Hydraulic acclimation in a Mediterranean oak subjected to permanent throughfall exclusion results in increased stem hydraulic capacitance

Stem water storage capacity and hydraulic capacitance (C_S) play a crucial role in tree survival under drought-stress. To investigate whether C_S adjusts to increasing water deficit, variation in stem water content (StWC) was monitored in vivo for 2 years and related to periodical measurements of tree water potential in Mediterranean Quercus ilex trees subjected either to permanent throughfall exclusion (TE) or to control conditions. Seasonal reductions in StWC were larger in TE trees relative to control ones, resulting in greater seasonal C_S (154 and 80 kg m⁻³ MPa⁻¹, respectively), but only during the first phase of the desorption curve, when predawn water potential was above −1.1 MPa. Below this point, C_S decreased substantially and did not differ between treatments (<20 kg m⁻³ MPa⁻¹). The allometric relationship between tree diameter and sapwood area, measured via electrical resistivity tomography, was not affected by TE. Our results suggest that (a) C_S response to water deficit in the drought-tolerant Q. ilex might be more important to optimize carbon gain during well-hydrated periods than to prevent drought-induced embolism formation during severe drought stress, and (b) enhanced C_S during early summer does not result from proportional increases in sapwood volume, but mostly from increased elastic water.     

LEA蛋白与植物的抗旱性

植物在干旱胁迫下会产生多种诱导蛋白 ,其中LEA蛋白 (Late embryogenesis abundantprotein)已受到普遍关注。根据近年的研究进展 ,本文就植物中LEA蛋白的特性、分类、功能及LEA基因的表达调控作了简要综述。     

干旱胁迫下藜的光合特性研究

通过人工控制水分模拟干旱来研究生长期的藜对干旱胁迫的生理生化反应,以期望为干旱农业的高效生产提供理论依据。以盆栽的藜为材料,用称重控制浇水的方法,研究了干旱胁迫对藜叶片的光合特性。结果表明：干旱胁迫下藜的光合日变化呈双峰型,有“午休”现象（13:00）且受气孔限制;最大净光合速率出现在上午8:00。与正常条件下生长的藜相比,干旱胁迫下藜的光饱和点(LSP)、最大净光合速率(Pn)、表观量子效率(AQY)、二氧化碳饱和点(CSP)和羧化效率(CE)均降低,分别为1 200 μmolphoton·m^-2·s^-1、8.01 μmol CO₂·m^-2·s^-1、0.016 1 μmol CO₂·mol^-1 photons、1 200 μmol CO₂·mol^-1、0.017 6 μmol CO₂·m^-2·s^-1;光补偿点(LCP)、二氧化碳补偿点(CCP)升高,分别达到44.88 μmol photon·m^-2·s^-1、和46 μmol CO₂·mol^-1,干旱使藜的光合能力下降。干旱胁迫下藜的光合能力虽有所下降,但与其它C3植物相比仍具有较强的CO₂同化能力。藜是一种耐旱力较强的植物。     

脱水蛋白研究进展

植物在干旱胁迫下会产生许多逆境响应蛋白,其中最常见的是脱水蛋白(dehydrin).脱水蛋白具有高度保守的序列.根据近年研究的进展对脱水蛋白的功能和基因表达调控规律作了简要的综述.     

Energy coupling,membrane lipids and structure of thylakoids of Lupin plants submitted to water stress

Bioenergetic properties of thylakoids from plants submitted to a water stress stress (watering stopped for 6–15 days) have been measured in two lupin genotypes characterized as resistant or susceptible to drought. This energy coupling was assessed by flow-force relationships relating the phosphorylation rate to the magnitude of the proton gradient % MathType!MTEF!2!1!+-% feaafiart1ev1aaatCvAUfeBSjuyZL2yd9gzLbvyNv2CaerbuLwBLn% hiov2DGi1BTfMBaeXafv3ySLgzGmvETj2BSbqef0uAJj3BZ9Mz0bYu% H52CGmvzYLMzaerbd9wDYLwzYbItLDharqqr1ngBPrgifHhDYfgasa% acOqpw0xe9v8qqaqFD0xXdHaVhbbf9v8qqaqFr0xc9pk0xbba9q8Wq% Ffea0-yr0RYxir-Jbba9q8aq0-yq-He9q8qqQ8frFve9Fve9Ff0dme% GabaqaaiGacaGaamqadaabaeaafiaakabbaaa6daaahjxzL5gapeqa% aiabgs5aenaaxacabaGaeqiVd0galeqabaGaaiOFaaaakmaaBaaale% aacaWGibWaaWbaaWqabeaacqGHRaWkaaaaleqaaaaa!4D55!\[\Delta \mathop \mu \limits^\~ _{H^ + } \]. The fluorescent probe 9-aminoacridine was used to express, as a pH, the whole % MathType!MTEF!2!1!+-% feaafiart1ev1aaatCvAUfeBSjuyZL2yd9gzLbvyNv2CaerbuLwBLn% hiov2DGi1BTfMBaeXafv3ySLgzGmvETj2BSbqef0uAJj3BZ9Mz0bYu% H52CGmvzYLMzaerbd9wDYLwzYbItLDharqqr1ngBPrgifHhDYfgasa% acOqpw0xe9v8qqaqFD0xXdHaVhbbf9v8qqaqFr0xc9pk0xbba9q8Wq% Ffea0-yr0RYxir-Jbba9q8aq0-yq-He9q8qqQ8frFve9Fve9Ff0dme% GabaqaaiGacaGaamqadaabaeaafiaakabbaaa6daaahjxzL5gapeqa% aiabgs5aenaaxacabaGaeqiVd0galeqabaGaaiOFaaaakmaaBaaale% aacaWGibWaaWbaaWqabeaacqGHRaWkaaaaleqaaaaa!4D55!\[\Delta \mathop \mu \limits^\~ _{H^ + } \] by calibrating fluorescence quenching against the phosphate potential Gp in state 4, i.e., when ATP synthesis is strictly balanced by its hydrolysis. This calibration procedure was shown to be unaffected by treatments. At equal energization (iso-pH), ATP synthesis was halved by a medium stress and disappeared for a more severe stress, whereas pH at equal energy input (light) declined only under a severe drought. For an identical pH, PS 1-driven phosphorylation is always more efficient than PS 2, both in control and stressed plants. Thus, uncoupling is not the cause of the phosphorylation decline; moreover, retention of a micro-chemiosmotic type of coupling implies that the distribution of photosystems and ATPases is unchanged. Parallel to these functional alterations, the lipid content of thylakoids dramatically dropped. As galactolipids fell strongly, neutral lipids rose slightly. Fatty acids decreased then increased with stress, yet phosphorylation did not recover in the latter case and membrane permeability to protons remained unaffected. Overall, these observations suggest a preserved thylakoid structure and this was indeed observed on electron micrographs, even for a severe stress. Therefore, the membrane integrity is probably preserved more by the protein network than by the lipid matrix and the loss of the phosphorylating activity mainly reflects a loss of ATPases or at least their inactivation, possibly due to their altered lipid environment. Finally, from the bioenergetic point of view, the susceptible genotype was unexpectedly less affected by drought than the resistant.Abbreviations ATPase ATP-synthase (or hydrolase), also called coupling factor, CF₀-CF₁ - chl chlorophyll (a+b) - DAG, TAG di-, tri-acylglycerol - % MathType!MTEF!2!1!+-% feaafiart1ev1aaatCvAUfeBSjuyZL2yd9gzLbvyNv2CaerbuLwBLn% hiov2DGi1BTfMBaeXafv3ySLgzGmvETj2BSbqef0uAJj3BZ9Mz0bYu% H52CGmvzYLMzaerbd9wDYLwzYbItLDharqqr1ngBPrgifHhDYfgasa% acOqpw0xe9v8qqaqFD0xXdHaVhbbf9v8qqaqFr0xc9pk0xbba9q8Wq% Ffea0-yr0RYxir-Jbba9q8aq0-yq-He9q8qqQ8frFve9Fve9Ff0dme% GabaqaaiGacaGaamqadaabaeaafiaakabbaaa6daaahjxzL5gapeqa% aiabgs5aenaaxacabaGaeqiVd0galeqabaGaaiOFaaaakmaaBaaale% aacaWGibWaaWbaaWqabeaacqGHRaWkaaaaleqaaaaa!4D55!\[\Delta \mathop \mu \limits^\~ _{H^ + } \], pH, transmembrane differences of proton electrochemical potential (proton gradient), of pH, of electrical potential - Gp phosphate potential, i.e., Gibb's free energy (enthalpy) of phosphorylation - DGDG, MGDG di-, monogalactosyl-diacylglycerol - DMQ 2,5-dimethylquinone - FFA free fatty acid - NL neutral lipid - PG phosphatidylglycerol - % MathType!MTEF!2!1!+-% feaafiart1ev1aaatCvAUfeBSjuyZL2yd9gzLbvyNv2CaerbuLwBLn% hiov2DGi1BTfMBaeXafv3ySLgzGmvETj2BSbqef0uAJj3BZ9Mz0bYu% H52CGmvzYLMzaerbd9wDYLwzYbItLDharqqr1ngBPrgifHhDYfgasa% acOqpw0xe9v8qqaqFD0xXdHaVhbbf9v8qqaqFr0xc9pk0xbba9q8Wq% Ffea0-yr0RYxir-Jbba9q8aq0-yq-He9q8qqQ8frFve9Fve9Ff0dme% GabaqaaiGacaGaamqadaabaeaafiaakabbaaa6daaahjxzL5gapeqa% aiabfI6aznaaBaaaleaacaWG3baabeaaaaa!4986!\[\Psi _w \], % MathType!MTEF!2!1!+-% feaafiart1ev1aaatCvAUfeBSjuyZL2yd9gzLbvyNv2CaerbuLwBLn% hiov2DGi1BTfMBaeXafv3ySLgzGmvETj2BSbqef0uAJj3BZ9Mz0bYu% H52CGmvzYLMzaerbd9wDYLwzYbItLDharqqr1ngBPrgifHhDYfgasa% acOqpw0xe9v8qqaqFD0xXdHaVhbbf9v8qqaqFr0xc9pk0xbba9q8Wq% Ffea0-yr0RYxir-Jbba9q8aq0-yq-He9q8qqQ8frFve9Fve9Ff0dme% GabaqaaiGacaGaamqadaabaeaafiaakabbaaa6daaahjxzL5gapeqa% aiabfI6aznaaBaaaleaacqaHapaCaeqaaaaa!4A47!\[\Psi _\pi \] water, osmotic potential - PS 1, PS 2 Photosystem 1, Photosystem 2 - PYO pyocyanine - R resistant plant - S susceptible plant - V_e, V_i volumes of the suspending medium, of the internal lumen of thylakoids Deceased 22 May, 1991; dedicated to her memory.     

Responses of photosynthesis and carbohydrate-partitioning to limitations in nitrogen and water availability in field-grown sunflower*

Abstract. Sunflower plants (Helianthus annuus L., cv. CGL 208) were field-grown in adjacent plots of varying resource availability. Control plants received irrigation (on a 4–5 d interval) and high levels of fertilizer nitrogen. Nutrient-stress (N-stress) plants received control levels of irrigation but no nutrient amendments and were determined to be nitrogen-limited. Water-stress (H₂O-stress) plants received control levels of fertilizer nitrogen, but no irrigation after approximately 6 weeks of plant growth. Both stress treatments reduced maximum and diurnal net photosynthesis (A) but resulted in different physiological or biochemical adjustments that tended to maintain or increase A per unit of resource (nitrogen or water) in shortest supply while decreasing the ratio of A per unit of abundant resource. Nutrient-stress reduced total foliar nitrogen, foliar chlorophyll, and initial and total RuBPCase activities, thereby enhancing or preserving photosynthetic nitrogen-use efficiency (NUE), defined as the maximum A observed per unit of leaf nitrogen, relative to the control and H₂O-stress treatments. In addition, N-stress reduced photosynthetic water-use efficiency (WUE), defined as the ratio of A to stomatal conductance to water vapour (g). The slope of A versus g increased with H₂O-stress. In addition, sunflower plants responded to H₂O-stress by accumulating foliar glucose and sucrose and by exhibiting diurnal leaf wilting, which presumably provided additional improvements in photosynthetic WUE through osmoregulation and reduction of midday radiation interception respectively. Photosynthetic NUE was decreased by H₂O-stress in that control levels of total nitrogen, foliar chlorophyll, and RuBPCase activities were maintained even after mean diurnal levels of A had fallen to less than 50% of the control level. We conclude that field-grown sunflower manages a trade-off between photosynthetic WUE and NUE, increasing use efficiency of the scarce resource while decreasing use efficiency of the abundant resource.