Light-Dependence of Phospholipase D Activity in Oat Seedlings

The effect of light on the activity of phospholipase D (PLD) in oat (Avena sativa L.) seedlings and the dependence of this enzyme activity on the regime of their illumination were studied. The PLD activity in etiolated seedlings was 1.5–2.0-fold higher than in green plants. The illumination of etiolated seedlings with white light resulted in a decrease in PLD activity to its level in the seedlings grown under light. In contrast, the transfer of green seedlings to darkness enhanced the activity of the enzyme up to its level in etiolated seedlings. The illumination of etiolated seedlings with red light inhibited the PLD as well. It was shown that this photoeffect decreased with seedling aging and correlated with a phytochrome content in plants. Far-red light reversed the effect of red light. The involvement of phytochrome in the control of the PLD activity is discussed.     

Secondary metabolism of hairy root cultures in bioreactors

Summary In vitro cultures are being considered as an alternative to agricultural processes for producing valuable secondary metabolites. Most efforts that use differentiated cultures instead of cell suspension cultures have focused on transformed (hairy) roots. Bioreactors used to culture hairy roots can be roughly divided into three types: liquid-phase, gas-phase, or hybrid reactors that are a combination of both. The growth and productivity of hairy root cultures are reviewed with an emphasis on successful bioreactors and important culture considerations. The latter include strain selection, production of product in relation to growth phase, media composition, the gas regime, use of elicitors, the role of light, and apparent product loss. Together with genetic engineering and process optimization, proper reactor design plays a key role in the development of successful large scale production of secondary metabolites from plant cultures.     

Changes in the Relative Number of Bipolar-Like Cells in the Retina of Pleurodeles waltl as a Function of Age and as a Result of Light Exposure

The study of the population of bipolar-like cells (displaced bipolars) was continued in order to establish their role in development and regeneration of the retina in lower vertebrates. The size of the population of these cells was estimated on serial semithin sections in the retina of normal eyes in adult and young newt Pleurodeles waltl, as well as in adult newts subjected to long-term bright illumination. The population of displaced bipolars was significantly increased with reference to all cells of the outer nuclear layer. In young and illuminated animals, their numbers were approximately 1.3 and 1.4 times that in the adult animals not exposed to constant light. The results obtained favor the earlier suggestion of the involvement of the displaced bipolars in growth and restoration of the outer nuclear layer in the retina of newts during development and after trauma.     

Conidioma production of the white root rot fungus in axenic culture under near-ultraviolet light radiation

 Conidiomata of the white root rot fungus were produced in axenic culture under near-ultraviolet light radiation. Pieces of sterilized Japanese pear twigs were placed on 7-day-old oatmeal agar culture in plates. The plates were further incubated for 5 days and then illuminated by near-ultraviolet light. Synnemata developed on the twigs within 5 weeks in 19 of 20 isolates tested, and conidia were observed in 12 of the 19 isolates. The synnemata and conidia produced were morphologically identical to those of Dematophora necatrix. Received: October 29, 2001 / Accepted: March 11, 2002     

Spatio-temporal variation in Markov chain models of subtidal community succession

In this paper we ask whether succession in a rocky subtidal community varies in space and time, and if so how much affect that variation has on predictions of community dynamics and structure. We describe succession by Markov chain models based on observed frequencies of species replacements. We use loglinear analysis to detect and quantify spatio‐temporal variation in the transition matrices describing succession. The analysis shows that space and time, but not their interaction, have highly significant effects on transition probabilities. To explore the ecological importance of the spatio‐temporal variability detected in this analysis, we compare the equilibria and the transient dynamics among three Markov chain models: a time‐averaged model that includes the effects of space on succession, a spatially averaged model that include the effects of time, and a constant matrix that averages over the effects of space and time. All three models predicted similar equilibrium composition and similar rates of convergence to equilibrium, as measured by the damping ratio or the subdominant Lyapunov exponent. The predicted equilibria from all three models were very similar to the observed community structure. Thus, although spatial and temporal variation is statistically significant, at least in this system this variation does not prevent homogeneous models from predicting community structure.     

Photogravitropic equilibrium in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Avena</Emphasis> coleoptiles: fluence rate–response relationships and dependence on dark adaptation and clinostating

Phototropism of Avena coleoptiles was measured in response to blue-light irradiation lasting between 2 and 24 h. During this time the coleoptiles established a bending angle of photogravitropic equilibrium that was dependent on the time of irradiation and also on the pretreatment in light or darkness prior to stimulation. The absolute threshold for the photogravitropic equilibrium in response to blue light was 10⁻⁸ μmol m⁻² s⁻¹. Photon fluence rate–response curves, which were generated after several hours of dark adaptation, had a characteristic shape with a prominent optimum in the middle of the dynamic range. Curves which were generated without prior dark adaptation displayed no such optimum. Clinostating dark-adapted coleoptiles caused an increase of sensitivity and responsiveness during a 2-h period of unilateral irradiation. The advantages and the drawbacks of long-term irradiation experiments for the investigation of phototropism and the generation of action spectra are discussed. Received: May 14, 2001 / Accepted: December 7, 2001     

Effectiveness of flashing light for increasing photosynthetic efficiency of microalgal cultures over a critical cell density

Critical cell density (CCD), the maximum cell concentration without mutual shading in algal cultures, can be used as a new operating parameter for high-density algal cultures and for the application of the flashing light effect on illuminated algal cultures. CCD is a function of average cell volume and light illumination area. The CCD is thus proposed as an index of estimation of mutual shading in algal cultures. Where cell densities are below the CCD, all the cells in photobio-reactors can undergo photosysnthesis at their maximum rate. At cell densities over the CCD, mutual shading will occur and some cells in the illumination chamber cannot grow photoautotrophically. When the cell concentration is higher than the CCD, specific oxygen production rates under flashing light were higher than those under continuous light. The CCD was found to be a useful engineering parameter for the application of flashing light, particularly in high-density algal cultures.     

A theoretical consideration on oxygen production rate in microalgal cultures

Because algal cells are so efficient at absorbing incoming light energy, providing more light energy to photobioreactors would simply decrease energy conversion efficiency. Furthermore, the algal biomass productivity in photobioreactor is always proportional to the total photosynthetic rate. In order to optimize the productivity of algal photobioreactors (PBRs), the oxygen production rate should be estimated. Based on a simple model of light penetration depth and algal photosynthesis, the oxygen production rate in high-density microalgal cultures could be calculated. The estimated values and profiles of oxygen production rate by this model were found to be in accordance with the experimental data. Optimal parameters for PBR operations were also calculated using the model.     

植物光敏素在玉米胚芽鞘不同类型向光性反应中的作用模式

先前的研究考察了红光对玉米（Zea mays L.cv.Royaldent Hit85)胚芽鞘向光性反应的影响,本研究进一步分析了红光对蓝光照射时间依赖型向光性（TDP）影响的光具－反应曲线,发现该反应不像红光对脉冲蓝光诱导的向光性的影响那样属于超低光量反应,而是一种低光量反应,且之后的脉冲远红光可以逆转红光对TDP影响的效果。但远红光预处理延长后,逆转了的TDP反应性可以得到恢复。不仅如此,暗适应胚芽鞘接受不同时间的单独远红光预处理后可同样获得与预处理光量成比例的TDP反应性,表明暗适应胚芽鞘在接受远红光顶处理后亦可建立起长时间向光性蓝光照射的反应能力。远红光对TDP反应性影响的光量－反应曲线分析揭示,该远红光影响依赖于照射时间并要求高光量。鉴于高光量范围内上述远红影响不符合所谓反比定律,远红光对TDP反应性的影响很可能属一高辐照反应,根据上述研究发现探讨了植物光敏素作用模式与不同光性反应信号转导途径之间可能存在的相互关系。     

Feedback regulation of constant leaf standing crop in Sasa tsuboiana grasslands

The standing crop of current leaves of Sasa tsuboiana was measured on the upper slopes of Mount Horai, Shiga prefecture, central Japan. Upper one-year-old branches in the canopy produced greater mass of current leaves than lower ones. Furthermore, culms in artificially thinned plots produced larger leaf mass per culm than those in control plots. These results reveal that leaf production is positively correlated with light intensity. Therefore, when the leaf standing crop in a given year is somewhat smaller than usual, it may increase in the following year because the branches will receive stronger light. This feedback regulation causes uniformity in the horizontal distribution of the leaf standing crop. The constancy of the leaf standing crop throughout dense stands of different heights indicates that a common equilibrium value of the leaf standing crop exists. This uniform distribution leads to an almost-uniform weak light intensity under the canopy of S. tsuboiana, and can consequently exclude other plant species.