How do elevated CO2 and O3 affect the interception and utilization of radiation by a soybean canopy?

Net productivity of vegetation is determined by the product of the efficiencies with which it intercepts light (?_i) and converts that intercepted energy into biomass (?_c). Elevated carbon dioxide (CO₂) increases photosynthesis and leaf area index (LAI) of soybeans and thus may increase ?_i and ?_c; elevated O₃ may have the opposite effect. Knowing if elevated CO₂ and O₃ differentially affect physiological more than structural components of the ecosystem may reveal how these elements of global change will ultimately alter productivity. The effects of elevated CO₂ and O₃ on an intact soybean ecosystem were examined with Soybean Free Air Concentration Enrichment (SoyFACE) technology where large field plots (20‐m diameter) were exposed to elevated CO₂ (～550 μmol mol^?1) and elevated O₃ (1.2 × ambient) in a factorial design. Aboveground biomass, LAI and light interception were measured during the growing seasons of 2002, 2003 and 2004 to calculate ?_i and ?_c. A 15% increase in yield (averaged over 3 years) under elevated CO₂ was caused primarily by a 12% stimulation in ?_c , as ?_i increased by only 3%. Though accelerated canopy senescence under elevated O₃ caused a 3% decrease in ?_i, the primary effect of O₃ on biomass was through an 11% reduction in ?_c. When CO₂ and O₃ were elevated in combination, CO₂ partially reduced the negative effects of elevated O₃. Knowing that changes in productivity in elevated CO₂ and O₃ were influenced strongly by the efficiency of conversion of light energy into energy in plant biomass will aid in optimizing soybean yields in the future. Future modeling efforts that rely on ?_c for calculating regional and global plant productivity will need to accommodate the effects of global change on this important ecosystem attribute.     

Leaf micromorphology inAgathis and its taxonomic implications

This study surveys the micromorphological surface structure of the leaves of the conifer genusAgathis (Araucariaceae) from throughout the range of the genus (Malaysia to New Zealand and Fiji) as seen with the scanning electron microscope. These data confirm that the vegetative parts ofAgathis are taxonomically highly conservative, but suggest the Melanesian and New Zealand elements to be distinctive from those of the rest of the genus, and from one another. Conclusions are compared with those that have been derived from studies based on other characters.     

The Effect of Leaf Age on Gas Exchange and Malate Accumulation in C3-CAM Plant Marrubium Frivaldszkyanum (Lamiaceae)

For the first time the expression of C₃ and CAM in the leaves of different age of Marrubium frivaldszkyanum Boiss, is reported. With increasing leaf age a typical C₃ photosynthesis pattern and high transpiration rate were found. In older leaves a shift to CAM occurred and the 24-h transpiration water loss decreased. A correlation was established between leaf area and accumulation of malate. Water loss at early stages of leaf expansion may be connected with the shift to CAM and the water economy of the whole plant.     

Species of the genus Quercus in Italy: Characterization by means of leaf surface observation

Abstract

We propose a study of the main species belonging to the genus Quercus in Italy, characterized and identified by means of leaf surface observation, with special attention devoted to waxes, trichomes and stomata. Comparing our results with the classification proposed by SCHWARZ (1984), we find that species belonging to Schwarz's subgenus Quercus are recognizable because their waxes are structured in vertical scales; the two other subgenera (Sclerophyllodrys and Cerris) present smooth wax structures, their distinctive feature being the shape of the stomatal rima, which is roundish in Sclerophyllodrys and elliptical in Cerris. The study characterizes Quercus pubescens Willd. and Quercus petraea Liebl. by analyzing some morphometric traits; but the authors feel that further research is needed on these critical taxonomic entities. Lastly, the study examines forms of was degeneration correlated to the phenomenon known as oak decline.     

Turnover of plant lineages shapes herbivore phylogenetic beta diversity along ecological gradients

Understanding drivers of biodiversity patterns is of prime importance in this era of severe environmental crisis. More diverse plant communities have been postulated to represent a larger functional trait‐space, more likely to sustain a diverse assembly of herbivore species. Here, we expand this hypothesis to integrate environmental, functional and phylogenetic variation of plant communities as factors explaining the diversity of lepidopteran assemblages along elevation gradients in the Swiss Western Alps. According to expectations, we found that the association between butterflies and their host plants is highly phylogenetically structured. Multiple regression analyses showed the combined effect of climate, functional traits and phylogenetic diversity in structuring butterfly communities. Furthermore, we provide the first evidence that plant phylogenetic beta diversity is the major driver explaining butterfly phylogenetic beta diversity. Along ecological gradients, the bottom up control of herbivore diversity is thus driven by phylogenetically structured turnover of plant traits as well as environmental variables.     

Effect of Vaccinium ashei reade Leaf Extracts on Lipid Metabolism in Obese OLETF Rats

The effects of a hot water extract and fractional extracts from rabbiteye blueberry (Vaccinium ashei reade) leaves (BBL) on lipid metabolism were studied in obese Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) rats. Feeding the hot water extract and fractional extracts from BBL alleviated hepatic triglyceride accumulation in the rats. Additionally, feeding with the flavonol glycoside (FG) and proanthocyanidin (PA) fractions lowered serum cholesterol levels in the obese rats. The results from measurements of the hepatic enzyme activity indicate that the hypolipidemic effects of the hot water extract and the PA fraction might be attributable to enhanced lipolysis in the liver. The reduced serum levels of C-reactive protein, an inflammatory cytokine, by the chlorogenic acid + rutin fraction and FG fraction might be associated with alleviating the metabolic abnormalities in obese rats. These results indicate that the BBL extracts, and especially FG and PA, exerted hypolipidemic effects on obese OLETF rats and suggest that an infusion of BBL can be useful as a dietary hypolipidemic component.