Drought constraints on transpiration and canopy conductance in mature aspen and jack pine stands

Half-hourly mean values of transpiration measured by eddy covariance over the course of six growing seasons in two boreal forest sites were used to develop stand-level relationships between transpiration and soil water content. The two sites were an aspen site on fine-textured soil and over five growing seasons for a jack pine site on coarse-textured soil in Saskatchewan, Canada. About half of the data record covered a multi-year drought that was more severe at the aspen site than the jack pine site. Measurements of transpiration and environmental variables were used to adjust a transpiration model to each site, with environmental variables retained in the model based on their capacity to improve the model adjustment. The model was also used to produce estimates of maximum canopy conductance (g_cMAX). The fit of the model to the aspen half-hourly transpiration is better than to the jack pine data (r² of 0.86 versus 0.60). Relative soil water content explains more of the variability in half-hourly transpiration at the aspen site (46%) than at the jack pine site (10%). The relationships between transpiration and environmental variables are stable throughout the drought suggesting an absence of acclimation. Published soil water modifier curves for loamy clay soils compare well with the modifier function we obtained for a similar soil at the aspen site, but the agreement between the published curve and our curve is poor for the sandy soil of the jack pine site. Values of g_cMAX computed at the half-hourly scale are greater at the aspen site (14.3 mm s⁻¹) than at the jack pine site (10.2 mm s⁻¹), but we hypothesize that the coarse soil and perennially lower water content of the jack pine site may cause this difference. Finally, we also present values of g_cMAX computed at the daily and monthly scales for use in models that operate at these time steps.     

Water balance, transpiration and canopy conductance in two beech stands

Measurements of sap flow, vapour fluxes, throughfall and soil water content were conducted for 19 months in a young beech stand growing at low elevation, in the Hesse forest. This experiment is part of the Euroflux network, covering 15 representative European forests. Study of the radial variation of sap flow within tree trunks, showed a general pattern of sap flux density in relation to the depth below cambium. Among-tree variation of sap flow was also assessed, in order to determine the contribution of the different crown classes to the total stand transpiration. Stand sap flow and vapour flux, measured with eddy covariance technique, were well correlated, for half hourly as well for daily values, the ratios of the fluxes for both averaging periods being 0.77. A strong canopy coupling to the atmosphere was found, omega factor ranging between 0.05 and 0.20 relative to the windspeed. Canopy conductance variation was related to a range of environmental variables: global radiation, vapour pressure deficit, air temperature and soil water deficit. In addition to the effect of radiation and of vapour pressure deficit often found in various other tree species, here beech exhibited a strong reduction in canopy conductance when air temperature decreased below 17°C. The model of transpiration was calibrated using data measured in the Hesse forest and applied to another beech stand under mountainous conditions in the Vosges mountains (east France). Measured and modelled stand transpiration were in good agreement.     

基于夏玉米叶片气孔导度提升的冠层导度估算模型

叶片气孔导度模拟及其向冠层导度的尺度提升是实现蒸散发尺度转换的基础,对农业水资源高效利用与评价意义重大。本文依据夏玉米叶片气孔导度和冠层导度实测值,在建立叶片气孔导度估算模型基础上,构建冠层导度估算模型。结果表明,夏玉米叶片气孔导度每日在10:00－14:00之间达到峰值,其日变化趋势与光合有效辐射的一致性较好,较大的饱和水汽压差对夏玉米叶片气孔导度具有一定的限制作用。根据光合有效辐射和饱和水汽压差建立的叶片气孔导度估算模型能较好反映当地夏玉米叶片气孔导度对主要环境因子的响应过程,以光合有效辐射作为尺度转换因子构建的冠层导度估算模型可较好实现从叶片气孔导度向冠层导度的尺度转换提升。     

Soil water depletion and replenishment during first- and early second-rotation Eucalyptus globulus plantations with deep soil profiles

Eucalyptus globulus plantations are thought to use stored soil water when planted on ex-agricultural sites, and we hypothesized that this is likely to affect productivity of 2nd and later rotation plantations because the next rotations have access to less stored soil water. We used a combination of experiments and modeling to understand the impact of E. globulus plantations on soil water stores over the first rotation and early second rotation. The experiments were conducted at 3 contrasting sites in south-western Australia, and modeling was used to extrapolate the results to other climatic zones. Soil water dynamics were assessed to 8 m depth under a range of management options, including spacing and nitrogen addition in the first rotation, and coppice or seedling re-establishment in the 2nd rotation. We found that soil water stores declined over the course of the first rotation at all sites, with some (incomplete) annual replenishment evident at the higher rainfall sites, but less replenishment at depth, especially in the lower rainfall sites. Only the wettest of the 3 sites fully replenished with soil water after harvest of the 1st rotation. Plots with higher stocking rates had higher soil water depletion early in the rotation, although by the end of the first rotation, most treatments had similar soil water deficits of around 800 mm at all of the sites. Of the sites that were responsive to N fertilizer, there was a strong differential in the degree of soil water deficit between N treatments, with N fertilized trees using more of the soil water store each year, but also producing more wood. A process-based plantation growth model, CABALA, was found to be adequate for predicting soil water dynamics under the range of management options that we explored, and we applied it to understanding the potential replenishment of soil under 2nd rotation plantations in a range of climatic zones within the E. globulus estate in south-western Australia. This modeling showed that most sites with soil depths of more than 4 m (i.e., most of the estate) are unlikely to be fully replenished in the 2nd rotation, and that this is likely to have a significant impact on the capacity of sites to achieve similar productivity levels in the second rotation as the first unless the sites are given an opportunity for soil water replenishment between rotations. The results from this study suggest that plantation managers will need to understand soil water dynamics at any given site to be able to predict productivity in 2nd and later rotations, and may need to explore novel management options like fallowing between rotations to allow for soil water replenishment.     

我国4种主要苹果树形冠层结构和辐射三维分布比较研究

树体结构和辐射分布是影响果树冠层光合生产力和果实产量品质的主要因素。本文以"富士"苹果(Malus domestica Borkh.cv.‘Fuji’)为试材,采用田间调查方法,系统研究了我国苹果生产中4种主要树形的树体结构参数以及叶面积密度(LAD)和光合有效辐射(PAR)的三维分布特征。结果表明,开心形树冠的枝量(894×103·hm-2)和叶面积指数(LAI,2.53)最小,其他3种树形中小冠疏层形分别为2 280×103·hm-2、4.14,疏散分层形分别为2 119×103·hm-2、3.98,纺锤形分别为2 190×103·hm-2、3.88。不同树形LAD三维分布各不相同,小冠疏层形苹果树的叶片主要分布在树冠的0.5~1.5 m之间,疏散分层形和纺锤形主要分布在0.5~2.0 m之间,开心形主要分布在1.0~2.0 m之间。通过对不同树形LAD和PAR三维分布比较发现,每种树形的PAR都随树冠深度的增加而降低,在树冠中部LAD最大部位辐射消减最快,PAR的三维分布主要与叶片分布有关。其中开心形树冠的平均PAR最高,分布最均匀。4种树冠内叶片得到的平均相对PAR小冠疏层形为24.85%,疏散分层形为28.84%,纺锤形为27.71%,开心形为37.28%。开心形树冠内低光区的叶片所占比例只有35%,其他树形都超过50%。研究表明,不同相对PAR范围内的叶片比例能够更好地反映果树冠层的辐射情况,开心形树冠在辐射分布上优于其他3种树形。     

Evapotranspiraton estimation based on scaling up from leaf stomatal conductance to canopy conductance

Evapotranspiraton (ET) estimation based on scaling up from leaf stomatal conductance (g_s) to canopy conductance (g_c) is important in improving effective use and evaluation of agricultural water resources. Taking a summer maize field in north China as an example, after the response of g_s to main environmental factors was analyzed based on the measured value, the Jarvis model for g_s was established and calibrated. Then the weighted integration model (WI model) was established on the basis of weighted model (W model) after considering the difference of intercept diffuse radiation by shaded leaves in different canopy heights and nonlinear relationship between g_s and the photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) to improve g_c estimation for shaded leaves using integration equation. Meanwhile the estimation accuracy of W and WI models for g_c was compared, and then field ET was estimated using the Penman-Monteith equation. Results indicate that the variation of g_s was similar to that of PAR and the Jarvis model could better express the response of g_s to PAR, vapour pressure deficit and air temperature. Compared to the W model, WI model could effectively improve the estimation accuracy of g_c, with the relative error of 4.4%. Penman-Monteith equation overestimated λET by 9.4% using the estimated g_c by the W model, but underestimated λET by 2.3% using the estimated g_c by the WI model. Therefore, Penman-Monteith equation can estimate maize field ET using the estimated g_c by WI model in the region.     

拔节期水分亏缺对沙地农田玉米光合特性及物质积累的影响

[目的]分析拔节期水分亏缺对玉米光合特性及物质分配规律的影响,为作物调亏灌溉技术在沙地农田的应用提供理论依据。[方法]在黑河流域中游边缘绿洲新垦沙地农田进行田间试验。[结果](1)玉米拔节期水分亏缺使新垦沙地农田0—40cm土层土壤含水量显著降低,农田CO2浓度升高0.5%,相对湿度降低6%,玉米叶片温度升高了8%;(2)水分亏缺处理玉米叶片净光合速率日均值比正常供水处理降低了74%;水蒸腾速率日均值比正常供水处理降低了79%;(3)水分亏缺处理玉米茎、叶及根系生物量分别比正常供水处理低63%,47%和51%,总干物质积累量比正常供水处理减少了53%。[结论]在沙地农田,作物对土壤水分的反映较为敏感,小幅的土壤含水量降低即造成玉米光合能力的大幅下降,并最终对光合产物的积累和分配产生不利影响。     

Seasonal variation in canopy reflectance and its application to determine the water status and water use by citrus trees in the Western Cape, South Africa

This study describes the diurnal and seasonal dynamics of the canopy reflectance, water use and water status of Midknight Valencia citrus trees under semi-arid conditions. Hyperspectral canopy reflectance data was collected on 30 trees at monthly intervals over a period of 16 months in a commercial orchard in South Africa. The mean canopy reflectance in the wavelength range 350-2500 nm followed a clear seasonal trend influenced by environmental conditions and tree phenology. Mean monthly reflectance peaked in summer (∼22%) while the lowest value (∼15%) was reached in winter with the seasonal changes in the sun's position accounting for a significant proportion of the variations. A sensitivity analysis of a Penman-Monteith transpiration model showed that water use by individual trees changed by up to 13% when the canopy reflectance was varied over the seasonal range of measured values. This suggested that the seasonal changes in tree water use influenced the seasonal trend of the canopy reflectance. Thus monitoring the canopy reflectance of citrus trees could offer information on the tree water status. To test this, sap flow data of water uptake and loss by the trees were compared with the canopy spectra. Sap flow data showed a heavy reliance by the citrus trees on the internally stored water with up to 25% of the daily total transpiration withdrawn from the trees’ internal water storage pools when soil water was limited. This depletion of internally stored water, and hence the change in tree water status, was detected using spectral indices based on the first order derivatives of the canopy reflectance centered at two and, at most, four spectral bands. We conclude that even if citrus trees are evergreen, their canopy reflectance changes significantly throughout the year with a considerable impact on tree energy balance and water use. In addition, the contribution of the internally stored water to daily transpiration is a possible indicator of drought stress for citrus trees detectable from changes in canopy reflectance and it has potential applications in irrigation scheduling using canopy level spectral information.     

不同品种葡萄叶片光合特性对干旱胁迫的响应及旱后恢复过程

以设施葡萄品种“巨峰”和“夏黑”为试材,设置5个不同的干旱胁迫组：T1（干旱胁迫3d）,T2（干旱胁迫6d）,T3（干旱胁迫9d）,T4（干旱胁迫12d）和T5（干旱胁迫15d）,以正常水分处理组为CK（土壤相对含水率70%～80%）,研究干旱胁迫下葡萄叶片的光合荧光参数变化,以及不同程度干旱胁迫后水分恢复处理下的叶片恢复情况。结果表明：干旱可降低葡萄叶片的光合参数和荧光参数,且巨峰的变化幅度大于夏黑。在15d的干旱胁迫中,巨峰的光合参数下降70%～90%,夏黑下降60%～80%;葡萄叶片的荧光参数中,F0随着干旱胁迫的加剧而显著上升,而qP、Fv/Fm、ETR和ΦPSⅡ则随着干旱胁迫加剧而降低。其中巨峰叶片的ΦPSⅡ、qP和ETR在15d的干旱胁迫中分别下降40.63%、43.24%和57.71%,F0上升48.27%。夏黑叶片的ΦPSⅡ、qP和ETR在15d的干旱胁迫中分别下降26.38%、40.00%和59.69%,F0则上升50.19%。葡萄叶片的旱后恢复过程,在胁迫程度较轻时（T1-T4）,夏黑叶片的光合参数恢复能力大于巨峰,胁迫程度较重（T5）时则相反;两个葡萄品种荧光参数的恢复程度差异不显著。     

不同高度层冬小麦叶片水分利用效率对CO2浓度变化的响应

大气CO2浓度升高会给地球生态系统带来一系列环境问题,植物能够通过气孔调节光合作用和蒸腾作用,对环境变化做出响应。本研究以评价植物光合作用和蒸腾作用相互关系的指标水分利用效率为切入点,以冬小麦为研究对象,在灌浆期将冠层按距离地面高度分上、中、下三层,采用LI-6400便携式光合作用测量系统测定数据对各层叶片光合、蒸腾特性随CO2浓度变化的响应进行了对比分析。结果表明：随着CO2浓度的增加,（1）各层叶片净光合速率呈直角双曲线形式增加,不同层叶片之间净光合速率对CO2浓度响应的差异不显著（P〉0.05）,但各层羧化速率、光合能力、光呼吸表现不一致,均为上层〉中层〉下层;（2）各层叶片蒸腾速率总体下降,不同层叶片之间蒸腾速率对CO2浓度响应的差异显著（P〈0.01）,蒸腾速率的变化是气孔导度随CO2浓度变化的结果,两者呈显著正相关（P〈0.01）;（3）净光合速率提高与蒸腾速率降低,共同使叶片水平水分利用效率提高。研究工作有利于加深气候变化对农业影响的认识,也为农田生态系统碳、水耦合循环的多层模型研究奠定基础。     

Relationships between canopy transpiration, atmospheric conditions and soil water availability—Analyses of long-term sap-flow measurements in an old Norway spruce forest at the Ore Mountains/Germany

At the study site Tharandt Anchor Station in Saxony/Germany sap flow measurements are conducted in an old Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] KARST.) stand. During the study period from 2001 to 2007 several events like thinning, long and short drought periods and a winter storm significantly affected the amount of canopy water use. We show that intra-annual variation of Ec is strongly related to VPD and PPFD. While there is a non-linear relationship between daily Ec and VPD, daily Ec is limited by daily integrated PPFD indicating stomatal control of Ec through photosynthesis. On a monthly or seasonal basis, reduction of Ec is not only related to high VPD and non-saturating PPFD, but also to higher frequencies of precipitation. In comparison to this, nearly 55% of canopy precipitation and 20% of available energy were used for transpiration during the growing season. Intensive seasonal soil water measurements at the site revealed that on average about 74% of soil water removal within the rooting zone can be related to tree water uptake. A good correlation was found between annual Ec and Ec_max, usually occurring in June or July. Further, the monthly sums of June plus July were good predictors of annual Ec. Within the study period, the extreme drought in 2003 revealed a clear threshold of soil water content by 9.5 vol% and had the most pronounced effect on annual Ec followed by a stand thinning. The winter storm “Kyrill” in January 2007 had caused loss of green needles and twigs. It is assumed that the observed reduction in Ec during spring was related to the reduced leaf biomass and potentially to root damage of bended trees. Excluding the effect of extreme drought and forest management, a mean inter-annual variation in Ec of ±15% and in Ec/VPD of ±8% remained. It is concluded that lag-effects of drought and the winter storm add lacking explanation to the inter-annual variability of canopy transpiration besides the typical variation of atmospheric conditions.     

Optimum versus non-limiting water contents for root growth, biomass accumulation, gas exchange and the rate of development of maize (Zea mays L.)

Many biological processes vary in a curvilinear manner, reaching a maximum rate at an optimum water content. Optimum conditions commonly extend across a range in water contents, and providing there are no soil-related limitations to biological processes, this range can be referred to as the non-limiting water range (NLWR) of a soil. The rate of a biological process would be expected to be similar in soils with different structure when the water content is in the NLWR and soils are under similar environmental conditions. This range potentially is a useful characteristic to describe the quality of soil structures with respect to a biological process—the larger the range the higher the quality. The distinction between optimum and NLWR has received little attention. The objective of this study was to determine if gas exchange rates, biomass accumulation in shoots and roots, root morphology and rate of development of maize (Zea mays L.) vary among soils under optimum soil water contents. Plants were grown to the 12-leaf stage under controlled environment conditions in four soils of different texture, packed to two levels of compaction with two rates of N addition and maintained at three different water contents. The optimum water content, for processes involving both shoots and roots, bracketed an air content of 0.15 for the different soils. The magnitude of the plant responses at optimum water content varied among soils and with relative compaction. Plant responses were largest in the Conestogo (loam soil) and smallest in soils with the highest clay contents. The magnitude of several responses decreased with increasing compaction. In the process of determining the NLWR, it is not appropriate to assume that either shoot or root characteristics are similar in soils of different structure when the water content of each soil is within a range that is optimum for that soil. The largest root and shoot growth that can be achieved at optimum water content across a range of soil conditions must be determined and NLWR determined on soils exhibiting these growth rates. Soils at their optimum water content with root and shoot growth that are less than the largest values imply the existence of soil-related limitations and therefore, by definition, have a value of zero for NLWR.     

氮、磷、钾营养胁迫对黄芪幼苗根系活力及根系导水率的影响

以膜荚黄芪为试验材料,通过室内1/2Hoagland全营养液、1/2Hoagland缺N(-N)、缺P(-P)和缺K(-K)营养液控制营养水平,进行水培试验,比较在营养胁迫情况下黄芪幼苗根系活力、根系导水率和叶绿素含量的变化。结果表明:与全素营养(CK)相比,缺素条件下黄芪根系活力、根系导水率及叶绿素含量降低,根面积减少,根冠比差异显著。-N和-P处理对根系导水速率影响极显著。     

水保措施对红壤坡地柑橘林土壤呼吸及其水热因子的影响

[目的]探讨不同水土保持措施对红壤坡地柑橘林土壤呼吸的影响,为科学评价水土保持生态建设在应对气候变化方面的作用提供基础数据。[方法]采用试验观测和对比分析的方法研究横坡间作+等高草带、横坡间作、顺坡间作和清耕对照4种处理对柑橘林土壤呼吸速率的动态变化及其对土壤温度、土壤水分的响应。[结果]4个不同处理的柑橘林土壤呼吸速率均呈明显的单峰曲线变化,峰值出现在7月;各处理的土壤呼吸速率季节动态变化一致,采取横坡间作+等高草带和横坡间作两种水保措施均一定程度上增加了土壤呼吸速率;土壤呼吸速率与土壤温度呈显著正相关;横坡间作+等高草带和横坡间作处理的土壤呼吸的温度敏感性指数Q10较柑橘清耕和顺坡间作处理Q10值略有增加。[结论]红壤柑橘林采取水土保持措施后,土壤呼吸速率增强,且其对温度的响应增加。     

Estimating transpiration and the sensitivity of carbon uptake to water availability in a subalpine forest using a simple ecosystem process model informed by measured net CO2 and H2O fluxes

Modeling how the role of forests in the carbon cycle will respond to predicted changes in water availability hinges on an understanding of the processes controlling water use in ecosystems. Recent studies in forest ecosystem modeling have employed data-assimilation techniques to generate parameter sets that conform to observations, and predict net ecosystem CO₂ exchange (NEE) and its component processes. Since the carbon and water cycles are linked, there should be additional process information available from ecosystem H₂O exchange. We coupled SIPNET (Simple Photosynthesis EvapoTranspiration), a simplified model of ecosystem function, with a data-assimilation system to estimate parameters leading to model predictions most closely matching the net CO₂ and H₂O fluxes measured by eddy covariance in a high-elevation, subalpine forest ecosystem. When optimized using measurements of CO₂ exchange, the model matched observed NEE (RMSE = 0.49 g C m⁻²) but underestimated transpiration calculated independently from sap flow measurements by a factor of 4. Consequently, the carbon-only optimization was insensitive to imposed changes in water availability. Including eddy flux data from both CO₂ and H₂O exchange to the optimization reduced the model fit to the observed NEE fluxes only slightly (RME = 0.53 g C m⁻²), however this parameterization also reproduced transpiration calculated from independent sap flow measurements (r² = 0.67, slope = 0.6). A significant amount of information can be extracted from simultaneous analysis of CO₂ and H₂O exchange, which improved the accuracy of transpiration estimates from measured evapotranspiration. Conversely, failure to include both CO₂ and H₂O data streams can generate results that mask the responses of ecosystem carbon cycling to variation in the precipitation. In applying the model conditioned on both CO₂ and H₂O fluxes to the subalpine forest at the Niwot Ridge AmeriFlux site, we observed that the onset of transpiration is coincident with warm soil temperatures. However, after snow has covered the ground in the fall, we observed significant inter-annual variability in the fraction of evapotranspiration composed of transpiration; evapotranspiration was dominated by transpiration in years when late fall air temperatures were high enough to maintain photosynthesis, but by sublimation from the surface of the snowpack in years when late fall air temperatures were colder and forest photosynthetic activity had ceased. Data-assimilation techniques and simultaneous measurements of carbon and water exchange can be used to quantify the response of net carbon uptake to changes in water availability by using an ecosystem model where the carbon and water cycles are linked.     

Changes in a remnant of salmon gum Eucalyptus salmonophloia and York gum E. loxophleba woodland, 1978 to 1997. Implications for woodland conservation in the wheat-sheep regions of Australia

The condition of salmon gums Eucalyptus salmonophloia with large hollows in them in a 15-ha patch of remnant salmon gum-York gum E. loxophleba woodland in the northern wheatbelt of Western Australia was examined in 1978. The patch was an important breeding area for six species of cockatoo, including two endangered species. The patch was revisited in 1981 when the condition of all 682 salmon gums and York gums in the patch was examined and each was measured and photographed. A further visit was made in 1997 when the condition of the surviving trees was examined and each was again measured and photographed. The condition of the trees at each visit was classified as “good”, “staghorn”, “broken top”, “dead” or “fallen.” Over the period of the study there was a serious decline in the condition of the trees, with few large trees in the “good” category by 1997. The decline was particularly marked between 1978 and 1981 after a period of well-below average annual rainfall. Using data based on the rate of decline over the period 1978-1997, predictions were made of the fate of the trees in the patch. By 2125 only 46 (11% of the 1981 total) salmon gums were predicted to be alive with only one in the “good” category. Only 16 (17%) York gums were predicted to be alive by 2125, with only one in the “good” category. There was no evidence of any regeneration of woodland trees since 1929 when the patch was isolated by clearing for agriculture, and domestic livestock allowed to graze the patch. This deterioration of the dominant trees in the patch is symptomatic of remnant native vegetation over vast areas of Australia's extensively cleared wheat-sheep regions. The future of woodland patches like the one studied is bleak, as is the future of animals dependent on them for food, breeding sites and shelter. Active management, including fencing to exclude domestic livestock and measures to encourage regeneration of native plant communities, is necessary to counter the present regime of benign neglect that characterises most of Australia's management of native vegetation in agricultural landscapes.     

苦豆子和披针叶黄华种子萌发和幼苗生长对干旱胁迫的响应

以采集于河西走廊中部荒漠边缘的苦豆子(Sophora alopecuroides L.)和披针叶黄华(Thermopsis lanceolate L.)种子为试验材料, 以不同渗透势PEG-6000 溶液模拟干旱条件, 研究了2 种植物种子萌发和幼苗生长对干旱胁迫的响应特征。研究结果显示, 随着干旱胁迫程度的加剧, 2 种植物种子吸胀速率、萌发率、萌发指数、活力指数、苗高、根长和组织饱和含水量等指标均表现出明显降低趋势, 而幼苗干重、根干重和根冠比均呈先升后降趋势。2 种植物种子萌发对干旱胁迫均较为敏感, 苦豆子和披针叶黄华种子能够萌发的最低渗透势阈值分别为-0.65 MPa 和-0.42 MPa。2 种植物因干旱胁迫未能萌发的种子复水后萌发率均较高。分析认为, 2 种植物种子萌发和幼苗生长对干旱胁迫的响应特征对幼苗的成功定植和种群的自然更新具有重要生态学意义, 但在人工栽培时保证土壤墒情应是保障建植成功的关键措施。     

Molecular markers and a sequence deletion in intron 2 of the putative partial homologue of LEAFY reveal geographical structure to genetic diversity in the acutely threatened legume genus Clianthus

Clianthus is an acutely threatened, bird-pollinated genus endemic to New Zealand, represented in the wild by only one population of C. puniceus and 11 populations of C. maximus, each with very few individuals (typically <10 per population). A limited number of named Clianthus cultivars of indeterminate origin are commonly grown as ornamentals. Genomic DNA from individual Clianthus plants was extracted for genetic diversity analysis using a range of molecular markers, including amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP). Data were analysed by the unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic averaging (UPGMA), the generation of Neighbor-Joining trees, and analyses of molecular variance (AMOVA). Genetic distance between wild populations of C. maximus was highly correlated with geographical distance between populations. Sequencing of intron 2 of a putative partial homologue of the floral meristem identity gene LEAFY (CmLFY) revealed a 7 bp deletion that was exhibited homozygously in the more northern populations of C. maximus, and in all individuals tested from the sole population of C. puniceus. This deletion was not exhibited in more southern populations of C. maximus. Further, one geographically intermediate population contained some plants that were heterozygous for the deletion. Parallel analyses of cultivated Clianthus genotypes, more than half of which were also homozygous for the 7 bp deletion, showed that these were not representative of the broad, but threatened, diversity remaining in the wild. It is argued that wild populations of C. maximus are unlikely to have arisen from the escape of plants from cultivation. Conservation effort should focus on the protection and study of the extant plants in these wild populations, rather than on the introduction of disturbance regimes to uncover potential seed banks.     

萌芽开花期梨枣对土壤水势的响应

本试验选取4年生梨枣(Ziziphus jujuba Mill.)为试验材料,设置-31~-51 kPa、-41~-84 kPa、-59~-132kPa和-161 kPa(不灌溉)4个土壤水势水平,结合茎直径微变化、营养生长与生殖生长量,分析了梨枣在萌芽开花期对土壤水势的响应。结果表明:1)在梨枣萌芽期,土壤水势在-41~-84 kPa范围波动时,茎直径日最大收缩量最小,营养生长与生殖生长最旺盛,是该时期适宜的土壤水势范围;花芽分化适宜的土壤水势范围为-41~-132 kPa。梨枣萌芽期适当的水分亏缺不影响花芽分化,但减弱了营养生长量,优化了营养生长与生殖生长的比例。2)在梨枣开花期,土壤水势范围为-54~-78 kPa时,茎直径日最大收缩量最小,坐果率较高,为开花期适宜的土壤水势范围;土壤水势为-79~-114 kPa时坐果率最高。开花期轻度的水分亏缺可显著提高坐果率。3)土壤水势过高或过低都抑制梨枣的营养生长、生殖生长和坐果,但水涝能促进茎直径生长,水分缺亏则抑制茎直径生长。4)在平水年,梨枣的萌芽期无需灌水,自然降雨即能满足其萌芽展叶、花芽分化的需要,但开花期,降雨不能满足梨枣高坐果率的需要。     

Long-term acclimation of mesophyll conductance, carbon isotope discrimination and growth in two contrasting Picea asperata populations exposed to drought and enhanced UV-B radiation for three years

Two Picea asperata Mast. populations originating from wet and dry climate regions of China were subjected to enhanced UV-B radiation, drought and their combination in a greenhouse for 3 years. Drought treatment caused a significant decrease in photosynthesis, mesophyll conductance (g_m), carbon isotope discrimination (Δ) and growth characteristics when compared with well-watered treatment. In contrast to the great effects of drought stress, enhanced UV-B radiation showed some but not as substantial negative effects on these parameters. Little interaction effect between drought and UV-B radiation was detected, and the drought effect in combination with enhanced UV-B was not more pronounced than with no enhanced UV-B radiation. These results suggest that enhanced UV-B radiation does not aggravate the drought effect on P. asperata seedlings. The results also showed that the proportional role of the intercellular CO₂ (C_i) decreased, while the role of chloroplastic concentration (C_c) became increasingly important in explaining the high values of carbon isotope composition (δ¹³C), when the water stress progressed in time. In addition, multivariate causal models proposed that there is a direct causal relationship between specific leaf area (SLA) and g_m, which is not mediated by leaf N. Besides, there are functional links between g_m and photosynthetic capacity (V_cmax). On the other hand, the study showed that net assimilation rate (NAR) is the main driving force for changes in relative growth rate (RGR), especially in low-water environments, and the degree of acclimation of respiration in the light (R_L) is of central importance to the greater role played by NAR in determining variation in RGR.