An antagonistic pair of FT homologs mediates the control of flowering time in sugar beet

Cultivated beets (Beta vulgaris ssp. vulgaris) are unable to form reproductive shoots during the first year of their life cycle. Flowering only occurs if plants get vernalized, that is, pass through the winter, and are subsequently exposed to an increasing day length (photoperiod) in spring. Here, we show that the regulation of flowering time in beets is controlled by the interplay of two paralogs of the FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) gene in Arabidopsis that have evolved antagonistic functions. BvFT2 is functionally conserved with FT and essential for flowering. In contrast, BvFT1 represses flowering and its down-regulation is crucial for the vernalization response in beets. These data suggest that the beet has evolved a different strategy relative to Arabidopsis and cereals to regulate vernalization.     

Effects of historical and present fragmentation on plant species diversity in semi-natural grasslands in Swedish rural landscapes

Habitat loss and fragmentation of natural and semi-natural habitats are considered as major threats to plant species richness. Recently several studies have pinpointed the need to analyse past landscape patterns to understand effects of fragmentation, as the response to landscape change may be slow in many organisms, plants in particular. We compared species richness in continuously grazed and abandoned grasslands in different commonplace rural landscapes in Sweden, and analysed effects of isolation and area in three time-steps (100 and 50 years ago and today). Old cadastral maps and aerial photographs were used to analyse past and present landscape patterns in 25 sites. Two plant diversity measures were investigated; total species richness and species density. During the last 100 years grassland area and connectivity have been reduced by about 90%. Present-day habitat area was positively related to total species richness in both habitats. There was also a relationship to habitat area 50 years ago for continuously grazed grasslands. Only present management was related to species density: continuously grazed grasslands had the highest species density. There were no relationships between grassland connectivity, present or past, and any diversity measure. We conclude that landscape history is not directly important for present-day plant diversity patterns in ordinary landscapes, although past grassland management is a prerequisite for the grassland habitats that can be found there today. It is important that studies are conducted, not only in very diverse landscapes, but also in managed landscapes in order to assess the effects of fragmentation on species.     

臭氧在水产加工业中的应用

近年来食物安全已成为世界性重大议题。新鲜水产品因微生物的活动而腐败，并且还可能携带多种病菌。食物腐败能造成巨大的经济损失，另外还是健康的隐患。这样就要求水产加工业采取有效措施对加工区域、设备以至于水产品本身进行消毒。近年来，在水产加工业臭氧作为消毒剂的地位已大大增强。由于病毒性疾病已是世界水产养殖业和渔业的重大难题，臭氧杀灭病毒的特性今后无疑会受到业界的重视。总之，能使鱼致病的细菌都对水中残留的臭氧高度敏感。在天然湖水、咸水和海水中，只要臭氧残留的浓度为０．１５－０．２０mg／l，６０秒之内就可使…     

灌溉和降水对旱地土壤N2O气态损失的影响

利用土壤探头法和密闭气室法相结合 ,就黄土高原旱地土壤玉米生长期灌溉和降水对N2O气态损失的影响进行了研究 ;并采用乙炔抑制原状土柱培养法 ,对土壤由湿变干和由干变湿过程中N2O变化进行了模拟。试验结果表明 ,在旱地土壤上 ,N2O的变化一般较小 ,但在降雨或者灌溉后无论是土壤N2O通量或者土壤剖面中N2O的浓度均呈现上升趋势 ,且这种变化趋势与同时期降雨量的变化趋势相同。培养结果说明 ,在相同的土壤孔隙水含量 (WFPS)条件下 ,土壤由湿变干过程产生的N2O通量高于土壤由干变湿过程中的产生量 ;在土壤由干变湿过程中N2O通量随土壤WFPS含量的增加而上升 ,但在土壤由湿变干过程中土壤N2O通量在WFPS含量为 70%时达到最大 ,而后随土壤WFPS含量的减少而下降。施肥处理与对照相比两者的变化趋势相同 ,但不施肥处理的变化幅度较小     

陕西省氮肥过量施用现状评价

 对陕西省3个不同生态区、17个市、县的1500多位农户近年来粮食作物产量、肥料施用量及施肥时期进行了现状调查,同时在5个示范村示范和推广了小麦、玉米和水稻平衡施肥技术。结果表明,粮食作物生产中氮肥用量和变幅都很大,一季作物氮施用量范围为106-636 kg·ha-1;与试验结果和推荐量比较,过量施氮在陕北川道地灌溉玉米为128 kg·ha-1,陕南水稻21 kg·ha-1、关中小麦55 kg·ha-1、玉米56 kg·ha-1。按照这个结果陕西省每年可能损失的化肥氮为1 2.2万t。因此,平衡施肥在陕北和关     

Light-responsive cryptochromes from a simple multicellular animal, the coral Acropora millepora

Hundreds of species of reef-building corals spawn synchronously over a few nights each year, and moonlight regulates this spawning event. However, the molecular elements underpinning the detection of moonlight remain unknown. Here we report the presence of an ancient family of blue-light-sensing photoreceptors, cryptochromes, in the reef-building coral Acropora millepora. In addition to being cryptochrome genes from one of the earliest-diverging eumetazoan phyla, cry1 and cry2 were expressed preferentially in light. Consistent with potential roles in the synchronization of fundamentally important behaviors such as mass spawning, cry2 expression increased on full moon nights versus new moon nights. Our results demonstrate phylogenetically broad roles of these ancient circadian clock-related molecules in the animal kingdom.     

玉米生长期黄土区土壤氧化亚氮产生和排放及其影响因子研究

采用土壤平衡气室法和密闭气室法,对玉米生长期对照(不施氮肥)和施氮处理(180 kg/hm2N)黄土区土壤剖面中N2O浓度和土壤表面N2O排放通量的变化及其影响因子进行了研究。结果表明,在玉米生长期,土壤剖面中N2O主要产生于7月和8月,且60 cm土层的N2O浓度最高,10 cm土层最低;施用氮肥不仅增加了土壤剖面中N2O的浓度,而且增加了土壤表面N2O的排放通量,玉米生长期对照和施氮处理的土壤表面N2O平均排放通量分别为(10.95±4.13)和(22.41±8.69)μg/(m2.h)。对照和施氮处理土壤剖面中N2O浓度和土壤表面N2O排放通量的变化趋势相同,但施氮处理土壤剖面中N2O浓度和N2O排放通量均明显高于对照。土壤温度、水分以及土壤NO3--N含量是土壤N2O产生和排放的主要影响因子。