A comparative study of mangrove ? oras in China and India

Species compositions in the mangrove habitats of China and India, especially on Hainan Island (China) and on the Sundarbans and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands (India), are of interest, showing several similarities and differences. The total mangrove areas of India cover about 6419 km 2 with 43 species (23 major and 20 minor species), while the mangrove areas of China cover about 150 km 2 with 26 speices (19 major and 7 minor speices). We carried out a comparison of mangrove floras in the Indian Sundarbans, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and in Hainan Island. The mangrove areas of the Indian Sundarbans comprise about 66.5% of the total Indian mangroves, presently covering an area of 4267 km 2 with 35 species from 22 genera and 16 families. There are 34 species from 17 genera and 13 families in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Hainan Island is considered a distribution center of mangroves; it has the largest number of mangrove species in China, i.e., 25 species from 15 genera and 12 families, accounting for about 96% of the total number of mangrove species in China. The mangroves of Hainan Island and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands belong to island types, while those of Sundarbans belong to inter-tidal deltaic types. Differences in soil type, rainfall, temperature, tidal fluctuation and other climatic features possibly cause variations in floristic composition of these regions.     

Polymorphism and heredity of cpDNA and mtDNA in the Section Leuce of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Populus</Emphasis>

The chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of 16 Populus species (Section Leuce) and their F1 generation were detected using PCR-RFLP technique. The results show that cpDNA in the F1 generation of 22 hybrid combinations was inherited maternally, which supported the conclusions of the study of plasmid cytology. The mtDNA fragments amplified by PCR were consistent with the restriction maps in all hybrid combinations and no polymorphism was detected, indicating that the Section Leuce is highly conserved in mitochondrial gene sequences. These results provided direct evidence of maternal chloroplast inheritance in Populus tomentosa, P. bolleana, P. davidiana, P. adenopoda, P. tomentosa × P. bolleana, P. alba × P. glandulosa and P. alba × P. tomentosa.     

Characteristics of nucleotides and amino acids in cDNA sequence of xyloglucan endotransglycosylase cloned from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Anthocephalus chinensis</Emphasis>

Xyloglucan endotransglycosylase is an identified relaxation factor with functions of easing and extending of plant cell walls.Its activities are directly related to plant growth and elongation of organisms.Anthocephalus chinensis is a tall and fast growing evergreen tree species.We cloned the full cDNA sequence of AcEXT genes which is abundantly expressed in the cambium of A.chinensis.The sequence analysis of nucleotides and amino acids revealed the presence of a 1396 bp full cDNA sequence,including a 960 bp complete open reading frame(ORF) encoding a 320 amino acid protein.The deduced amino acid sequence of AcXET was homologous to the other known XET proteins and contained the conserved EIDFE catalytic site which was specific to all the XETs.Our data should serve as a foundation for further insight into AcXET gene molecular mechanisms during wood formation and cell wall engineering of woody plants.     

Composition and diversity of five major forest types in moist temperate climate of the western Himalayas

The present study was undertaken in five major forest types (dominated by Quercus semecarpifolia, Quercus floribunda, Acer acuminatum, Abies pindrow and Aesculus indica, respectively) between 2400 and 2850 m a.s.l. in a moist temperate forest of the Mandal-Chopta area in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand, India. The aim was to assess the variation in composition and diversity in different vegetation layers, i.e., herb, shrub and tree, among these five forest types. Diversity indices, such as the Shannon-Wiener diversity index, density, total basal cover, Simpson’s concentration of dominance index, Simpson’s diversity index, Pielou’s equitability, species richness, species heterogeneity and β-diversity, were calculated to understand community structures. Dominance-diversity curves were drawn to ascertain resource apportionment among various species in different forest types.     

Pine wilt disease: a short review of worldwide research

This article summarizes the results of the research papers presented at the International Symposium on pine wilt disease (IUFRO Working Party Meeting 4.04.03) held in July 2009, at Nanjing, China. The general topics covered were on pine wilt disease (PWD), its causal organism, the pinewood nematode (PWN) Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, plus other PWN-associated microorganisms that play a significant role in PWD such as bacteria (e.g. Pseudomonas fluorescens). Most of the papers that are reviewed are based on work on PWD-PWN in East Asia and Russia. Specific topics covered include: 1) the fundamental conceptions of PWD development, 2) pathogenicity, 3) host-parasite relationships including the histopathology of diseased conifers and the role of toxins from bacteria-nematode ecto-symbionts, 4) PWN life cycle and transmission, 5) B. xylophilus dissemination models, 6) associations (with other nematodes), 7) diagnostics, 8) quarantine and control of the PWN and 9) biocontrol of the PWN.     

Evaluation of cold resistance of ornamental species for planting as urban rooftop greening

Rooftop gardening or green roof establishment, one of the methods of afforestation for urban greening, has many benefits for the environment, the economy and urban landscapes. Various environmental stresses including heat, strong wind, sunshine and cold prevent most plants from growing well in extensive green roof systems. For the establishment of urban rooftop gardening in Beijing, we evaluated 13 ornamental plant species [Berberis thunbergii ‘Atropurea Nana’, Euonymus fortune (Turcz.) Hand., Viburnum dilatatum Thunb., Cotinus coggygria Scop., Swida alba Opiz., Weigela florida (Bunge.) A. DC., Jasminum nudiflorum Lindl., Euonymus japonicus Thunb., Euonymus japonicus ‘Cuzhi’, Buddleja davidii Franch., Pyracantha fortuneana (Maxim.) Li., Ligustrum lucidum Ait. and Spiraea salicifolia L.] for greening of flat rooftops. We obtained three indices concerning cold resistance, i.e., electrical conductivity of leaves, amounts of soluble sugars and amounts of free proline, providing a theoretical basis for selection of plants fit for roof and balcony greening. The results show that the six species P. fortuneana (Maxim.) Li., B. thunbergii ‘Atropurea Nana’, J. nudiflorum Lindl., E. fortune (Turcz.) Hand., E. japonicus Thunb. and E. japonicus ‘Cuzhi’ are excellent plants for rooftop gardening, judging from their strong ability in cold resistance. Plants such as L. lucidum Ait., C. coggygria Scop. and W. florida (Bunge) A. DC. showed a medium ability in cold resistance. However, these species can be used in roof and balcony greening after intensive management or acclimatization of variety. The ability to resist cold of plants such as W. florida (Bunge) A. DC., S. salicifolia L., V. rhytidophyllum and S. alba Opiz. (Cornus alba L.) was found to be rather weak. Therefore, cold-proof measures are recommended when using these species.     

Segregation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eucalyptus tereticornis</Emphasis> Sm. clones for properties relevant to solid wood products

Introduction   

Wood quality is an important criterion in the selection of superior genotypes when breeding for solid wood.     

Canopy structure analysis for estimating forest regeneration dynamics and growth in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Nothofagus pumilio</Emphasis> forests

•Introduction   

Silviculture systems applied in Nothofagus pumilio forests are based on opening the canopy to stimulate natural regeneration by modifying light and soil moisture. The objective is to evaluate regeneration dynamics of N. pumilio along different forest canopy and solar radiation gradients.     

Laboratory characterization of firebrands involved in spot fires

• Introduction  

Wildfires are considered the most important disturbance in the Mediterranean Basin, and some are propagated over long distances due to lift-off and ignition of firebrands.     

Climate/growth relationships in a <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pinus cembra</Emphasis> high-elevation network in the Southern French Alps

•Introduction  

In the context of climate change, assessing climate–growth relationships is of high importance in order to understand how forest ecosystems evolve and to test climate models at regional scale.