The influence of windthrow microsites on tree regeneration and establishment in an old growth mountain forest

The Rothwald forest in Lower Austria represents one of the few never logged old growth forests in Central Europe. Here, the influence of windthrow pits and mounds on tree regeneration in a spruce-fir-beech mountain forest was studied. Two main factors for recolonisation of sites after disturbance were investigated: (i) the trapping ability of microsites for seeds and (ii) the ability of particular tree species to establish and grow on different microsites. On two one hectare permanent sample plots, pits resulting from windthrow with existing tree trunks were recorded. At each windthrow three microsites were determined: pit, pitwall and undisturbed forest floor. If the windthrow plate already collapsed and formed a mound, this microsite was recorded as well. Furthermore, a control site was established at each windthrow. For two years the development of seedlings at four different microsites and the according control sites were monitored. To describe the variability of environmental factors possibly influencing seedling establishment and survival, litter, humus and soil attributes, herb vegetation cover as well as light availability (GSF) were assessed. In addition, soil temperature, chemical soil properties and water content were recorded at randomly selected windthrows. The distribution of the seedlings was assessed with a Redundancy Analysis, its occurrence modelled with a logistic regression and the mortality analysed with the Kaplan-Maier lifetime function. In contrast to the assumption of seed accumulation in concave microsites because of secondary dispersal, the pit microsites show comparable seed rain to the control site. However, pits have the lowest seedling numbers and by far the highest mortality rates of seedlings. The thickness of leaf litter was identified as a major driver of suitability of a microsite for recolonisation. Through its thickness, it inhibits germination and smothering of seedlings poses a particular high hazard during the winter period. Also different establishment patterns of the investigated tree species were detected. The results indicate that windthrows create microsite heterogeneity and plant species richness but limit tree population size and spatial distribution of the occurring tree species.     

"3S"技术在农业环境信息系统中的应用

农业的可持续发展是当前的热门话题,其中农业生产对环境的影响是研究农业可持续发展的一个重要方面,对它的研究涉及农学、土壤、植物营养、蔬菜、环保、农药、生态、农经、畜牧等众多学科,所需处理的数据也是多种多样的.为了准确、及时地处理、分析这些复杂的数据,不仅需要建立综合性的数据库,还要建立分析处理数据的有效的农业环境信息系统(简称为AEIS)平台,处理不同类型的数据.     

Channelrhodopsin-1: a light-gated proton channel in green algae

Phototaxis and photophobic responses of green algae are mediated by rhodopsins with microbial-type chromophores. We report a complementary DNA sequence in the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii that encodes a microbial opsin-related protein, which we term Channelopsin-1. The hydrophobic core region of the protein shows homology to the light-activated proton pump bacteriorhodopsin. Expression of Channelopsin-1, or only the hydrophobic core, in Xenopus laevis oocytes in the presence of all-trans retinal produces a light-gated conductance that shows characteristics of a channel selectively permeable for protons. We suggest that Channelrhodopsins are involved in phototaxis of green algae.     

Common sequence polymorphisms shaping genetic diversity in Arabidopsis thaliana

The genomes of individuals from the same species vary in sequence as a result of different evolutionary processes. To examine the patterns of, and the forces shaping, sequence variation in Arabidopsis thaliana, we performed high-density array resequencing of 20 diverse strains (accessions). More than 1 million nonredundant single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified at moderate false discovery rates (FDRs), and approximately 4% of the genome was identified as being highly dissimilar or deleted relative to the reference genome sequence. Patterns of polymorphism are highly nonrandom among gene families, with genes mediating interaction with the biotic environment having exceptional polymorphism levels. At the chromosomal scale, regional variation in polymorphism was readily apparent. A scan for recent selective sweeps revealed several candidate regions, including a notable example in which almost all variation was removed in a 500-kilobase window. Analyzing the polymorphisms we describe in larger sets of accessions will enable a detailed understanding of forces shaping population-wide sequence variation in A. thaliana.     

Heterogeneous nucleation experiments bridging the scale from molecular ion clusters to nanoparticles

Generation, investigation, and manipulation of nanostructured materials are of fundamental and practical importance for several disciplines, including materials science and medicine. Recently, atmospheric new particle formation in the nanometer-size range has been found to be a global phenomenon. Still, its detailed mechanisms are mostly unknown, largely depending on the incapability to generate and measure nanoparticles in a controlled way. In our experiments, an organic vapor (n-propanol) condenses on molecular ions, as well as on charged and uncharged inorganic nanoparticles, via initial activation by heterogeneous nucleation. We found a smooth transition in activation behavior as a function of size and activation to occur well before the onset of homogeneous nucleation. Furthermore, nucleation enhancement for charged particles and a substantial negative sign preference were quantitatively detected.     

Structure of the ultrathin aluminum oxide film on NiAl(110)

The well-ordered aluminum oxide film formed by oxidation of the NiAl(110) surface is the most intensely studied metal surface oxide, but its structure was previously unknown. We determined the structure by extensive ab initio modeling and scanning tunneling microscopy experiments. Because the topmost aluminum atoms are pyramidally and tetrahedrally coordinated, the surface is different from all Al2O3 bulk phases. The film is a wide-gap insulator, although the overall stoichiometry of the film is not Al2O3 but Al10O13. We propose that the same building blocks can be found on the surfaces of bulk oxides, such as the reduced corundum (0001) surface.     

Rapid degradation of gliadin peptides toxic for coeliac disease patients by proteases from germinating cereals

We report the isolation and characterisation of proteases from germinated wheat, rye and barley, and their ability to degrade gliadin peptides toxic for coeliac patients. It is shown for the first time that these proteases cleave these peptides rapidly into non-toxic fragments with less than nine amino acids. These proteases have distinct advantages when compared to bacterial or fungal proteases, and are promising candidates for the detoxification of gluten containing foods and for oral therapy for celiac patients.     

Dynamics of dissolved and particulate polyunsaturated aldehydes in mesocosms inoculated with different densities of the diatom Skeletonema marinoi

A survey of the production of polyunsaturated aldehydes (PUA) of manipulated plankton communities is presented here. PUA are phytoplankton-derived metabolites that are proposed to play an important role in chemically mediated plankton interactions. Blooms of different intensities of the diatom Skeletonema marinoi were generated in eight mesocosms filled with water from the surrounding fjord by adding different amounts of a starting culture and nutrients. This set-up allowed us to follow PUA production of the plankton community over the entire induced bloom development, and to compare it with the natural levels of PUA. We found that S. marinoi is a major source for the particulate PUA 2,4-heptadienal and 2,4-octadienal (defined as PUA released upon wounding of the diatom cells) during the entire bloom development. Just before, and during, the decline of the induced diatom blooms, these PUA were also detected in up to 1 nM concentrations dissolved in the water. In addition, we detected high levels of the PUA 2,4-decadienal that was not produced by the diatom S. marinoi. Particulate decadienal correlated well with the cell counts of the prymnesiophyte Phaeocystis sp. that also developed in the fertilized mesocosms. Particulate decadienal levels were often even higher than those of diatom-derived PUA, indicating that PUA sources other than diatoms should be considered when it comes to the evaluation of the impact of these metabolites.     

Initial decomposition of post-harvest crown and root residues of poplars as affected by N availability and particle size

An incubation experiment was carried out to investigate the impacts of residue particle size and N application on the decomposition of post-harvest residues of fast-growing poplar tree plantations as well as on the microbial biomass. Crown and root residues, differing in their C/N ratios (crown 285, root 94), were ground to two particle sizes and incubated with and without application of inorganic nitrogen (N) for 42 days in a tilled soil layer from a poplar plantation after 1 year of re-conversion to arable land. Carbon and N mineralization of the residues, microbial biomass C and N, ergosterol contents, and recovery of unused substrate as particulate organic matter (POM) were determined. Carbon mineralization of the residues accounted for 26 to 29 % of added C and caused a strong N immobilization, which further increased after N addition. N immobilization in the control soil showed that even 1 year after re-conversion, fine harvest residues still remaining in the soil were a sink for mineral N. Irrespective of the particle size, C mineralization increased only for crown residues after application of N. Nevertheless, the overall decrease in amounts of POM-C and a concurrent decrease of the C/N ratio in the POM demonstrate the mineralization of easily available components of woody residues. Microbial biomass significantly decreased during incubation, but higher cumulative CO₂ respiration after N application suggests an increased microbial turnover. Higher ergosterol to microbial biomass C ratios after residue incorporation points to a higher contribution of saprotrophic fungi in the microbial community, but fungal biomass was lower after N addition.     

Decomposition of maize residues after manipulation of colonization and its contribution to the soil microbial biomass

A 28-day incubation experiment at 12°C was carried out on the decomposition of maize leaf litter to answer the questions: (1) Is the decomposition process altered by chemical manipulations due to differences in the colonization of maize leaf litter? (2) Do organisms using this maize material contribute significantly to the soil microbial biomass? The extraction of the maize straw reduced its initial microbial biomass C content by 25%. Fumigation and extraction eliminated the microbial biomass by 88%. In total, 17% of added maize straw C was mineralized to CO₂ during the 28-day incubation at 12°C in the treatment with non-manipulated straw. Only 14% of added C was mineralized in the treatment with extracted straw as well as in the treatment with fumigated and extracted straw. The net increase in microbial biomass C was 79 μg g^?1 soil in the treatment with non-manipulated straw and an insignificant 9 μg g^?1 soil in the two treatments with manipulated straw. However, the net increase did not reflect the fact that the addition of maize straw replaced an identical 58% (≈180 μg g^?1 soil) of the autochthonous microbial biomass C₃-C in all three straw treatments. In the two treatments with manipulated straw, the formation of maize-derived microbial biomass C₄-C was significantly reduced by 25%. In the three straw treatments, the ratio of fungal ergosterol-to-microbial biomass C ratio showed a constant 60% increase compared to the control, and the contents of glucosamine and muramic acid increased by 18%. The average fungal C/bacterial C ratio was 3.6 in the soil and 5.0 in the recovered maize straw, indicating that fungal dominance was not altered by the initial chemical manipulations of the maize straw-colonizing microorganisms.