模拟穿透雨减少对锐齿栎(Quercus aliena var. acuteserrata)树干液流密度的影响

降水格局变化是全球气候变化的重要特征之一,未来气候变化下,较为频繁和严峻的干旱将威胁地球中纬度部分地区的森林,但森林植被如何响应季节性干旱胁迫及其机制尚不清楚。北亚热带-暖温带过渡区分布着以锐齿栎(Quercus aliena var.acuteserrata)为优势树种的落叶阔叶林,研究其水分蒸腾代谢过程对干旱的响应是评估气候变化对过渡区天然落叶阔叶林生态系统水碳影响的关键科学问题。在典型的锐齿栎天然林中通过开展模拟穿透雨减少大型野外实验,采用Granier热扩散式探针技术监测锐齿栎树干液流密度的动态变化,研究了不同径级锐齿栎树干液流密度对模拟干旱的响应规律。结果表明:(1)穿透雨减少对树干液流密度的影响呈现季节变异。在7月份,林内穿透雨减少显著降低了锐齿栎的树干液流密度,但生长季后期的10月份林内穿透雨减少反而使锐齿栎树干液流密度显著升高。(2)不同径级的锐齿栎树干液流密度在生长季内对干旱有不同的响应,特别是小径级的树干液流密度与其他径级有较多的不同。小径级的锐齿栎树干液流密度在5、7月份表现为减雨样地显著小于对照样地,在9、10月份则表现为减雨样地显著大于对照样地。中径级的锐齿栎树干液流密度在5、10月份表现为减雨样地显著大于对照样地,在7月份则表现为减雨样地极显著小于对照样地。大径级的锐齿栎树干液流密度在6、7月份表现为减雨样地显著小于对照样地,在10月份则表现为减雨样地显著大于对照样地。     

尾巨桉液流特征分析

目前尾巨桉( Eucalyptus urophylla × E. grandis)在南部大面积种植,尤其是在广西,其水分利用效率对森林可持续发展和水资源管理的影响越来越受到关注,因此了解其水分利用特征具有一定的意义。该文通过Granier热扩散探针法(TDP)对广西黄冕国有林场4~5年生尾巨桉人工林液流密度(SFD)的年变化规律、不同个体变化及其与环境因子的关系进行了研究。结果表明：尾巨桉年平均日液流密度为830.1 L.m-2.d-1;从尾巨桉日液流密度的年变化来看,最大值不超过2000 L.m-2.d-1,与相似研究比较,该研究得到的结果偏低。不同直径尾巨桉SFD具有相似的变化趋势,胸径相近其液流密度也大致相同,但胸径相差很大时,其液流密度相差也大,相差最大可达1300 L.m-2.d-1,这主要与不同生长状况的植物根系从土壤吸收水分能力不同有关。相关研究表明光合有效辐射和水汽压亏缺是树木冠层蒸腾的主要动力,该研究也发现树干液流密度与水汽压亏缺( VPD)、光合有效辐射( PAR)在年变化上有很好的同步性,主要表现出夏秋季节较高、春冬季节较低的现象。 SFD与PAR的关系比较显著,与VPD、空气温度( AT)、土壤温度( ST)有一定的关系,但与空气相对湿度( RH)和土壤湿度( SM)没有呈现规律。环境因子和植物生物学特征是树干液流密度主要的影响因素,进一步探讨尾巨桉如何响应这些因子的变化显得尤为重要。     

Humidity affects genetic architecture of heat resistance in Drosophila melanogaster

Laboratory experiments on Drosophila have often demonstrated increased heritability for morphological and life‐history traits under environmental stress. We used parent–offspring comparisons to examine the impact of humidity levels on the heritability of a physiological trait, resistance to heat, measured as knockdown time at constant temperature. Drosophila melanogaster were reared under standard nonstressful conditions and heat‐shocked as adults at extreme high or low humidity. Mean knockdown time was decreased in the stressful dry environment, but there was a significant sex‐by‐treatment interaction: at low humidity, females were more heat resistant than males, whereas at high humidity, the situation was reversed. Phenotypic variability of knockdown time was also lower in the dry environment. The magnitude of genetic correlation between the sexes at high humidity indicated genetic variation for sexual dimorphism in heat resistance. Heritability estimates based on one‐parent–offspring regressions tended to be higher under desiccation stress, and this could be explained by decreased environmental variance of heat resistance at low humidity. There was no indication that the additive genetic variance and evolvability of heat resistance differed between the environments. The pattern of heritability estimates suggests that populations of D. melanogaster may have a greater potential for evolving higher thermal tolerance under arid conditions.     

The C1B domains of novel PKCε and PKCη have a higher membrane binding affinity than those of the also novel PKCδ and PKCθ

The C1 domains of novel PKCs mediate the diacylglycerol-dependent translocation of these enzymes. The four different C1B domains of novel PKCs (δ, ε, θ and η) were studied, together with different lipid mixtures containing acidic phospholipids and diacylglycerol or phorbol ester. The results show that either in the presence or in the absence of diacylglycerol, C1Bε and C1Bη exhibit a substantially higher propensity to bind to vesicles containing negatively charged phospholipids than C1Bδ and C1Bθ. The observed differences between the C1B domains of novel PKCs (in two groups of two each) were also evident in RBL-2H3 cells and it was found that, as with model membranes, in which C1Bε and C1Bη could be translocated to membranes by the addition of a soluble phosphatidic acid without diacylglycerol or phorbol ester, C1Bδ and C1Bθ were not translocated when soluble phosphatidic acid was added, and diacylglycerol was required to achieve a detectable binding to cell membranes. It is concluded that two different subfamilies of novel PKCs can be established with respect to their propensity to bind to the cell membrane and that these peculiarities in recognizing lipids may explain why these isoenzymes are specialized in responding to different triggering signals and bind to different cell membranes.     

Infrared heater arrays for warming ecosystem field plots

There is a need for methodology to warm open‐field plots in order to study the likely effects of global warming on ecosystems in the future. Herein, we describe the development of arrays of more powerful and efficient infrared heaters with ceramic heating elements. By tilting the heaters at 45° from horizontal and combining six of them in a hexagonal array, good uniformity of warming was achieved across 3‐m‐diameter plots. Moreover, there do not appear to be obstacles (other than financial) to scaling to larger plots. The efficiency [η_h (%); thermal radiation out per electrical energy in] of these heaters was higher than that of the heaters used in most previous infrared heater experiments and can be described by: η_h= 10 + 25exp(? 0.17 u), where u is wind speed at 2 m height (m s^{? 1}). Graphs are presented to estimate operating costs from degrees of warming, two types of plant canopy, and site windiness. Four such arrays were deployed over plots of grass at Haibei, Qinghai, China and another at Cheyenne, Wyoming, USA, along with corresponding reference plots with dummy heaters. Proportional integral derivative systems with infrared thermometers to sense canopy temperatures of the heated and reference plots were used to control the heater outputs. Over month‐long periods at both sites, about 75% of canopy temperature observations were within 0.5 °C of the set‐point temperature differences between heated and reference plots. Electrical power consumption per 3‐m‐diameter plot averaged 58 and 80 kW h day^{? 1} for Haibei and Cheyenne, respectively. However, the desired temperature differences were set lower at Haibei (1.2 °C daytime, 1.7 °C night) than Cheyenne (1.5 °C daytime, 3.0 °C night), and Cheyenne is a windier site. Thus, we conclude that these hexagonal arrays of ceramic infrared heaters can be a successful temperature free‐air‐controlled enhancement (T‐FACE) system for warming ecosystem field plots.     

Serial increase in the thermal stability of 3-isopropylmalate dehydrogenase from Bacillus subtilis by experimental evolution.

We improved the thermal stability of 3-isopropylmalate dehydrogenase from Bacillus subtilis by an in vivo evolutionary technique using an extreme thermophile, Thermus thermophilus, as a host cell. The leuB gene encoding B. subtilis 3-isopropylmalate dehydrogenase was integrated into the chromosome of a leuB-deficient strain of T. thermophilus. The resulting transformant showed a leucine-autotrophy at 56 degrees C but not at 61 degrees C and above. Phenotypically thermostabilized strains that can grow at 61 degrees C without leucine were isolated from spontaneous mutants. Screening temperature was stepwise increased from 61 to 66 and then to 70 degrees C and mutants that showed a leucine-autotrophic growth at 70 degrees C were obtained. DNA sequence analyses of the leuB genes from the mutant strains revealed three stepwise amino acid replacements, threonine-308 to isoleucine, isoleucine-95 to leucine, and methionine-292 to isoleucine. The mutant enzymes with these amino acid replacements were more stable against heat treatment than the wild-type enzyme. Furthermore, the triple-mutant enzyme showed significantly higher specific activity than that of the wild-type enzyme.     

Trichogramma parasitoids for control of Lepidopteran borers in Taiwan: species,life‐history traits and Wolbachia infections

Trichogramma, polyphagous endoparasitoids of lepidopteran eggs, are used against a variety of crop pests throughout the world including those of sugar cane and corn in south‐eastern Asia. Their ability to be easily and economically reared on factitious hosts and their wide host range have contributed to their widespread use in pest control. The overall aim of this study was to select strains for eventual release in crop areas for control of lepidopteran borer pests of sugar cane and corn. To this end, we identified common Trichogramma species emerging from corn borer egg masses throughout south‐western Taiwan, compared their life‐history characteristics, assessed their thermal limits and identified the Wolbachia infection status of collected Trichogramma parasitoids. Trichogramma ostriniae was the most commonly collected species on corn, with occasional detection of T. chilonis and an unidentified species designated as T. sp. y. Although the sex ratio varied widely between sites, Wolbachia infection was detected only at a single site in one species (T. ostriniae). Wolbachia‐infected T. ostriniae were tolerant to high temperature stress. Trichogramma chilonis had lowest fecundity of the three species tested, and a Wolbachia‐infected T. ostriniae strain had lower fecundity than an uninfected strain. Given the limited availability of distribution and historical data for Trichogramma species in Taiwan, the current study provides a baseline for future work and also highlights the importance of accurately identifying species when establishing colonies of natural enemies for biocontrol.     

Modulation of the K(v)4.3 channel by syntaxin 1A

The SNARE protein syntaxin 1A (Syn1A) is known to inhibit delayed rectifier K(+) channels of the K(v)1 and K(v)2 families with heterogeneous effects on their gating properties. In this study, we explored whether Syn1A could directly modulate K(v)4.3, a rapidly inactivating K(v) channel with important roles in neuroendocrine cells and cardiac myocytes. Immunoprecipitation studies in HEK293 cells coexpressing Syn1A and K(v)4.3 revealed a direct interaction with increased trafficking to the plasma membrane without a change in channel synthesis. Paradoxically, Syn1A inhibited K(v)4.3 current density. In particular, Syn1A produced a left-shift in steady-state inactivation of K(v)4.3 without affecting either voltage dependence of activation or gating kinetics, a pattern distinct from other K(v) channels. Combined with our previous reports, our results further verify the notion that the mechanisms involved in Syn1A-K(v) interactions vary significantly between K(v) channels, thus providing a wide scope for Syn1A modulation of exocytosis and membrane excitability.     

BME-1生物医用电子微分器

本文介绍了一个用国产高输入阻抗运算放大器制成的生物医用电子微分器。电路由同步输入、延时、三角波发生器、微分单元和滤波单元组成。微分时间常数20μs—50ms;校正电压变化率±0.1v/s—±200v/s;延时20μs—10s。微分器可为外来正脉冲触发,也可手动触发,它已用于微分心肌细胞动作电位、心腔压力等多种生物讯号。