Seedling recruitment ofChamaecyparis obtusa andSciadopitys verticillata in different microenvironments in an old-growthSciadopitys verticillata forest

Seedling recruitment ofChamecyparis obtusa andSciadopitys verticillata in different microenvironments in an old-growthS. verticillata forest was studied for five years. Exposed mineral soil beneath a gap, which was newly created by a typhoon, supported the best seedling emergence forC. obtusa. S. verticillata seemed to require no specific microenvironment for its seedling emergence. Mortality of seedlings was higher for both species beneath a closed canopy, where all new seedlings ofC. obtusa died within a year after their emergence. Beneath the gap, mortality of seedlings was generally lower for both species, regardless of the presence of litter on the ground. The occurrence of saplings was more frequent forC. obtusa beneath the gaps and forS. verticillata beneath a closed canopy. Difference of seedling recruitment behaviour could maintain the coexistence ofC. obtusa andS. verticillata in the canopy layer of this forest in a non-equilibrium state caused by occasional disturbance.     

Oscillations in the electrical resistance of Nitellopsis obtusa nodes

Oscillatory changes of the electrical resistance across the nodal complex of Nitellopsis obtusa (Desv. in Lois) J. Gr. were observed in experiments performed for 40–150 min with the use of external electrodes and microelectrodes. Three main patterns of node resistance oscillations were similar to those found for membrane potential and resistance. The presented findings indicate an oscillatory behaviour of the plasmodesmata system at the node, which may be connected with e.g. pulsatile variations in the number of open plasmodesmata.     

Downhill movement of litter and its implication for ecological studies in three types of forest in Japan

The amount of litter moving down the slope was measured in three types of forest, together with an examination of rain as a factor in bringing this about. The three forest types were a natural mixed stand ofPinus densiflora and hardwood trees (plot A), aCryptomeria japonica plantation (plot S) and aChamaecyparis obtusa plantation (plot H). The amount of moved litter was quite large in plots A and H, but relatively small in plot S. The rain factor had little influence on litter movement in plot A, but was the main cause of movement in plot S and (especially) plot H. It is suggested that measurement of litter input and output not only by traps above ground level, but also by ones on the ground is essential for determining the cycling of elements inC. obtusa forests. It is also suggested that the decomposition of leaf litter should be studied both on the soil surface and in the soil inC. obtusa forests.     

Growth Profile of Crown Gall Cells of Tobacco in Suspension Culture

In order to obtain a basic information of plant cell suspension culture as a step toward the development of large scale culture, culture conditions of crown gall cells (auxin non-requiring cells) were investigated. Addition of yeast extract to culture medium was significantly effective for the growth and cell dispersion.

In experiments on the ability of the cultured cells to utilize sugars as the carbon source, it was observed that galactose, added to the culture medium, markedly inhibited the cell growth.

Pasteurization of the medium containing fructose as carbon source made it brownish by Maillard reaction and the medium apparently restrained the cell growth. However, the fructose medium sterilized by filtration was excellent for the cell growth as well as sucrose or glucose medium. In a jar fermentor, even the glucose medium became brownish by heat sterilization and the brown colored medium restrained the cell growth. Under optimum conditions, the doubling time was 1.1 day in exponential phase and 2.0 g of cell (dry weight) per 100 ml culture was obtained as the maximum yield.     

Effects of elevated ultraviolet-B radiation on native and cultivated plants of southern Africa

Seventeen herb, shrub and tree species of commercial and ecological importance in southern Africa were exposed at one location to ultraviolet-B (UV-B, 280-315 nm) radiation approx. 35 % above clear-sky background (control). The aims were to assess how UV-B affects canopy area, dry mass, and some biochemical and morphological properties of leaves, and to investigate whether differences between species are related to growth form of the plants. There was no pattern of response to UV-B related to growth form. Leaves of trees had altered chlorophyll a and b, carotenoid and flavonoid concentrations, but those of shrubs or herbs did not. Non-structural carbohydrates were unaffected. Smaller canopy areas and dry masses were observed under enhanced UV-B, but these were not statistically different among growth forms. There was a general insensitivity of species to elevated UV-B. Only five species had significantly altered leaf biochemical and morphological properties, canopy area and dry mass, the changes differing in magnitude. There was no consistent pattern of change in leaf thickness or biochemical composition with increased UV-B. Correlation analyses did not support the view that growth is less negatively affected in species with thick leaves or in those where leaf thickness increases, or in species with naturally high leaf flavonoid contents or that are able to synthesize additional flavonoids in response to UV-B enhancement. The analyses did not support the hypothesis that growth was inhibited by starch accumulation in leaves under elevated UV-B. However, changes in leaf shape did correlate with canopy area and dry mass, showing the importance of photomorphogenetic changes caused by UV-B which affect species' performance. We conclude that generalizations on plant sensitivity to UV-B based on growth form and functional type could be misleading, and that the great majority of economically important species of the region are likely to be insensitive to future UV-B increases. Notable exceptions include the Colophospermum mopane tree ecotypes chota and leslie and the arable annual Vigna unguiculata, both of which are traditional sources of livelihood to rural African populations and of importance to African industry and agriculture.     

Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation of embryogenic tissue and transgenic plant regeneration in Chamaecyparis obtusa Sieb. et Zucc.

A genetic transformation procedure for Chamaecyparis obtusa was developed after co-cultivation of embryogenic tissues with disarmed Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain C58/pMP90, which harbours the sgfp (synthetic green fluorescent protein) visual reporter and nptII (neomycin phoshotransferase II) selectable marker genes. The highest transformation frequency was 22.5 independent transformed lines per dish (250 mg embryogenic tissue) following selection on kanamycin medium. Transgenic plantlets were regenerated through the maturation and germination of somatic embryos. The intensity of GFP fluorescence, observed under a fluorescence microscope, varied from very faint to relatively strong, depending on the transgenic line or part of the transgenic plant. The integration of the genes into the genome of regenerated plantlets was confirmed by Southern blot analysis.     

Structure and dynamics of an ancient montane forest in coastal British Columbia

Old-growth forests are common in the snowy, montane environments of coastal western North America. To examine dynamics of a stand containing four canopy tree species (Abies amabilis, Chamaecyparis nootkatensis, Tsuga mertensiana and T. heterophylla), we used four stem-mapped, 50 m ×50 m plots. From measurements of annual rings, we obtained ages from basal discs of 1,336 live trees, developed master chronologies for each species, reconstructed early growth rates, and delineated periods of release. The stand was ancient; individuals of all four species exceeded 900 years in age, and the oldest tree exceeded 1,400 years. The four plots differed in the timing of events, and we found no evidence of major, stand-level disturbance. Instead the stand was structured by small-scale patch dynamics, resulting from events that affected one to several trees and initiated episodes of release and relatively rapid early growth. The species differed in age structure and dynamics. A. amabilis and T. heterophylla had a classical reverse-J age structure indicative of stable populations, whereas C. nootkatensis and T. mertensiana appeared to rely on local episodes of increased recruitment, which were often separated by centuries, and were probably related to multiple-tree gaps that occurred infrequently. However, such gaps could be considered normal in the long-term history of the stand, and thus these species with their long life spans can persist. Most individuals of all four species grew extremely slowly, with trees typically spending centuries in the understory before reaching the canopy, where they were able to persist for additional centuries. Thus, the key features of this forest are the very slow dynamics dominated by small-scale events, and the slow growth of stress-tolerant trees.