Ideal nutrient productivities and nutrient proportions in plant growth

Abstract I propose that one single formulation can be applied to relate growth and content of several nutrients, including the most important macronutrients, of most plant species. The plant growth rate is proportional to the nutrient content minus a given minimal concentration of the nutrient in minimum. The proportionality factor, the nutrient productivity, and the minimum concentration are species specific properties. The nutrient productivity formulation is shown to apply for very different plant species and for different nutrients.     

Temporal dynamics and spatial variability in the enhancement of canopy leaf area under elevated atmospheric CO2

Increased canopy leaf area (L) may lead to higher forest productivity and alter processes such as species dynamics and ecosystem mass and energy fluxes. Few CO₂ enrichment studies have been conducted in closed canopy forests and none have shown a sustained enhancement of L. We reconstructed 8 years (1996–2003) of L at Duke's Free Air CO₂ Enrichment experiment to determine the effects of elevated atmospheric CO₂ concentration ([CO₂]) on L before and after canopy closure in a pine forest with a hardwood component, focusing on interactions with temporal variation in water availability and spatial variation in nitrogen (N) supply. The dynamics of L were reconstructed using data on leaf litterfall mass and specific leaf area for hardwoods, and needle litterfall mass and specific leaf area combined with needle elongation rates, and fascicle and shoot counts for pines. The dynamics of pine L production and senescence were unaffected by elevated [CO₂], although L senescence for hardwoods was slowed. Elevated [CO₂] enhanced pine L and the total canopy L (combined pine and hardwood species; P<0.050); on average, enhancement following canopy closure was ～16% and 14% respectively. However, variation in pine L and its response to elevated [CO₂] was not random. Each year pine L under ambient and elevated [CO₂] was spatially correlated to the variability in site nitrogen availability (e.g. r²=0.94 and 0.87 in 2001, when L was highest before declining due to droughts and storms), with the [CO₂]‐induced enhancement increasing with N (P=0.061). Incorporating data on N beyond the range of native fertility, achieved through N fertilization, indicated that pine L had reached the site maximum under elevated [CO₂] where native N was highest. Thus closed canopy pine forests may be able to increase leaf area under elevated [CO₂] in moderate fertility sites, but are unable to respond to [CO₂] in both infertile sites (insufficient resources) and sites having high levels of fertility (maximum utilization of resources). The total canopy L, representing the combined L of pine and hardwood species, was constant across the N gradient under both ambient and elevated [CO₂], generating a constant enhancement of canopy L. Thus, in mixed species stands, L of canopy hardwoods which developed on lower fertility sites (～3 g N inputs m^?2 yr^?1) may be sufficiently enhanced under elevated [CO₂] to compensate for the lack of response in pine L, and generate an appreciable response of total canopy L (～14%).     

Separating the effects of climate and vegetation on evapotranspiration along a successional chronosequence in the southeastern US

We combined Eddy‐covariance measurements with a linear perturbation analysis to isolate the relative contribution of physical and biological drivers on evapotranspiration (ET) in three ecosystems representing two end‐members and an intermediate stage of a successional gradient in the southeastern US (SE). The study ecosystems, an abandoned agricultural field [old field (OF)], an early successional planted pine forest (PP), and a late‐successional hardwood forest (HW), exhibited differential sensitivity to the wide range of climatic and hydrologic conditions encountered over the 4‐year measurement period, which included mild and severe droughts and an ice storm. ET and modeled transpiration differed by as much as 190 and 270 mm yr^?1, respectively, between years for a given ecosystem. Soil water supply, rather than atmospheric demand, was the principal external driver of interannual ET differences. ET at OF was sensitive to climatic variability, and results showed that decreased leaf area index (L) under mild and severe drought conditions reduced growing season (GS) ET (ET_GS) by ca. 80 mm compared with a year with normal precipitation. Under wet conditions, higher intrinsic stomatal conductance (g_s) increased ET_GS by 50 mm. ET at PP was generally larger than the other ecosystems and was highly sensitive to climate; a 50 mm decrease in ET_GS due to the loss of L from an ice storm equaled the increase in ET from high precipitation during a wet year. In contrast, ET at HW was relatively insensitive to climatic variability. Results suggest that recent management trends toward increasing the land‐cover area of PP‐type ecosystems in the SE may increase the sensitivity of ET to climatic variability.     

Radial patterns of xylem sap flow in non-, diffuse- and ring-porous tree species

We investigated radial patterns of sap flux density and wood properties in the sapwood of young loblolly pine (Finns taeda L.), mature white oak (Quercus alba L.) and sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua L.), which represent three major classes of wood anatomy: non-porous (coniferous), ring-porous and diffuse-porous. Radial measurements of xylem sap flux density were made in sections of xylem extending to 20 mm and 20–40 mm from the cambium. These measurements were compared with measurements of the relative water content (R_s) and sapwood specific gravity (ρ_r) of corresponding radial sections. In both hardwood species, sap flow differences were rarely significant between the two depth intervals. In pine, a 59% reduction in daily sap flux density from outer to inner sapwood was found. This could not be accounted for by a 3% drop in R_s; rather, an accompanying 9% reduction in ρ_r indicated a transition between the depth intervals from mature to juvenile sapwood, and is the probable cause of the lower flux rate in the inner xylem of pine.     

Acclimation of leaf hydraulic conductance and stomatal conductance of Pinus taeda (loblolly pine) to long-term growth in elevated CO2 (free-air CO2 enrichment) and N-fertilization

We investigated how leaf hydraulic conductance (K_leaf) of loblolly pine trees is influenced by soil nitrogen amendment (N) in stands subjected to ambient or elevated CO₂ concentrations (CO₂^a and CO₂^e, respectively). We also examined how K_leaf varies with changes in reference leaf water potential (Ψ_leaf‐ref) and stomatal conductance (g_s‐ref) calculated at vapour pressure deficit, D of 1 kPa. We detected significant reductions in K_leaf caused by N and CO₂^e, but neither treatment affected pre‐dawn or midday Ψ_leaf. We also detected a significant CO₂^e‐induced reduction in g_s‐ref and Ψ_leaf‐ref. Among treatments, the sensitivity of K_leaf to Ψ_leaf was directly related to a reference K_leaf (K_leaf‐ref computed at Ψ_leaf‐ref). This liquid‐phase response was reflected in a similar gas‐phase response, with g_s sensitivity to D proportional to g_s‐ref. Because leaves represented a substantial component of the whole‐tree conductance, reduction in K_leaf under CO₂^e affected whole‐tree water use by inducing a decline in g_s‐ref. The consequences of the acclimation of leaves to the treatments were: (1) trees growing under CO₂^e controlled morning leaf water status less than CO₂^a trees resulting in a higher diurnal loss of K_leaf; (2) the effect of CO₂^e on g_s‐ref was manifested only during times of high soil moisture.     

Latitudinal patterns of magnitude and interannual variability in net ecosystem exchange regulated by biological and environmental variables

Over the last two and half decades, strong evidence showed that the terrestrial ecosystems are acting as a net sink for atmospheric carbon. However the spatial and temporal patterns of variation in the sink are not well known. In this study, we examined latitudinal patterns of interannual variability (IAV) in net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of CO₂ based on 163 site-years of eddy covariance data, from 39 northern-hemisphere research sites located at latitudes ranging from ∼29°N to ∼64°N. We computed the standard deviation of annual NEE integrals at individual sites to represent absolute interannual variability (AIAV), and the corresponding coefficient of variation as a measure of relative interannual variability (RIAV). Our results showed decreased trends of annual NEE with increasing latitude for both deciduous broadleaf forests and evergreen needleleaf forests. Gross primary production (GPP) explained a significant proportion of the spatial variation of NEE across evergreen needleleaf forests, whereas, across deciduous broadleaf forests, it is ecosystem respiration (Re). In addition, AIAV in GPP and Re increased significantly with latitude in deciduous broadleaf forests, but AIAV in GPP decreased significantly with latitude in evergreen needleleaf forests. Furthermore, RIAV in NEE, GPP, and Re appeared to increase significantly with latitude in deciduous broadleaf forests, but not in evergreen needleleaf forests. Correlation analyses showed air temperature was the primary environmental factor that determined RIAV of NEE in deciduous broadleaf forest across the North American sites, and none of the chosen climatic factors could explain RIAV of NEE in evergreen needleleaf forests. Mean annual NEE significantly increased with latitude in grasslands. Precipitation was dominant environmental factor for the spatial variation of magnitude and IAV in GPP and Re in grasslands.     

新疆伊犁野生阿魏菇菌株的分离鉴定与培养特性

对采自新疆伊犁的两种具有不同形态特征的野生阿魏菇（Pleurotus ferulae）子实体分离的菌株进行鉴定和系统发育分析,并探讨优良菌株的培养特性。结合子实体形态和生境特征,利用rDNA-ITS序列,对伊犁野生阿魏菇菌株YL-A1和YL-A2进行分子鉴定及系统发育分析。对阿魏菇菌株YL-A1生长温度、pH、碳源、氮源和无机盐进行单因素试验,分析各因素对菌丝生长的影响,通过L₉(3⁴正交试验,筛选各因子之间的最优组合。结果表明,野生阿魏菇菌株YL-A1（ITS序列GenBank登录号：MN460317）和YL-A2（ITS序列 GenBank登录号：MN809132）,不仅子实体形态特征有差异,且菌株YL-A1菌丝生长速度和长势优于YL-A2,并相互拮抗。结合生境和形态特征及rDNA ITS序列分析,将二者鉴定为阿魏菇(Pleurotus eryngii var. ferulae)。系统发育分析发现,菌株YL-A1和YL-A2单独聚为一组,与其他阿魏菇菌株有一定的遗传距离。经单因素和正交试验,确定了菌株YL-A1在含葡萄糖20 g/L、蛋白胨4 g/L、KH₂PO₄ 1 g/L,pH 7.5的培养基中,25 ℃培养,菌丝生长状态最佳,确定了优良菌株YL-A1菌丝生长最佳培养条件。为进一步保护利用伊犁野生阿魏菇菌种资源提供参考。     

The space‐time continuum: the effects of elevated CO2 and temperature on trees and the importance of scaling

To predict how forests will respond to rising temperatures and atmospheric CO₂ concentrations, we need to understand how trees respond to both of these environmental factors. In this review, we discuss the importance of scaling, moving from leaf‐level responses to those of the canopy, and from short‐term to long‐term responses of vegetation to climate change. While our knowledge of leaf‐level, instantaneous responses of photosynthesis, respiration, stomatal conductance, transpiration and water‐use efficiency to elevated CO₂ and temperature is quite good, our ability to scale these responses up to larger spatial and temporal scales is less developed. We highlight which physiological processes are least understood at various levels of study, and discuss how ignoring differences in the spatial or temporal scale of a physiological process impedes our ability to predict how forest carbon and water fluxes forests will be altered in the future. We also synthesize data from the literature to show that light respiration follows a generalized temperature response across studies, and that the light compensation point of photosynthesis is reduced by elevated growth CO₂. Lastly, we emphasize the need to move beyond single factorial experiments whenever possible, and to combine both CO₂ and temperature treatments in studies of tree performance.     

来源于中国南海的微生物新种乙醇速生杆菌(Celeribacter ethanolicus)多相分类研究

【目的】研究来源于南海海水的一株速生杆菌属菌株NH195^T 的多相分类。【方法】采用表型、基因型和化学分类方法,并综合系统发育关系结果,分析菌株NH195^T 的分类学地位。【结果】菌株NH195^T 是一株革兰氏阴性、好氧、杆状、无运动性细菌;能积累Poly-β-hydroxybutyrate (PHB);能在0.5%-10.0% (质量体积比) NaCl 浓度,pH 5.0-9.0 和20-40 ℃ 条件下生长,最适NaCl 生长浓度为1.0%-3.0%;氧化酶、触酶和脲酶反应结果阳性。菌株NH195^T 主要呼吸醌为Q-10,主要脂肪酸为C_18:1ω7c、C_18:1ω6c 和11 methyl C_18:1ω7c,主要极性脂为磷脂酰胆碱、磷脂酰甘油、双磷脂酰甘油、一个未知的氨基脂和两个未知脂。基因组G+C 含量为61.3 mol%。基于16S rRNA 基因的系统发育结果显示,菌株NH195^T 隶属于速生杆菌属;其与速生杆菌属标准菌株的16S rRNA 基因相似性范围为94.4%-97.7%。菌株NH195^T 与速生杆菌属标准菌株C. halophilus ZXM137^T 和C. indicus P73^T 的平均核苷酸一致性(ANI)分别为78.6%和78.0%;基于基因组数据计算所得的DNA 杂交同源率分别为26.1%和23.0%。【结论】基于表型和基因型结果,菌株NH195^T 代表了速生杆菌属一个新物种,命名为Celeribacter ethanolicus,标准菌株为NH195^T (CGMCC 1.15406^T=JCM 31095^T)。     

Fine Structure of the Cell Surface and Golgi Apparatus of Ochromonas*

SYNOPSIS. Ochromonas danica has an unusually flexible cell surface capable of producing projections of varying sizes and shapes: large projections, 340–360 nm long, and small projections, 50–110 nm long. These projections have been demonstrated by transmission and scanning electron microscopy; some of them may break off into the medium and be the source of extracellular membranes and vesicles reported in the cell-free O. danica growth medium. Ruthenium red stained the acid mucopolysaccharide layer just outside the cell surface as well as small blebs at the cell surface. The Golgi complex of O. danica, Ochromonas malhamensis, Ochromonas sociabilis and Ochromonas sp. produced small coated vesicles which may move toward and fuse with the plasma membrane. The role of the several vesicles is unknown but possible functions are discussed.