Hyperaccumulation of arsenic by callus,sporophytes and gametophytes of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pteris vittata</Emphasis> cultured<Emphasis Type="Italic"> in vitro</Emphasis>

The callus of Pteris vittata was induced from gametophytes generated from spores in vitro, and grew rapidly with periodical medium change. Arsenic tolerance and accumulation of P. vittata callus were compared with those of Arabidopsis thaliana callus. Cell death was not detected in P. vittata callus even at arsenate concentrations up to 2 mM; however, A. thaliana callus died at low (0.2 mM) arsenate concentrations. Meanwhile, P. vittata callus accumulated almost three times more As than A. thaliana callus when exposed to 0.2 mM arsenate. About 60% of the total As was removed when 7.5 g of P. vittata callus was cultured on 150 ml of half-strength MS liquid medium containing 450 μg As for 2 days. Furthermore, P. vittata callus, sporophytes, and gametophytes all grew well under 1 mM of arsenate and accumulated 1,250; 1,150 and 2,180 mg kg⁻¹ dry weight As when grown on 2 mM arsenate for 15 or 30 days. The characteristics of non-differentiated cells, large biomass, ease of culture, good synchronization, and excellent As sequestering, make the callus of P. vittata a new ideal system to study the mechanisms of As hyperaccumulation and phytoremediation in As-contaminated groundwater.     

Exogenous Abscisic Acid Increases Carbohydrate Accumulation and Redistribution to the Grains in Wheat Grown Under Field Conditions of Soil Water Restriction

This work investigates the effects of abscisic acid (ABA) on physiologic parameters related to yield in wheat (Triticum aestivum) grown under field conditions with water restriction ranging between 45.7% and 49.5% of field capacity during anthesis and postanthesis. ABA (300 mg L⁻¹) was sprayed onto the plants at the beginning of shoot lengthening which significantly promoted leaf area and higher concentrations of chlorophylls and carotenoids in flag leaf at anthesis. ABA also increased soluble carbohydrates in shoots at anthesis, which were then re-exported to the grains at maturity. This correlated with a yield increase that was achieved by a higher number and weight of grains per spike, but protein content was not significantly affected.     

Genetic diversity and differential in vitro responses to Ni in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cenococcum geophilum</Emphasis> isolates from serpentine soils in Portugal

Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis was used to investigate the genetic diversity in isolates of the ectomycorrhizal fungus Cenococcum geophilum from serpentine and non-serpentine soils in Portugal. A high degree of genetic diversity was found among C. geophilum isolates; AFLP fingerprints showed that all the isolates were genetically distinct. We also assessed the in vitro Ni sensitivity in three serpentine isolates and one non-serpentine isolate. Only the non-serpentine isolate was significantly affected by the addition of Ni to the growth medium. At 30 microg g(-1) Ni, radial growth rate and biomass accumulation decreased to 73.3 and 71.6% of control, respectively, a highly significant inhibitory effect. Nickel at this concentration had no significant inhibitory effect on serpentine isolates, and so the fitness of serpentine isolates, as evaluated by radial growth rate and biomass yield, is likely unaffected by Ni in the field. In all isolates, the Ni concentration in the mycelia increased with increasing Ni concentration in the growth medium, but two profiles of Ni accumulation were identified. One serpentine isolate showed a linear trend of Ni accumulation. At the highest Ni exposure, the concentration of Ni in the mycelium of this isolate was in the hyperaccumulation range for Ni as defined for higher plants. In the remaining isolates, Ni accumulation was less pronounced and seems to approach a plateau at 30 microg g(-1) Ni. Because two profiles of Ni accumulation emerged among our Ni-insensitive serpentine isolates, this result suggests that different Ni detoxification pathways may be operating. The non-serpentine isolate whose growth was significantly affected by Ni was separated from the other isolates in the genetic analysis, suggesting a genetic basis for the Ni-sensitivity trait. This hypothesis is further supported by the fact that all isolates were maintained on medium without added Ni to avoid carry-over effects. However, because AFLP analysis failed to distinguish between serpentine and non-serpentine isolates, we cannot conclude that Ni insensitivity among our serpentine isolates is due to evolutionary adaptation. Screening a larger number of isolates, from different geographical origins and environments, should clarify the relationships between genetic diversity, morphology, and physiology in this important species.     

Using species accumulation curves to estimate trapping effort in fauna surveys and species richness

Abstract The shape of species accumulation curves is influenced by the relative abundance and diversity of the fauna being sampled, and the order in which individuals are caught. We use resampling to show the variation in species accumulation curves caused by the order of trapping periods. Averaged species accumulation curves calculated by randomly assigning the order of trapping periods are smooth curves that are a better estimate of species richness and a more useful tool for determining the trapping effort required to adequately survey a site. We extend this concept of randomly resampling the trapping period to show that randomizing the number of individuals caught for each species over the number of collection periods (e.g. days) can provide an accurate estimate of the averaged species accumulation curve. This is particularly useful as it enables an accurate estimation of the proportion of the total number of species caught in an area during a survey from information on the number of individuals caught for each species and the number of trapping periods, and is not dependent on having knowledge of the trapping period in which each individual was caught. This calculation also enables an assessment to be made of the adequacy of fauna surveys to report a species inventory in environmental impact assessments when only a species list and relative abundance data are provided.     

The red death meets the abdominal bristle: Polygenic mutation for susceptibility to a bacterial pathogen in Caenorhabditis elegans

Understanding the genetic basis of susceptibility to pathogens is an important goal of medicine and of evolutionary biology. A key first step toward understanding the genetics and evolution of any phenotypic trait is characterizing the role of mutation. However, the rate at which mutation introduces genetic variance for pathogen susceptibility in any organism is essentially unknown. Here, we quantify the per‐generation input of genetic variance by mutation (VM) for susceptibility of Caenorhabditis elegans to the pathogenic bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa (defined as the median time of death, LT50). VM for LT50 is slightly less than VM for a variety of life‐history and morphological traits in this strain of C. elegans, but is well within the range of reported values in a variety of organisms. Mean LT50 did not change significantly over 250 generations of mutation accumulation. Comparison of VM to the standing genetic variance (VG) implies a strength of selection against new mutations of a few tenths of a percent. These results suggest that the substantial standing genetic variation for susceptibility of C. elegans to P. aeruginosa can be explained by polygenic mutation coupled with purifying selection.     

河套蜜瓜果实发育过程中糖积累与蔗糖代谢相关酶的关系

以河套蜜瓜为试材,采用外部形态观测与内部生理指标测定相结合的方法,对其果实发育过程中果实生长模式以及果实中蔗糖、果糖、葡萄糖和淀粉含量以及蔗糖代谢相关酶活性进行测定,以揭示河套蜜瓜果实生长发育过程中糖的代谢积累与相关酶的关系.结果显示:(1)河套蜜瓜果实生长速率呈单"S"曲线,果实发育早期以积累葡萄糖为主,进入成熟期后蔗糖积累量迅速增加,最终由蔗糖和己糖共同构成果实品质.(2)在河套蜜瓜果实成熟期前,蔗糖磷酸合成酶(SPS)活性维持较低水平,进入成熟期后,SPS活性迅速升高;蔗糖合成酶(SS)活性在成熟期前为分解活性大于合成活性,成熟期后表现为合成活性大于分解活性;在整个果实发育期,酸性转化酶(AI)活性较低,中性转化酶(NI)活性始终高于AI.(3)在果实整个发育期,蔗糖含量与蔗糖代谢酶的净活力呈极显著正相关,蔗糖代谢相关酶共同作用决定果实中蔗糖含量.研究表明,在河套蜜瓜果实发育前期,以蔗糖分解代谢为主,且蔗糖合成酶和中性转化酶是催化蔗糖分解的关键酶;果实成熟期间,蔗糖代谢转为合成方向为主,蔗糖合成酶和蔗糖磷酸合成酶在蔗糖积累中起主导作用.     

蔬菜作物积累硝酸盐的基因型差异及环境意义

城郊土壤富营养化已成为目前城郊农业生态系统可持续发展不可回避的环境问题之一,氮、磷养分富集是城郊土壤富营养化的重要表现形式,因土壤氮素积累而引起的蔬菜可食部位硝酸盐超标是一个亟待解决的技术难题.本文综述了不同蔬菜种及品种间吸收积累硝酸盐的基因型差异及其差异形成的生理生化机制,指出充分利用我国丰富的蔬菜种质资源,以植物吸收积累硝酸盐的基因型差异为理论基础,筛选弱吸收低积累蔬菜作物品种,是削减、控制蔬菜可食部位硝酸盐含量的关键性技术,有可能缓解城郊区脆弱生态环境条件下集约化生产对硝酸盐农艺阻控措施的依赖.     

Cu污染土壤中溪荪和花菖蒲的生长状况及对Cu的积累及转运能力

采用土壤栽培方法,研究了在Cu添加量为0(CK)、200、400、600、800和1 000μg·g-1的土壤中溪荪(Iris sanguinea Donn es Horn.)和花菖蒲(I.ensata Thunb.var.hortensis Makino et Nemoto)叶和根的数量、长度及生物量(干质量)6个生长指标的变化趋势,并对叶和根中的Cu含量和积累量、全株的Cu积累量、Cu的富集系数及转运系数进行了比较分析.结果表明:随土壤中Cu添加量的提高,溪荪的根数逐渐降低且显著低于对照;而溪荪的其余5个生长指标和花菖蒲的6个生长指标均总体呈现出在Cu添加量较低的条件下逐渐增加并显著高于对照、在Cu添加量较高的条件下逐渐减小且显著小于对照的变化趋势;其中在Cu添加量1 000μg·g-1的土壤中2种植物的生长均受到显著抑制(P＜0.05);而添加400和600μg·g-1Cu则分别对2种植物的生长有一定的促进作用.随土壤中Cu添加量的增加,溪荪和花菖蒲叶及根中的Cu含量均逐渐提高;溪荪对Cu的富集系数和转运系数以及花菖蒲对Cu的富集系数均显著小于对照,而花菖蒲对Cu的转运系数则呈现在Cu添加量较低的条件下高于对照、Cu添加量较高的条件下低于对照并逐渐减小的趋势;在添加了Cu的土壤中,溪荪叶、根和全株对Cu的积累量均低于花菖蒲,但均显著高于对照,且2种植物根的Cu含量及积累量均大于叶片,表明溪荪和花菖蒲均具有一定的Cu积累能力,且主要积累在根中,花菖蒲对Cu的积累能力优于溪荪.综合分析结果显示:溪荪和花菖蒲不是Cu超积累植物,但对Cu胁迫均具有一定的耐性,且花菖蒲的耐性略强于溪荪;溪荪和花菖蒲分别适宜栽植于Cu含量400和600μg·g-1以下的土壤中,可用于轻度和中度Cu污染土壤的植物修复和环境美化.     

植物对土壤中铀的吸收与富集

核工业发展导致重金属铀排放和扩散,并造成了地表土壤的污染,对人类的生存环境产生了极其不利的影响。如何修复铀污染土壤成为亟待解决的问题。近年来发展起来的植物修复技术以其成本低廉、安全和环保的特点成为修复铀污染土壤的新选择。寻找理想的铀富集植物是这一技术的基础和关键。该文通过实验模拟铀污染的土壤（土壤中铀的浓度为100 mg.kg–1）,进行一次和二次铀污染土壤的植物修复后,从4个方面对植物修复铀污染土壤效果进行评估,即富集铀的浓度、生物提取量、生物富集系数（BFS）和转运系数（TFS）。实验结果表明：第1次修复时,四季香油麦菜（Lactuca dolichophylla）地上部富集铀的浓度为1.67×103 mg.kg–1,生物富集系数和转移系数均大于3;第2次修复时,麦冬（Ophiopogon japoni-cus）富集铀的浓度与第1次修复相比变化不大,而吊兰（Chlorophytum comosum）、四季豆（Phaseolus vulgaris）和艾蒿（Artemisia lavandulaefolia）富集铀的浓度与第1次修复相比均减少4–8倍;施加土壤改良剂鸡粪肥、海藻肥和柠檬酸后发现海藻肥和柠檬酸能够增强植物对铀污染土壤的修复;对两次修复土壤中铀的形态进行对比分析,发现二次修复时土壤中生物有效态铀的含量降低,造成第2次修复的难度增加。