Seasonal water uptake and movement in root systems of Australian phraeatophytic plants of dimorphic root morphology: a stable isotope investigation

A natural abundance hydrogen stable isotope technique was used to study seasonal changes in source water utilization and water movement in the xylem of dimorphic root systems and stem bases of several woody shrubs or trees in mediterranean-type ecosystems of south Western Australia. Samples collected from the native treeBanksia prionotes over 18 months indicated that shallow lateral roots and deeply penetrating tap (sinker) roots obtained water of different origins over the course of a winter-wet/summer-dry annual cycle. During the wet season lateral roots acquired water mostly by uptake of recent precipitation (rain water) contained within the upper soil layers, and tap roots derived water from the underlying water table. The shoot obtained a mixture of these two water sources. As the dry season approached dependence on recent rain water decreased while that on ground water increased. In high summer, shallow lateral roots remained well-hydrated and shoots well supplied with ground water taken up by the tap root. This enabled plants to continue transpiration and carbon assimilation and thus complete their seasonal extension growth during the long (4–6 month) dry season. Parallel studies of other native species and two plantation-grown species ofEucalyptus all demonstrated behavior similar to that ofB. prionotes. ForB. prionotes, there was a strong negative correlation between the percentage of water in the stem base of a plant which was derived from the tap root (ground water) and the amount of precipitation which fell at the site. These data suggested that during the dry season plants derive the majority of the water they use from deeper sources while in the wet season most of the water they use is derived from shallower sources supplied by lateral roots in the upper soil layers. The data collected in this study supported the notion that the dimorphic rooting habit can be advantageous for large woody species of floristically-rich, open, woodlands and heathlands where the acquisition of seasonally limited water is at a premium.     

Leaf hydraulic conductance and mesophyll conductance are not closely related within a single species

Stomata represent one resistor in a series of resistances for carbon and water exchange between the leaf and the atmosphere; the remaining resistors occurring within the leaf, commonly represented as mesophyll conductance to CO₂, g_m, and leaf hydraulic conductance, k_Leaf. Recent studies have proposed that g_m and k_Leaf may be coordinated across species because of shared pathways. We assessed the correlation between g_m and k_Leaf within cotton, under growth CO₂ partial pressure and irradiance treatments and also with short‐term variation in irradiance and humidity. g_m was estimated using two isotopic techniques that allowed partitioning of total g_m (Δ¹³C‐g_m) into cell wall plus plasma membrane conductance (Δ¹⁸O‐g_m) and chloroplast membrane conductance (g_cm). A weak correlation was found between Δ¹³C‐g_m and k_Leaf only when measured under growth conditions. However, Δ¹⁸O‐g_m was related to k_Leaf under both short‐term environmental variation and growth conditions. Partitioning g_m showed that g_cm was not affected by short‐term changes in irradiance or correlated with k_Leaf, but was strongly reduced at high growth CO₂ partial pressure. Thus, simultaneous measurements of g_m, k_Leaf and g_cm suggest independent regulation of carbon and water transport across the chloroplast membrane with limited coordinated regulation across the cell wall and plasma membrane.     

长江口滨海湿地潮间带生态系统的多稳态特征

多稳态现象普遍存在于多种生态系统中,它与生态系统的健康和可持续发展密切相关,已成为生态学研究的热点与难点,但是目前有关滨海湿地生态系统多稳态的形成机制还缺乏深入研究.本文以崇明东滩鸟类自然保护区的潮间带生态系统为研究对象,通过以下内容,开展滨海湿地多稳态研究: 1)通过验证多稳态的判定依据“双峰”和“阈值”特征,证实长江口潮间带生态系统存在多稳态,并确定其稳态类型;2)通过监测潮间带生态系统水动力过程、沉积动力过程以及盐沼植物生长和扩散情况,分析盐沼植被与沉积地貌之间的正反馈作用,进而探讨潮间带生态系统多稳态的形成机制.结果表明: 1)潮间带生态系统的归一化植被指数(NDVI)频度分布存在明显的双峰特征,且盐沼植物成活存在生物量阈值效应,均证实潮间带生态系统存在多稳态,“盐沼”和“光滩”是潮间带生态系统的两种相对稳定状态;2)崇明东滩盐沼前沿的沉积地貌表现出泥沙快速淤积的趋势,显著促进了盐沼植物的生长,盐沼植物与泥沙淤积之间的这种正反馈作用是潮间带生态系统形成多稳态的主要原因;3)盐沼植被扩散格局监测结果在景观尺度上也表明,泥沙淤积作用促进了潮间带生态系统“盐沼”和“光滩”多稳态的形成.本研究既丰富了滨海湿地稳态转换的机理研究,也为我国开展海岸带保护、修复和管理提供了科学依据,具有重要的理论和实践意义.     

Trophic interference by Salmo trutta on Aplochiton zebra and Aplochiton taeniatus in southern Patagonian lakes

The length and mass ratio, diet and isotopic composition of Aplochiton zebra and Aplochiton taeniatus inhabiting a Salmo trutta‐invaded and a S. trutta‐free lake in southern Patagonia were compared. Results indicate that S. trutta exercises important trophic interference over A. zebra and A. taeniatus, causing changes in their dietary composition by reducing the consumption of winged Diptera through changes in feeding behaviours that involve jumping out of the water. This effect is significantly higher in A. zebra than in A. taeniatus a species that has a highly specialized diet. The dietary changes of A. zebra and A. taeniatus in sympatry with S. trutta lead to an impoverishment of their isotopic nitrogen signals (δ¹⁵N), suggesting a reduction of their trophic position. In the case of A. zebra, this translates into a significant decrease in its body condition factor. Such interference could lead to a population decline of this species and would explain the current distribution range decline and allopatry with S. trutta in fluvial systems.     

Innate protection conferred by fucosylated oligosaccharides of human milk against diarrhea in breastfed infants

To test the hypothesis that human milk fucosyloligosaccharides are part of an innate immune system, we addressed whether their expression (1) depends on maternal genotype and (2) protects breastfed infants from pathogens. Thus the relationship between maternal Lewis blood group type and milk oligosaccharide expression and between variable oligosaccharide expression and risk of diarrhea in their infants was studied in a cohort of 93 Mexican breastfeeding mother-infant pairs. Milk of the 67 Le(a-b+) mothers contained more LNF-II (Le(a)) and 3-FL (Le(x)) (oligosaccharides whose fucose is exclusively alpha 1,3- or alpha 1,4-linked) than milk from the 24 Le(a-b-) mothers; milk from Le(a-b-) mothers contained more LNF-I (H-1) and 2'-FL (H-2), whose fucose is exclusively alpha 1,2-linked. The pattern of oligosaccharides varied among milk samples; in each milk sample, the pattern was summarized as a ratio of 2-linked to non-2-linked fucosyloligosaccharides. Milks with the highest ratios were produced primarily by Le(a-b-) mothers; those with the lowest ratios were produced exclusively by Le(a-b+) mothers (p<0.001). Thus maternal genetic polymorphisms expressed as Lewis blood group types are expressed in milk as varied fucosyloligosaccharide ratios. The four infants who developed diarrhea associated with stable toxin of Escherichia coli were consuming milk with lower ratios (4.4 +/- 0.8 [SE]) than the remaining infants (8.5 +/- 0.8; p<0.001). Furthermore, the 27 infants who developed moderate to severe diarrhea of any cause were consuming milk with lower ratios (6.1 +/- 0.9) than the 26 who remained healthy (10.5 +/- 1.9; p = 0.042). Thus, milk with higher 2-linked to non-2-linked fucosyloligosaccharide ratios affords greater protection against infant diarrhea. We conclude that specific oligosaccharides constitute a major element of an innate immune system of human milk.     

Natural abundance of 13C and 15N in C3 and C4 vegetation of southern Africa: patterns and implications

The mean annual rainfall in southern Africa is found to explain over half of the observed variance in the stable nitrogen (N) isotopic signatures of C₃ vegetation in southern Africa (r²=0.54, P<0.01). The inverse relationship between the stable N isotopic signatures of foliar samples from C₃ vegetation and long‐term southern African rainfall is found on a scale larger than previously observed. A modest relationship is found between stable carbon (C) isotopic signatures of C₃ vegetation and rainfall across the region (r²=0.20, P<0.01). No such relationship is found between stable C and N isotopic signatures of C₄ vegetation and rainfall. The explanation of the relationship between ¹⁵N in C₃ vegetation and the mean annual rainfall presented here is that nutrient availability varies inversely with water availability. This suggests that water‐limited systems in southern Africa are more open in terms of nutrient cycling and therefore the resulting natural abundance of foliar ¹⁵N in these systems is enriched. The use of this relationship may be of value to those researchers modeling both the dynamics of vegetation and biogeochemistry across this region. The use of the isotopic enrichment in C₃ vegetation as a function of rainfall may provide an insight into nutrient cycling across the semi‐arid and arid regions of southern Africa. This finding has implications for the study of global change, especially as it relates to vegetation responses to changing regional rainfall regimes over time.     

Increased CO2 fluxes from a sandy Cambisol under agricultural use in the Wendland region,Northern Germany,three years after biochar substrates application

In recent years, biochar has been discussed as an opportunity for carbon sequestration in arable soils. Field experiments under realistic conditions investigating the CO₂ emission from soil after biochar combined with fertilizer additions are scarce. Therefore, we investigated the CO₂ emission and its ¹³C signature after addition of compost, biogas digestate (originating from C4 feedstock) and mineral fertilizer with and without biochar (0, 3, 10, 40 Mg biochar/ha) to a sandy Cambisol in Northern Germany. Biomass residues were pyrolized at ~650°C to obtain biochar with C3 signature. Gas samples were taken biweekly during the growing season using static chambers three years after biochar substrate addition. The CO₂ concentration and its δ¹³C isotope signature were measured using a gas chromatograph coupled to an isotope ratio mass spectrometer. Results showed increased CO₂ emission (30%–60%) when high biochar amount (40 Mg/ha) was applied three years ago together with mineral fertilizer and biogas digestate. On average, 59% of the emitted CO₂ had a C3 signature (thus, deriving from biochar and/or soil organic matter), independent of the amount of biochar added. In addition, our results clearly demonstrated that only a small amount of released CO₂ derived from biochar. The results of this field experiment suggest that biochar most likely stimulates microbial activity in soil leading to increased CO₂ emissions derived from soil organic matter and fertilizers mineralization rather than from biochar. Nevertheless, compared to the amount of carbon added by biochar, additional CO₂ emission is marginal corroborating the C sequestration potential of biochar.