the amount of ¹O₂ generated. Comparison of the bleaching spectra with the electrochromic shifts attributed to Chl_D1 upon Q_A^? formation, indicates that in the T179H-PSII and in the WT*3-PSII, the Chl_D1 itself is the chlorophyll that is first damaged by ¹O₂, whereas in the T179V-PSII a more red chlorophyll is damaged, the identity of which is discussed. Thus, Chl_D1 appears to be one of the primary damage site in recombination-mediated photoinhibition. Finally, changes in the absorption of Chl_D1 very likely contribute to the well-known electrochromic shifts observed at ~430?nm during the S-state cycle.     

A probabilistic model for secondary structure prediction from protein chemical shifts

Protein chemical shifts encode detailed structural information that is difficult and computationally costly to describe at a fundamental level. Statistical and machine learning approaches have been used to infer correlations between chemical shifts and secondary structure from experimental chemical shifts. These methods range from simple statistics such as the chemical shift index to complex methods using neural networks. Notwithstanding their higher accuracy, more complex approaches tend to obscure the relationship between secondary structure and chemical shift and often involve many parameters that need to be trained. We present hidden Markov models (HMMs) with Gaussian emission probabilities to model the dependence between protein chemical shifts and secondary structure. The continuous emission probabilities are modeled as conditional probabilities for a given amino acid and secondary structure type. Using these distributions as outputs of first‐ and second‐order HMMs, we achieve a prediction accuracy of 82.3%, which is competitive with existing methods for predicting secondary structure from protein chemical shifts. Incorporation of sequence‐based secondary structure prediction into our HMM improves the prediction accuracy to 84.0%. Our findings suggest that an HMM with correlated Gaussian distributions conditioned on the secondary structure provides an adequate generative model of chemical shifts. Proteins 2013; © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Directed seed dispersal towards areas with low conspecific tree density by a scatter‐hoarding rodent

Scatter‐hoarding animals spread out cached seeds to reduce density‐dependent theft of their food reserves. This behaviour could lead to directed dispersal into areas with lower densities of conspecific trees, where seed and seedling survival are higher, and could profoundly affect the spatial structure of plant communities. We tested this hypothesis with Central American agoutis and Astrocaryum standleyanum palm seeds on Barro Colorado Island, Panama. We radio‐tracked seeds as they were cached and re‐cached by agoutis, calculated the density of adult Astrocaryum trees surrounding each cache, and tested whether the observed number of trees around seed caches declined more than expected under random dispersal. Seedling establishment success was negatively dependent on seed density, and agoutis carried seeds towards locations with lower conspecific tree densities, thus facilitating the escape of seeds from natural enemies. This behaviour may be a widespread mechanism leading to highly effective seed dispersal by scatter‐hoarding animals.     

Interpopulation variability on embryo growth,seed dormancy break,and germination in the endangered Iberian daffodil Narcissus eugeniae (Amaryllidaceae)

The main goal of the study was to assess germination requirements in a threatened daffodil to elaborate a detailed protocol for plant production from seeds, a key tool for conservation. Experiments were carried out both in the laboratory and outdoor conditions. In Pseudonarcissi section, endemic Iberian species of Narcissus studied heretofore have different levels of morphophysiological dormancy (MPD). Embryo length, radicle emergence, and shoot emergence were analyzed to determine the level of MPD. Both interpopulational variability and seed storage duration were also studied. Mean embryo length in fresh seeds was 1.32 mm and the embryo had to grow until it reached at least 2.00 mm to germinate. Embryo growth occurs during warm stratification, after which the radicle emerges when temperatures go down. Seed dormancy was broken in the laboratory at 28/14°C in darkness followed by 15/4°C, but the germination percentage varies depending on the population. In outdoor conditions, seed dispersal occurs in June, the embryo grows during the summer and then the radicle emerges in autumn. The radicle system continues to grow during the winter months, but the shoot does not emerge until the beginning of the spring because it is physiologically dormant and requires a cold period to break dormancy. Early cold temperatures interrupt embryo growth and induce dormancy in seeds with an advanced embryo development. Seeds of N. eugeniae have deep simple epicotyl MPD. In addition, we found that embryo growth and germination were improved by seed storage duration.     

低温型真菌抗肿瘤活性次级代谢产物研究进展

真菌栖息生境及物种的多样性使其次级代谢产物化学结构和生物活性呈多样性特点,结构与功能多样的真菌次级代谢产物已成为新药先导化合物发现的重要资源。低温型真菌因其独特而恶劣的生存环境进化出特有的适冷特性及代谢途径,使其产生结构新颖、活性显著的次级代谢产物的几率大大提升,已成为药物研发的热点领域。近年来,研究者陆续从高海拔地区、南北极地和深海地带等低温生境分离鉴定出上百种结构新颖的次级代谢产物,并显示出抗肿瘤、抗菌、抗病毒和免疫调节等多种活性。本文对近10年来源于上述生境的低温型真菌抗肿瘤活性次级代谢产物的研究进展进行综述,为其用于创制抗肿瘤新药提供新思路。