Insights into the reaction mechanism of the coagulation of soy protein isolates induced by subtilisin carlsberg

The reaction mechanism of the coagulation of soy protein isolates (SPIs) induced by subtilisin Carlsberg was investigated. Formation of the coagula was monitored by measuring the turbidity (OD660) of the SPI solution, which decreased at the initial stage (phase 1 or digestion phase) of the reaction, and then increased (phase 2 or coagulation phase) and finally reached the plateau level. The velocity of the coagulation increased with increasing enzyme concentration. The coagulation was inhibited dramatically by adding a serine protease inhibitor (phenylmethanesulfonyl fluoride, PMSF) when the turbidity reached the minimum value. This indicates that the SPI digests participating in the coagulation are produced mainly in phase 2; in other words, production of the coagulating fragments and their coagulation occur simultaneously in phase 2. Structural changes of SPI during proteolysis were measured by observing fluorescence changes of aromatic amino acids of SPI and an externally added hydrophobic probe. It was suggested that the hydrophilic surface areas of SPIs might be cleaved preferentially in phase 1, and that the hydrophobic inner areas might be cleaved in phase 2 with extensive decomposition of the 3-D structure of SPI proteins. The fragments formed in phase 2 are considered to coagulate through hydrophobic interactions.     

Inhibition against heat coagulation of ovotransferrin by ovalbumin dry-heated at 120 degrees C

Ovalbumin (OVA) was aggregated stepwise by dry heating at 120 degrees C with a gradual increase in its heating times (10 min-6 h). The inhibiting effects of DHOVAs (OVAs dry-heated for various times up to 6 h) on the heat coagulation of ovotransferrin (OT) were studied. DHOVAs and OT were solubilized at 5% (w/w) concentration with 10 mM sodium phosphate buffer, pH 7.4. Their solutions were mixed at the volume ratio of 1:1 and reheated at 60 degrees C for 3. 5 min. Some remarkable differences according to dry-heating time were observed: coagulum formations were greatly inhibited in the solutions mixed with DHOVAs treated for more than around 2.0 h, with decreasing turbidity as dry-heating time increased. In addition, the effects of reheating time and temperature, as well as those of pH and ionic strength, were also examined on coagulum formation and turbidity development in connection with dry-heating time. Thus, the inhibiting effects of dry-heated egg white on the heat coagulation of fresh egg white previously described were confirmed on the molecular level of OVA and OT.     

Effects of caseins on thermal stability of bovine beta-lactoglobulin

Casein fractions have been shown to act as molecular chaperones and inhibit aggregation of whey proteins in dilute solutions (< or =1% w/v). We evaluated if this approach would stabilize protein solutions at higher concentration and thermal processing temperatures desired for beverage applications. Mixtures of beta-lactoglobulin (BLG) (6% w/v) with either beta-casein (BCN) (0.01-2% w/v) or alpha s-casein (ACN) (2% w/v) were adjusted to pH 6.0 and heated (70-90 degrees C) for 20 min, cooled, and then analyzed to determine the degree of aggregation. Aggregation was determined by solution turbidity as optical density (OD) at 400 or 600 nm. The addition of 0.05% (w/v) BCN or greater caused a drop in turbidity for solutions heated at 70-90 degrees C. In contrast, inhibition was observed in BLG-ACN mixtures at 70 degrees C but not at > or =75 degrees C. Moreover, prolonged heating (90 min) of BLG with 2% (w/v) BCN (pH 6.0) at 90 degrees C produced a clear solution while BLG-ACN solutions formed translucent gels after heating for 15 min. The weight-averaged molar mass and root-mean-square (rms) radius of soluble aggregates were determined by size exclusion chromatography in conjunction with multiangle laser light scattering (SEC-MALS). SEC-MALS confirmed the turbidity results by showing that the BLG-BCN mixture (8% w/v protein) produced aggregates with lower molar mass and smaller rms radius (majority 20-40 nm). These results showed that BCN is a feasible component to stabilize higher concentrations of whey proteins in beverages.     

Self-diffusion coefficient of water in tofu determined by pulsed field gradient nuclear magnetic resonance

The self-diffusion coefficient of water in soybean protein dispersion and tofu was measured by pulsed field gradient (PFG) NMR. A soy protein isolate (SPI) dispersion (6 and 12%, w/w) in water, calcium cross-linked precipitate, and tofu were used for comparison. The self-diffusion coefficient of water (D) in the SPI dispersion, 2.23 x 10(-9) m2/s, was estimated lower than that of free water, 2.6 x 10(-9) m2/s at 25 degrees C, and decreased as the SPI concentration increased. It further decreased by the addition of calcium chloride, reflecting the obstruction effect induced by the precipitates in addition to the hydration and hydrodynamic interaction in the protein dispersion. The two water regions in tofu were interpreted by the two-site K?rger model: D1 and D2 of soft tofu were 2.26 (+/-0.11) x 10(-9) and 6.84 (+/-0.34) x 10(-11) m2/s, respectively. The relative amount of proton (water) was p1 = 0.98 and p2 = 0.02 at 100 ms of diffusion time. The self-diffusion coefficients of water decreased in pressed tofu, and their relative amounts of water changed to p1 = 0.93 and p2 = 0.07. It was suggested that D1 corresponded to obstructed water in the network structure and D2 corresponded to hydrated water on the surface layer of pores formed in the protein network of tofu. The pore sizes estimated from the diffusion length of obstructed water were 21.3 microm in soft tofu and 20.8 microm in pressed tofu. The removal of fat from pressed tofu led to a decrease in D2 from 6.26 (+/-0.31) x 10(-11) to 3.53 (+/-0.18) x 10(-11) m2/s, and the relative amount of hydrated water increased from 0.07 to 0.14, which indicated hydrophobic hydration.     

超声辅助制备抗冻融大豆分离蛋白工艺优化

为了提高大豆蛋白冻融稳定性,研究了超声波辅助下大豆分离蛋白(soybean protein isolate,SPI)与葡聚糖(dextran,D)发生美拉德反应改性蛋白的方法,以乳化稳定性(emulsion stability index,ESI)和乳析指数(creaming index,CI)为响应值,建立了优化工艺的Box-Behnken模型。验证试验表明,模型具有重现性和可靠性,在SPI质量浓度40 mg/m L、超声温度80℃、比功率5 W/m L条件下,与未改性SPI相比,改性后SPI乳化稳定性提高了43.80%,经1、2、3次冻融循环后乳析指数分别降低了57.76%、75.33%、96.20%。接枝物制备的乳液经冻融循环后粒径维持在50~55μm。红外光谱分析接枝物在1 010 cm-1处的C-N共价键振动增强,说明SPI和葡聚糖是以共价键的方式结合。扫描电镜结果表明,改性后蛋白颗粒更加疏松,分子间聚集程度降低。研究结果为冷冻食品专用大豆分离蛋白的产业化生产提供了理论和技术指导。     

Micrometer-sized fibrillar protein aggregates from soy glycinin and soy protein isolate

Long, fibrillar semiflexible aggregates were formed from soy glycinin and soy protein isolate (SPI) when heated at 85 degrees C and pH 2. Transmission electron microscopy analysis showed that the contour length of the fibrils was approximately 1 microm, the persistence length 2.3 microm, and the thickness a few nanometers. Fibrils formed from SPI were more branched than the fibrils of soy glycinin. Binding of the fluorescent dye Thioflavin T to the fibrils showed that beta-sheets were present in the fibrils. The presence of the fibrils resulted in an increase in viscosity and shear thinning behavior. Flow-induced birefringence measurements showed that the behavior of the fibrils under flow can be described by scaling relations derived for rodlike macromolecules. The fibril formation could be influenced by the protein concentration and heating time. Most properties of soy glycinin fibrils are comparable to beta-lactoglobulin fibrils.     

辉光放电低温等离子体改性大豆分离蛋白可食膜工艺优化

为制备具有良好性能的可食膜,该文采用大豆分离蛋白(soy protein isolate,SPI)为成膜基材,利用辉光放电等离子体作用对可食膜进行改性,并研究等离子体处理时间、丙三醇质量浓度、pH值对可食膜水蒸气透过系数(water vapor permeability,WVP)、氧气透过率(oxygen permeability,OP)抗拉强度(tensile strength,TS)、断裂伸长率(elongation,E)的影响。利用响应面法对工艺参数进行优化,得到各因素对可食膜性能影响的大小依次为pH值丙三醇质量浓度等离子体处理时间。试验结果表明:丙三醇质量浓度为0.02 g/mL、等离子体处理时间为11.31 min、pH值为11,可食膜性能综合得分S为0.90。此时可食膜的断裂伸长率为273.77%、抗张强度为3.46 MPa、水蒸气透过系数为1.81×10~(-12) g/(cm·s·Pa)、氧气透过率为1.43×10~(-5) cm~3/(m~2·d·Pa)。通过原子力显微镜和接触角测量仪对可食膜表面进行观察,结果表明:经低温等离子体处理的可食膜表面物理结构发生改变,粗糙度增加,水接触角变小,有效提高大豆分离蛋白膜的机械性能和表面润湿性。     

Porphyran as a functional modifier of a soybean protein isolate through conjugation by the Maillard reaction

Porphyran (Por) prepared from dried nori was applied as a functional modifier of a soybean protein isolate (SPI) to conjugate with SPI from defatted soybean by the Maillard reaction (79% relative humidity and 60 degrees C for 7 days). Two kinds of partially denatured conjugate (Conj 45 and Conj 63) were obtained from the reaction product by sequential extraction at pH 4.5 and pH 6.3, and the respective yield and weight ratios of the SPI and Por moieties were 8.4% and 1:1 for Conj 45 and 11.7% and 1:0.16 for Conj 63. Conj 63 demonstrated improved solubility between pH 5.0 and pH 8.0, while Conj 45 exhibited substantially complete solubility over the pH range of 2.0-8.0. Conj 63 showed more tolerance against digestion with pancreatin than SPI, whereas this was lost after denaturation. Conj 63 and Conj 45 both showed a markedly higher emulsion activity index and emulsion stability than SPI, even at pH 3.0; in particular, Conj 45 exhibited outstanding emulsifying ability. Conj 63 had about a two-fold higher calcium-binding ability than SPI, and Conj 63 and Conj 45 did not aggregate with added Ca2+ and Mg2+. It is believed that Por could be a valuable functional modifier of SPI for providing soybean protein-based liquid foods such as beverages by conjugation through the Maillard reaction.     

Physicochemical and functional properties of hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) protein isolate

The amino acid composition and physicochemical and functional properties of hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) protein isolate (HPI) were evaluated and compared with those of soy protein isolate (SPI). Edestin, a kind of hexameric legumin, was the major protein component. HPI had similar or higher levels of essential amino acids (except lysine), in comparison to those amino acids of SPI. The essential amino acids in HPI (except lysine and sulfur-containing amino acids) are sufficient for the FAO/WHO suggested requirements for 2-5 year old children. The protein solubility (PS) of HPI was lower than that of SPI at pH less than 8.0 but similar at above pH 8.0. HPI contained much higher free sulfhydryl (SH) content than SPI. Differential scanning calorimetry analysis showed that HPI had only one endothermic peak with denaturation temperature (T(d)) of about 95.0 degrees C, attributed to the edestin component. The T(d) of the endotherm was nearly unaffected by 20-40 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate but significantly decreased by 20 mM dithiothreitol (P < 0.05). The emulsifying activity index, emulsion stability index, and water-holding capacity of HPI were much lower than those of SPI, and the fat adsorption capacity was similar. The data suggest that HPI can be used as a valuable source of nutrition for infants and children but has poor functional properties when compared with SPI. The poor functional properties of HPI have been largely attributed to the formation of covalent disulfide bonds between individual proteins and subsequent aggregation at neutral or acidic pH, due to its high free sulfhydryl content from sulfur-containing amino acids.     

Monitoring of meteorological drought and its impact on rice (Oryza sativa L.) productivity in Odisha using standardized precipitation index

The dynamics of meteorological drought and its relationship with block level rice productivity over the Eastern Indian state of Odisha was assessed during the wet season (June to November) using the standardized precipitation index (SPI). The time series of rainfall data (1983–2008) from 168 rain gauge stations was used to derive the 1- and 3-month SPI of different wet season months. The 1- and 3-month SPI data were interpolated to map spatial patterns of meteorological drought and its severity, and the maps of a drought (2008) and normal (2007) year were discussed in detail. Further, the time series of SPI was exploited to assess the drought risk in Odisha. Correlation analysis of 1- and 3-month SPI with rice productivity index (RPI) showed that the SPI of 1-month time scale particularly in July (r = 0.49) and October (r = 0.33) had significantly stronger relationship with RPI than any of the 3-month SPI individually during wet season. The cumulative degree of severity of drought could be better explained by 3-month SPI map when drought events are well spread in the preceding months. Regression models were developed using 1- and 3-month SPI for forecasting rice productivity of blocks with varying proportion of rainfed area in Odisha. Model developed based on 1-month SPI accounted for 27% yield variability in rice and could be used for forecasting rice productivity.     

Effects of Cadmium-Spiked Sediment on Cadmium Accumulation and Bioturbation by Nymphs of the Burrowing Mayfly Hexagenia bilineata

We assessed accumulation of cadmium (Cd) and bioturbation by nymphs of the burrowing mayfly Hexagenia bilineata as indicators of exposure to Cd-spiked sediment in a 21-d test. Surficial sediments (top 5 cm) from Pool 7 of the Upper Mississippi River were spiked with Cd to concentrations of 3, 7, and 15 μg Cd g^-1 dry weight. The experimental design was completely randomized, with three Cd-spiked sediment treatments plus an unspiked sediment control (1 μg Cd g^-1 dry weight), and 10 nymphs in each of six replicates per treatment. Nymphs accumulated Cd during the 21-d exposure; mean concentrations varied from 0.22 to 6.24 μg g^-1 dry weight, and tissue concentrations were correlated with Cd concentration in unfiltered test water (r = 0.93, P <0.01) and test sediment (r = 0.93, P <0.01). The effect of Cd on bioturbation by nymphs, as indicated by turbidity, differed significantly among treatments (P = 0.045) and over time within treatments (P = 0.01). Turbidity progressively decreased as Cd concentration in the sediment increased, up to 7 μg g^-1; however, turbidity in the 15 μg g^-1 treatment (our greatest exposure concentration) did not differ significantly from the control. Concentrations of Cd in unfiltered, overlying test water increased significantly within treatments during the test, indicating that nymphs mobilized sediment-associated Cd into the overlying water, presumably through burrowing and respiratory activities.     

电子束辐照对花生过敏原免疫原性及生化性质影响的研究

研究了电子束辐照降低花生过敏原免疫原性的效果及辐照对花生生化性质的影响。选择2、4、6、8、10、15和20kGy剂量的电子束对花生过敏原液、脱脂花生粉进行辐照处理,辐照后花生主要过敏原(Ara h 1, Ara h 2, Ara h 3)蛋白分子质量的变化通过SDS-聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳测定,免疫原性的变化通过免疫印迹和间接竞争ELISA法测定;辐照后花生过敏原溶液的浓度、浊度及疏水性的变化通过紫外分光光度计和荧光光度计分别进行测定。结果表明,花生过敏原在溶液状态比固体状态对辐照更为敏感。当辐照剂量低于10kGy时处理的过敏原液的免疫原性稍有增强,剂量大于10kGy时免疫原性降低,剂量为20kGy时过敏原液的IC₅₀值是未处理的11倍。辐照使过敏液的浓度和浊度随着剂量的加大而增加,疏水性与对照组相比增强,但当剂量大于15kGy时降低。电子束辐照改变了过敏原的生化性质,降低了其免疫原性,比较而言,辐照对液体状态下过敏原的影响更显著。     

氯化钙添加量对地衣芽孢杆菌凝乳酶凝乳性能的影响

凝乳酶是生产干酪中极为关键的酶制剂。在凝乳酶作用过程中,添加适量的氯化钙可缩短凝乳时间,增加凝块硬度,减少生产成本,对干酪品质的影响至关重要。本研究利用从甘肃省天祝藏族自治县牦牛牧区土壤中筛选得到的一株高效产凝乳酶的地衣芽孢杆菌菌株D3.11,优化培养后得到凝乳酶,通过分析凝乳过程中相关指标的变化规律、观察比较凝块的微观结构,研究氯化钙添加量对该酶凝乳性能的影响。结果表明,当氯化钙添加量为0.014%~0.022%时,地衣芽孢杆菌D3.11凝乳酶体系的黏度值随凝乳时间的延长先增大后保持稳定;地衣芽孢杆菌D3.11凝乳酶体系和商品酶体系的浊度值均随Ca²⁺浓度的增大而显著增大(P<0.05);地衣芽孢杆菌D3.11凝乳酶体系的粒径主峰分布在136.9~246.7 μm范围内,且粒径值在氯化钙添加量为0.020%时最大;流变学特性分析结果表明,地衣芽孢杆菌D3.11凝乳酶体系达到储能模量G'峰值的时间随氯化钙添加量的增加而缩短;两种酶体系的持水力在氯化钙添加量为0.014%~0.022%范围内显著增大(P<0.05),乳清OD值在氯化钙添加量为0.016%~0.022%范围内变化均不显著(P>0.05);通过激光扫描共聚焦显微镜观察凝块微观结构发现,随着氯化钙添加量的增加,两种酶体系中蛋白微粒均凝结得更紧密。本研究结果为细菌凝乳酶在干酪生产中的应用提供了理论依据。     

Fluoride Removal from Water Using Combined Moringa oleifera/Ultrafiltration Process

The occurrence of fluoride in groundwater has been reported in many countries, mainly because the excess fluoride in drinking water can lead to dental or skeletal fluorosis. Fluoride removal by coagulation with Moringa oleifera seeds, followed by separation with membranes, was investigated in this work. Artificially fluoridated water, at a starting fluoride concentration of 10?mg?L^?1, was submitted to a coagulation process with aqueous extracts of M. oleifera seeds. The coagulation process was followed by ultrafiltration with membranes at different pressures. The coagulation process with 2.5?g?L^?1 of M. oleifera promoted a reduction of 90.90?% in the fluoride content of the treated water, making it possible for poor communities to consume this water. It is noteworthy that the combined coagulation/filtration process using raw coagulant showed the highest values of colour and turbidity, which, however, were still below the limits set for drinking water by Brazilian legislation. The advantage of proposing a sequential process using membrane separation is that it removes colour and turbidity, caused by the use of M. oleifera as a coagulant, resulting in water that meets potability standards.     

明沟-暗管组合控排下稻田水氮流失特征

准确认识稻田灌溉或降雨引起的排水发生规律及面源污染物排放特征,有助于优化控制灌排措施,实现稻田高效控污减排。该研究通过在稻田暗管和明沟排水出口处设置水位控制装置,组成了稻田明沟-暗管组合控排系统,针对6次典型灌溉引起的排水事件,监测了暗管出口和明沟出口处的排水强度和氮素浓度,开展了水氮流失规律研究。结果表明,在仅明沟控制排水（OD）下,灌溉引起的明沟排水量占总灌水量的44.0 %,灌溉导致的排水占比较大,应引起重视;对于明沟-暗管组合控制排水（CD）,暗管和明沟控排的两级衔接改变了稻田和明沟的排水过程,使CD明沟出口排水峰值、强度及排水持续时间均低于OD,排水量降低了51.6%,CD明沟排水量占灌水量的比例降至24.4%;灌溉伴随施肥的排水事件（F1、F2和F3）中铵氮（NH4+）、硝氮（NO3-）和全氮（TN）的浓度远高于单纯灌溉的排水事件（D1、D2和D3）,应注意施肥关键期的排水管理以减少氮素流失;CD明沟控排对暗管排水中的NH4+、NO3-和TN的消减比例分别为52.2%、54.2%和54.9%,同时CD明沟排水NH4+、NO3-和TN负荷相比OD明沟排水降低了42.6%、70.7%和39.3%,明暗组合控排系统的控污减排效果明显。因此,明暗组合控排措施具有较好的减排控污效果,对提高南方稻作区农田水氮利用效率和减轻面源污染具有一定借鉴意义。     

1961-2015年黄淮海平原夏玉米干旱识别及时空特征分析

利用黄淮海平原内气象数据、农业气象数据、夏玉米实际灾情资料,参考标准化降水指数SPI的计算公式,结合实际干旱灾情数据构建夏玉米干旱指数SPI10和SPI30,并分析黄淮海平原夏玉米生长季干旱的时空分布特征。结果表明：播种-抽雄期、抽雄-成熟期的旬尺度SPI10干旱阈值分别为-0.10和-0.35、月尺度SPI30干旱阈值分别为-0.60和-0.65,灾情验证结果显示时间尺度更小的SPI10在反映黄淮海平原夏玉米干旱特征方面效果更好。基于SPI10分析了黄淮海平原夏玉米干旱的时空分布特征,发现播种-抽雄期的平均干旱频率和干旱强度均明显高于抽雄-成熟期,并且干旱强度的时空分布特征均与干旱频率较为一致,一般表现为干旱频率越高的地区,累计干旱强度也越强;同时,75%的年份中播种-抽雄期的干旱范围大于抽雄-成熟期。综合以上结果,黄淮海平原夏玉米在营养生长阶段更容易受到水分缺失的影响,更易发生干旱胁迫。     

基于CMIP6的珠江流域未来干旱时空变化

干旱是一种严重且长期持续性的自然灾害,对人们的生产和生活具有显著影响。目前的大部分干旱研究将干旱的时间和空间特征进行单独分析,往往忽略了干旱的时空耦合关系。同时,南方湿润区的干旱灾害近年呈现上升趋势,探究气候变化背景下的干旱演变规律成为亟需解决的问题。因此,该研究首先利用CMIP6计算了珠江流域2015-2100年的标准化降水指数 （Standardized Precipitation Index,SPI）,应用游程理论提取干旱特征,并利用旋转经验正交函数（Rotational Empirical Orthogonal Functions,REOF）对珠江流域干湿区进行划分,再分别利用Sen''s斜率、Hurst指数方法和完备总体经验模态分解 （Complete Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition with Adaptive Noise,CEEMDAN）方法对气象干旱指数和干旱特征进行时空耦合特征分析。结果表明：1）根据SPI未来变化趋势,珠江流域未来将呈现更为湿润的状态,不同干湿分区的变化具有一致性且沿海分区的湿润状态更为明显。2）分析不同气候模式下CEEMDAN结果,辐射强迫的增加导致未来珠江流域干旱更为严重,未来珠江流域车旱历时处千0.5～1.8个月,干旱频率处于5.6%～13.9%之间。3）结合干旱特征的CEEMDAN分析结果,珠江流域干旱历时和干旱频率以1.04～1.31 a为主要周期,沿海分区的短周期特征更显著。该研究通过对干旱指数和干旱特征的时空耦合分析,探寻干旱的未来发展规律,为干旱研究提供了一个新的时空耦合分析视角,对干旱监测、预测预报和管理具有重要的现实意义。     

Normal phase liquid chromatographic determination of nanogram quantities of ivermectin in cattle blood or plasma

A method has been developed for determining ivermectin in 5 mL samples of cattle blood by a 2-step process: cleanup solvent extraction followed by direct injection onto a normal phase liquid chromatography (LC) system with UV detection. Recovery was 77-80% +/- 5.5% standard deviation. Endogenous interference that may be present caused the lower limit of detection to be set at 4-5 ng/mL. The method was used to show that in blood the distribution of ivermectin favors plasma in a fixed proportion over cellular material, and further to provide a time-course profile of ivermectin in the whole blood of injected cattle. In whole blood, ivermectin concentration peaked between 3 and 5 days and dissipated slowly with a half-life of 3 days.     

Physicochemical and functional properties of buckwheat protein product

This study was conducted to compare the physicochemical and functional properties of buckwheat protein product (BWP), soy protein isolate (SPI), and casein. BWP was prepared from buckwheat flour by the method including alkaline extraction and isoelectric precipitation. The amino acid composition of BWP was very similar to that of buckwheat flour. The protein solubility (PS) of BWP was much greater than that of SPI at all pH levels (pH 2-10) but lower than that of casein at pH 7-10. The isoelectric point of BWP was around pH 4. The higher aromatic hydrophobicities (ARH) of BWP, SPI, and casein were obtained at lower pH levels (pH 2-3). The emulsifying stability (ES) of BWP was lower than those of SPI and casein at high pH levels (pH 7-10). At all pH levels, BWP formed a thin emulsion. Regression analysis showed that the ARH of BWP was significantly associated with the ES. Although the water holding capacity of BWP was quite lower than that of SPI, its fat absorption capacity was slightly higher than those of SPI and casein. These results indicated that the physicochemical properties of BWP were different from those of SPI or casein. Thus, BWP is a potential source of functional protein for possible food application.     

Impacts of drought at different time scales on forest growth across a wide climatic gradient in north-eastern Spain

We analyzed the impact of drought measured on different time-scales on radial growth of eight tree species during the period 1950-2005 growing across a wide climatic gradient encompassing semiarid Mediterranean woodlands and wet mountain forests in north-eastern Spain. A drought index (standardized precipitation index, SPI) at different time scales (1-48 months) was correlated with chronologies of ring width to determine the significant time scale at which drought affected most tree growth. The findings indicated that the impact of drought on growth varied noticeably among species and sites. Two distinct patterns were clearly observed considering spatial and temporal differences in the response of species to drought. Species growing in xeric sites (Pinus and Quercus species and Juniperus thurifera) showed the highest responses to SPI time-scales of 9-11 months while those located in mesic sites (Abies alba, Pinus sylvestris) did respond more to SPI time scales shorter than 5 months. The SPI-growth correlations were significant, although weak, up to 30 months in xeric sites while no consistent association was observed at higher time scales. Important seasonal differences were noticed in the SPI-growth associations. Species growing in xeric areas responded to spring-summer SPI while those distributed in mesic sites responded more to summer SPI. Our findings should be useful to understand forest responses to climate change, including an increasing frequency of severe droughts, and to adapt appropriate management strategies to mitigate the impact of drought on tree growth.