Leaf litterfall,leaf area index,and radiation transmittance in cypress wetlands and slash pine plantations in north-central Florida

The seasonal dynamics of leaf litterfall and leaf area index (LAI, all-sided basis), light penetration and the vertical distribution of surface area index, and the feasibility of estimating LAI from radiation transmittance were studied from April 1993 to March 1994 in the canopies of three cypress (Taxodium ascendens) wetlands and their surrounding slash pine (Pinus elliottii) uplands in Florida flatwoods. Annual leaf litterfall ranged from 324 to 359 g m^–2 in the wetlands, which was very close to the average for 11 sites throughout Florida of 340±26 g m^–2. The seasonal pattern of the normalized LAI obtained for the dominant tree species in the ecosystems could be used to construct the seasonal dynamics of LAI at the ecosystem scale. The vertical distribution of surface area index in the wetlands was significantly different from that in the surrounding pine uplands. The maximum LAI of cypress wetlands in this area was about 8 m² m^–2, which was higher than the maximum of slash pine plantations of 6 m² m^–2. Cypress leaves were strongly erectophile in space. Results showed that the LAI-2000 canopy analyzer could generally be used to estimate forest LAI, whether the forest canopy was closed or not, if an overall clumping index of 2.00 was applied. However, as LAI decreased, the relative error contained in the radiation-based LAI estimates increased. This indicated that foliage clumping at the stand scale was more important than that at the tree or branch scale.     

Psychological and physiological effect in humans of touching plant foliage - using the semantic differential method and cerebral activity as indicators

Background

Numerous studies have reported on the healing powers of plants and nature, but there have not been so many instances of experimental research. In particular, there are very few psychological and physiological studies using tactile stimuli. This study examines the psychological and physiological effects of touching plant foliage by using an evaluation profile of the subjects’ impressions and investigating cerebral blood flow.

Methods

The subjects were 14 young Japanese men aged from 21 to 27 years (mean ± standard deviation: 23.6 ± 2.4). With their eyes closed, the subjects touched four different tactile samples including a leaf of natural pothos (Epipremnum aureum). The physiological indices were compared before and after each stimulus. Psychological indices were obtained using a ‘semantic differential’ method.

Results

The fabric stimulus gave people ‘soft’ and ‘rough’ impressions, ‘kind’, ‘peaceful’ and ‘pleasant’ feelings psychologically, and a sense of physiological calm. On the other hand, the metal stimulus gave people ‘cold’, ‘smooth’ and ‘hard’ impressions and an image of something ‘artificial’. The metal stimulus caused a stress response in human cerebral blood flow although its evaluation in terms of ‘pleasant or unpleasant’ was neutral. There were no remarkable differences between the stimuli of natural and artificial pothos compared with other types of stimulus psychologically. However, only the natural pothos stimulus showed a sense of physiological calm in the same appearance as the fabric stimulus.

Conclusions

This study shows that people experience an unconscious calming reaction to touching a plant. It is to be concluded that plants are an indispensable element of the human environment.     

Long‐term response of temperate canopy trees to removal of browsing from an invasive arboreal herbivore in New Zealand

Defoliation of forest tree canopies by herbivores and other agents, leading to tree mortality and reduced productivity, threatens the ecological stability of forests globally. This study shows that long‐term control of a mammalian arboreal folivore (brushtail possums; Trichosurus vulpecula Phalangeridae) reduces crown dieback and increases foliage cover in browsing‐damaged canopy trees. We monitored indices of possum density, possum browsing, tree foliage cover and crown dieback for 20 years following initiation of possum control in 1994 that repeatedly reduced possum densities to near zero every 5–6 years and kept the population below 35% of pre‐control levels over the entire period. Observable possum browsing was recorded on 20–49% of individuals of three palatable tree species at the time of first control. Those percentages fell to zero after control and never exceeded 2–10% for individual species over the next 19 years. We recorded significant increases in foliage cover attributable to recovery from defoliation by possums for all three species during the first 10 years. Large increases in foliage cover occurred on individuals that were heavily browsed in 1994 (mean increases: 36–89%), but mean population increases were modest (3–19%) because only 10–19% of trees were initially heavily browsed. Twenty‐year mortality rates were similar for plants with, or without, initial possum browsing, indicating no residual impact of pre‐control browsing on tree mortality. Times for full recovery of crown foliage cover varied from 10 years for the youngest trees and faster growing species to more than 20 years for mature individuals of the slowest growing species.     

Tree size and flowering intensity as affected by nitrogen fertilization in non-bearing orange trees grown under Mediterranean conditions

A field experiment was conducted in the South of Portugal with young (0-3 years old) non-bearing ‘Lane Late’ orange trees. Five nitrogen (N) rates were used in a randomised block design with three replicates. The 180 g N tree⁻¹ over three years led to the greatest canopy width (176 cm) and volume (2,697 dm³). The greatest rate applied (720 g N tree⁻¹ in the three years) led to the largest flower yield. Nitrogen concentration in the flowers significantly increased with fertilizer N, and also with the flowering period up to the 23^rd day, declining thereafter. Flower yield was strongly correlated (r = 0.99, p < 0.001) with flower N concentration. Nutrient composition of flowers and of mature leaves from the spring flush was compared. Significant correlations were found for N (r = 0.47, p <0.01), P (r = -0.49, p <0.01), K (r = 0.44, p <0.05) and Ca (r = 0.87, p <0.001), suggesting that flowers can be used as a tool to diagnose the nutritional status of trees. Canonical analysis (with N treatment as dummy-variables) showed strong relationships between canopy width and N, which were greater at the larger rates of fertilizer application, and strong and inverse relationships between K and Mg, also with the greatest N rates.     

Sensitivity of volatile monoterpene emission to changes in canopy structure: a model-based exercise with a process-based emission model

This paper investigates the dependence of monoterpene emissions at the canopy scale on total leaf area and leaf distribution. Simulations were carried out for a range of hypothetical but realistic forest canopies of the evergreen Quercus ilex (holm oak). Two emission models were applied that either did (SIM-BIM2) or did not (G93) account for cumulative responses to temperature and light. Both were embedded into a canopy model that considered spatial and temporal variations of foliage properties. This canopy model was coupled to a canopy climate model (CANOAK) to determine the micrometeorological conditions at the leaf scale. Structural properties considerably impacted monoterpene emission. The sensitivities to changes in total leaf area and to leaf area distribution were found to be of similar magnitude. The two different models performed similarly on a whole-year basis but showed clear differences during certain episodes. The analysis showed that structural indices have to be carefully evaluated for proper scaling of emission from leaves to canopy. Further research is encouraged on seasonal dynamics of emission potentials.     

利用线性混合效应模型模拟杉木人工林枝条生物量

基于福建省将乐林场45株人工杉木解析木的572组枝条生物量数据,采用线性混合效应模型方法,建立杉木人工林枝条总生物量和枝、叶生物量的预测模型,并利用独立样本数据对模型进行检验.结果表明： 线性混合效应模型比传统多元线性回归模型的拟合精度高.不同随机效应参数的组合,其混合模型的精度不同.考虑异方差结构的混合模型能够消除数据间的异方差性,其精度更高,其中,对于枝条总生物量和叶生物量模型,以指数函数作为异方差结构时的模型精度最高;对于枝生物量模型,以常数加幂函数作为异方差结构时的模型精度最高.模型检验结果表明：对于杉木人工林枝条生物量预测模型,考虑随机效应和异方差结构的线性混合模型的检验精度比传统多元线性回归模型的精度有明显提高.     

灭蚊真菌－贵阳腐霉对植物的安全性试验

The aim of this study is to investigate whether Pythium guiyangense, a mosquito-killing fungus isolated in Guiyang, Guizhou Province of China in 1994, is pathogenic to plants. Six common crops, Cucumis sativa, Lycopersicon esculentum, Capsicum annuum, Nicotiana tabacum, Brassica campestris and Oryza sativa were used as subjects for test. Zoospores of the fungus were used to infect the plants with soil inoculation method, caudex injection method and foliage spray method. Both positive control (using P. aphanidermatum) and negative control (using sterile water) were set up in all the experiments. The results showed that no infection was found on the tested plants in soil inoculation experiments. In caudex injection test, callus grew around the wounded tissue in most of the plants. Brownish rottenness could be found only in the injected wounds in a few plants, probably caused by saprophytic bacteria or other fungi, and the germ-carrying plants grew normally. No abnormal appearance was found on the six crops in foliage spray test. It was demonstrated that P. guiyangense could hardly infect plants in nature, and was a safe and promising agent for mosquito biological control.     

武汉和天津园林植物叶片热值比较研究

对天津和武汉两地一些园林植物叶片的春季干重热值、灰分含量和去灰分热值进行了比较 ,结果发现 ,无论在武汉还是天津 ,所测园林植物的干重热值均表现为乔木 >灌木 >草本的递减趋势 ,灰分含量则呈现相反的趋势即草本 >灌木 >乔木 ,去灰分热值在武汉与干重热值的趋势一致 ,但在天津却是乔木 >草本 >灌木。同一类型的植物干重热值都是低纬度的武汉高于高纬度的天津 ,灰分含量相反 :天津高于武汉 ;乔木和灌木的去灰分热值也是武汉高于天津 ,草本植物例外。两地共有的 7种植物平均值相比 ,干重热值和去灰分热值都是武汉 >天津 ,同一植物种相比 ,7种植物中 ,有 5种植物的干重热值和去灰分热值的地区差异与平均值一致 ,即武汉 >天津 ,只有刺槐和白三叶例外。     

The community-wide and guild-specific effects of pubescence on the folivorous insects of manzanitas Arctostaphylos spp.

Abstract.  1. Insect communities on 26 species of manzanita Arctostaphylos spp. (Ericaceae) were sampled in order to examine the effects of variation in foliar pubescence traits on a community of folivorous insects. Manzanitas vary widely in pubescence density, length, and glandularity both within and between species.
2. Linear models were fitted and evaluated to determine whether pubescence traits are associated with the species richness and abundance of folivorous insects after accounting for the effects of other relevant habitat and host-plant related characteristics.
3. Pubescence traits were clearly associated with both community-wide and guild-specific variation in the structure of the folivorous insect community of manzanitas, however the effects of pubescence were manifested primarily as effects on the abundance of folivores not on species richness. The species richness of folivorous insects on manzanitas was not associated with pubescence density or length but was associated positively with glandularity.
4. The abundance of all guilds except leaf-mining insects was lower on manzanitas having longer pubescence. In contrast, the abundance of external-chewing insects was higher on plants having denser pubescence and on plants having glandular pubescence.
5. Overall, the results suggest that both longer pubescence and the amount of contact between an insect and pubescence act quantitatively to decrease the abundance of external-feeding guilds of folivorous insects. The abundance of species in internal-feeding guilds that oviposit directly on leaves is unrelated to foliar pubescence traits in the host plant.     

大气二氧化碳浓度变化对禾谷缢管蚜种群动态的影响

利用开顶式熏气室研究了大气CO₂浓度和土壤水分对禾谷缢管蚜Rhopalosiphum padi (L.)种群动态的影响,并分析了禾谷缢管蚜密度与被处理小麦叶片化学成分的关系。结果表明：（1）禾谷缢管蚜种群密度随CO₂浓度升高而持续增大并与土壤水分密切相关,各CO₂浓度下均以60%田间持水量时的密度最大;（2）CO₂和土壤水分对小麦叶片化学成分有明显的影响,麦叶水分、可溶性蛋白质、可溶性糖、淀粉含量随CO₂浓度和土壤水分含量上升而增加,纤维素含量随CO₂浓度上升而增加、随土壤水分含量上升而降低,单宁、丁布（DIMBOA）含量在CO₂浓度为550 μl/L时最高,但单宁含量随土壤水分上升而增加,丁布含量在60%田间持水量时最低;（3）禾谷缢管蚜密度与叶片水分、可溶性蛋白质、可溶性糖、淀粉含量呈正相关,与丁布、单宁含量呈负相关。结论：在未来的气候条件下,随着CO₂浓度升高禾谷缢管蚜种群可能会持续增长,这种增长在半干旱区更加突出。禾谷缢管蚜种群增长的原因之一是大气CO₂和土壤水分条件改变了植物的化学成分构成。