α-Melanocyte-stimulating hormone directly increases the plasma calcitonin level and involves calcium metabolism in goldfish

International Aquatic Research - The effects of α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH) on calcium metabolism were examined with goldfish. The scales on the left side of goldfish bodies...     

The process of decline of an endangered tree species,Pinus armandii Franch. var.amamiana (Koidz.) Hatusima, on the southern slope of Mt. Hasa-dake in Yaku-shima Island

The process of decline of an endangered tree species,Pinus armandii var.amamiana, was monitored on the southern slope of Mt. Hasa-dake in Yaku-shima Island from 1994 to 1998. There are 163 trees ofP. armandii var.amamiana over 1.3 m in height. They are distributed on steep ridges and rocks with a thin soil layer mostly consisting of friable granite. During the monitoring period, 21 trees ofP. armandii var.amamiana died and the mortality rate was 12.9%. Dead trees were categorized into three types: standing, uprooted and landslide. The uprooted- and landslide-typed dead trees were found only after a severe typhoon struck Yaku-shima Island. This suggests that the combination of fragile site conditions and severe typhoons play an important role in the process of decline ofP. armandii var.amamiana. The standing-typed dead trees were presumed to have been killed by pine wilt disease, accounting for 71.4% of the dead trees. However,Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, the cause of pine wilt disease, was not detected from any of the wood chips or branch samples from the standing-typed dead trees ofP. armandii var.amamiana. This might indicate that some factor(s) other than pine wilt disease could be responsible for the standing-typed death ofP. armandii var.amamiana in natural habitats. A part of this paper was presented at the 109th Meeting of the Japanese Forestry Society.     

Differential overstory leaf flushing contributes to the formation of a patchy understory

Understory individuals were found to form patches in a 100-year-old deciduous broad-leaved forest. The closed forest canopy was uniform, and so the light conditions at various locations across the forest floor differed little after the leaf flush of the overstory. To explain the distribution pattern in the understory, a hypothesis was proposed: in spring, the forest floor is divided into patches according to the timing of leaf flush of the overstory individuals, and the light conditions are more favorable for understory plants under the crowns of trees with later-flushing leaves. In the plot, three groups of early, intermediate, and late, were recognized in the overstory concerning the timing of leaf flush. As for the start of leaf flush, a difference of 31.6 days was recognized among tree species, and for the end of leaf flush, a difference of 40.3 days. In the spring of 1998, the relative photosynthetic-photon-flux density under an intensively studiedCastanea crenata tree (late-flushing species) usually showed higher values than that under a similarly studiedAcer mono tree (early-flushing species). Analysis of the spatial-distribution pattern using Morisita’s1δ index revealed that the understory community had an aggregated distribution. In the overstory, the late- and the intermediate-flushing-species groups showed aggregated distributions, while the early-flushing-species group showed random distribution. Spatial correlation between the understory and the overstory was analyzed by using Morisita’sRδ index. The distribution of whole understory community spatially co-occurred with that of the late-flushing-species group of the overstory. In contrast, the understory community was less developed below the members of the early-flushing-species group of the overstory. We consider that the data presented here support our hypothesis, and we suggest that the growth and survival of understory individuals were promoted in the places receiving light for long periods in spring.     

Effects of current-year and previous-year PPFDs on shoot gross morphology and leaf properties in Fagus japonica

We investigated how shoot gross morphology and leaf properties are determined in Fagus japonica Maxim., a deciduous species with flush-type shoot phenology, in which all leaves are produced in a single flush at the start of each season. We examined relationships between current-year shoot properties and local light environment in a 14-m tall beech tree growing in a deciduous forest. Leaf number (LN), total leaf area (TLA), and total leaf length (SL) of the current-year shoot increased with increasing photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD). Leaf thickness, dry mass per leaf area and nitrogen content on a leaf area basis increased, whereas the chlorophyll/N ratio decreased with increasing PPFD. To separate the effects of current-year PPFD from those of previous year(s), we artificially shaded a part of the uppermost leaf tier. Reciprocal transfers of beech seedlings between controlled PPFD regimes were also made. Characteristics of shoot gross morphology such as LN, TLA and SL were largely determined by the PPFD of the previous year. The exception was the length of the longest "long shoots" with many leaves, in which elongation appeared to be influenced by both previous-year and current-year PPFD. In contrast, leaf properties were determined by current-year PPFD. The ecological implications of our findings are discussed.     

Two-decadal trends in aboveground litterfall and net primary production in self-thinning Pinus banksiana stands in Wood Buffalo National Park,NWT, Canada

We estimated the aboveground net primary production (ANPP) in five self-thinning jack pine (Pinus banksiana) stands in Wood Buffalo National Park, NWT, Canada. The stands (11 to ca.175 years old) were selected to examine the relationship between stand density and tree size and its effect on carbon dynamics. Aboveground litterfall was collected from each stand from 1997 to 2012. Stand biomass was estimated by measuring tree size every 5 years and estimating the individual mass using allometric relationships. ANPP was then estimated by summing the litterfall mass, dead stem mass increment and stand biomass increment. We determined the proportional contribution of each organ to the total litter and the seasonal pattern of needle litterfall. There was a lower turnover rate of aboveground biomass in older stands than younger stands. The ANPP increased in the youngest stand (<30 years old) showed a decreasing trend in stands >50 years old. The maximum ANPP was estimated to be ca. 500?g m^?2 year^?1 in dry matter, which was found in 30–50 year-old stands.     

Termiticidal activity of wood vinegar, its components and their homologues

The termiticidal activity of wood vinegar, its components, and their homologues have been studied. Three kinds of wood vinegar made from the mixed chips ofCryptomeria japonlca andPseudotsga menziesii (wood vinegar A),Quercus serrata (wood vinegar B), andPinus densiflora (wood vinegar C) exhibited high termiticidal activities againstReticulitermes speratus. Acetic acid, which is the largest content of wood vinegar, exhibited high termiticidal acitivity. The contents of organic fraction of wood vinegars and acetic acid might be responsible for the differences in termiticidal activities among these wood vinegars. The structure and termiticidal activity relations of phenols were studied. Phenol with some substituents revealed higher termiticidal activity than benzene derivatives, which have no hydroxyl group; an ortho substituent of phenol plays an important role in termiticidal activity. It has become apparent that high termiticidal activity cannot be obtained by a phenolic hydroxyl group alone; it can be obtained, however, by some substituents, especially an ortho substituent in addition to a phenolic hydroxyl group. The bulkiness of the substituent at the ortho position participates in termiticidal activity; activity decreases as the size of an ortho substituent increases. It is thought that the interaction at the receptor site of termites is affected by the increased size of the ortho substituent.     

Morphological acclimation to understory environments in Abies amabilis, a shade- and snow-tolerant conifer species of the Cascade Mountains, Washington, USA

Light-related plasticity in a variety of crown morphology and within-tree characteristics was examined in sun and shade saplings of Abies amabilis Dougl. ex J. Forbes growing in two late-successional forests with different snow regimes in the Cascade Mountains of Washington, USA. Compared with sun saplings, shade saplings typically had broad flat crowns as a result of acclimation at several scales (needle, shoot, branch, crown and whole sapling). Shoots of shade saplings had a smaller needle mass per unit of stem length than shoots of sun saplings, a feature that enhances light-interception efficiency by reducing among-needle shading. The low annual rate of needle production by shade saplings was associated with a longer needle lifespan and slower needle turnover. Reduced needle production within a shoot was reflected at the branch level, with lateral branches of shade saplings having a smaller needle mass than branches of the same length of sun saplings. Reduced allocation to needles permits greater investment in branches and stems, which is necessary to support the horizontally expanding branch system characteristic of shade saplings. Mean branch age of shade saplings was significantly higher than that of sun saplings. Shade saplings had lower needle mass per unit of trunk biomass or total biomass, reflecting greater investment in the trunk as a support organ. Increased investment in support organs in shade was more evident in the snowier habitat. The observed morphological acclimation makes A. amabilis highly shade and snow-tolerant and thus able to dominate in many late-successional forests in snowy coastal mountain regions.     

Retention behavior of size and aluminum components on handsheets in rosin-ester size/alum systems

Anionic emulsion sizes consisting of rosin triglyceride esters and partly fortified rosin acids (i.e., rosin-ester sizes), have recently been used as internal sizes for alkaline papermaking. In this study, handsheets were prepared from pulp suspensions with alum and a rosin-ester size under various conditions, and sizing degree and size and aluminum contents of the handsheets were determined. Aluminum compounds originating from alum added to the pulp suspensions behave as retention aids of the rosin-ester size even in alkaline papermaking under limited conditions. Carboxyl groups in pulp are the primary retention sites of aluminum compounds in pulp suspensions. They form cationic sites on pulp fibers, and thus the anionic size emulsion particles are adsorbed on pulp fibers by electrostatic interactions. However, the cationic charges of aluminum compounds on pulp fibers decrease and finally disappear completely with the lapse of time after the alum addition by forming ionic bonds between the cationic sites and OH^– ions. Thus, pH values of the pulp suspensions and timing of the size addition strongly influence the retention values of the rosin-ester size and the resultant sizing features.This research was presented in part at the 1995 autumn meetings of the Society of Fiber Science and Technology Japan in Hamamatsu, October 1995     

Quantification and Understanding of Above and Belowground Biomass in Medium Saline Zone of the Sundarbans,Bangladesh: The Relationships with Forest Attributes

ABSTRACT

The relationship between stand attributes and biomass accumulation pattern in a mangrove forest has been intensively studied in this study. We assessed above (AGM) and belowground mass (BGM) and examined the relationship between forest attributes and aboveground mass in the Sundarbans, Bangladesh. The study was conducted with 18 plots having total area of 1.08 ha. The mean AGM and BGM of the study sites were 234.08 and 132.85 Mg ha^?1 respectively. H. fomes contributed the highest amount (82.9% of total AGM and 80.53% of total BGM) of above (193.56 Mg ha^?1) and belowground mass (107.09 Mg ha^?1) at the study site. Our study revealed structural attributes (tree diameter, height, and basal area) positively correlated with AGM. In contrast, species richness and species diversity negatively correlated with AGM. Our study indicated that lack of positive relationship between species diversity and AGM which may be attributable to high AGM of the dominant species (H. fomes) and may have a considerable consequence in AGM of the study area. Thus, maintaining large trees (DBH and height) rather than species diversity in the Sundarbans mangrove forest might be an effective approach for increasing aboveground mass.     

Radial and between-family variations of the microfibril angle and the relationships with bending properties in Picea jezoensis families

With emphasis on tree breeding for wood quality in Picea jezoensis, we aimed to evaluate radial and between-family variations in the microfibril angle (MFA) of the S₂ layer in the latewood tracheids in 10 open-pollinated families of 43-year-old P. jezoensis trees. In addition, the relationships between MFA/wood density with the modulus of elasticity (MOE) or modulus of rupture (MOR) were investigated. Significant differences in MFA between families were found from the pith toward the bark. MFA showed higher values around the pith area, although some families showed relatively lower values than others around this area. In addition, due to a larger coefficient of variations of MFA near the pith, the potential for juvenile wood MFA improvement may be greater compared with mature wood. MOE was correlated with MFA in juvenile wood and with wood density in mature wood, whereas MOR was mainly correlated with wood density at radial positions in both woods. Therefore, to improve the MOE and MOR of P. jezoensis wood, both MFA and wood density would be factors to consider in both juvenile and mature woods. On the other hand, there are indications that, only wood density would be an important criterion for improving mature wood properties.