Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal colonization of Glycyrrhiza glabra roots enhances plant biomass,phosphorus uptake and concentration of root secondary metabolites

Arbuscular mycorrhizal(AM)fungi penetrate the cortical cells of the roots of vascular plants,and are widely distributed in soil.The formation of these symbiotic bodies accelerates the absorption and utilization of mineral elements,enhances plant resistance to stress,boosts the growth of plants,and increases the survival rate of transplanted seedlings.We studied the effects of various arbuscular mycorrhizae fungi on the growth and development of licorice(Glycyrrhiza glabra).Several species of AM,such as Glomus mosseae,Glomus intraradices,and a mixture of fungi(G.mosseae,G.intraradices,G.cladoideum,G.microagregatum,G.caledonium and G.etunicatum)were used in our study.Licorice growth rates were determined by measuring the colonization rate of the plants by the fungi,plant dry biomass,phosphorus concentration and concentration of secondary metabolites.We established two cloned strains of licorice,clone 3(C3)and clone 6(C6)to exclude the effect of genotypic variations.Our results showed that the AM fungi could in fact increase the leaf and root biomass,as well as the phosphorus concentration in each clone.Furthermore,AM fungi significantly increased the yield of certain secondary metabolites in clone 3.Our study clearly demonstrated that AM fungi play an important role in the enhancement of growth and development of licorice plants.There was also a significant improvement in the secondary metabolite content and yield of medicinal compounds from the roots.     

Stabilization of organic matter by soil minerals — investigations of density and particle‐size fractions from two acid forest soils

We tested the hypothesis whether organic matter in subsoils is a large contributor to organic carbon (OC) in terrestrial ecosystems and if survival of organic matter in subsoils is the result of an association with the soil mineral matrix. We approached this by analyzing two forest soil profiles, a Haplic Podzol and a Dystric Cambisol, for the depth distribution of OC, its distribution among density and particle‐size fractions, and the extractability of OC after destruction of the mineral phase by treatment with hydrofluoric acid (HF). The results were related to indicators of the soil mineralogy and the specific surface area. Finally, scanning electron microscopy combined with energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (SEM‐EDX) was used to visualize the location of OC at mineral surfaces and associations with elements of mineral phases. The subsoils (B and C horizons) contained 40—50% of the soil OC including the organic forest floor layers. With increasing depth of soil profiles (1) the radiocarbon ages increased, and (2) increasing portions of OC were either HF‐soluble, or located in the density fraction d >1.6 g cm^—3, or in the clay fraction. The proportions of OC in the density fraction d >1.6 g cm^—3 were closely correlated to the contents of oxalate and dithionite‐citrate‐bicarbonate‐extractable Fe (r² = 0.93 and 0.88, P <0.001). SEM‐EDX analyses suggested associations of OC with aluminum whereas silicon‐enriched regions were poor in OC. The specific surface area and the microporosity of the soil mineral matrix after destruction of organic matter were less closely correlated to OC than the extractable iron fractions. This is possibly due to variable surface loadings, depending on different OC inputs with depth. Our results imply that subsoils are important for the storage of OC in terrestrial ecosystems because of intimate association of organic matter with secondary hydrous aluminum and iron phases leading to stabilization against biological degradation.     

小尺度土壤养分的空间变异及其影响因素探讨—以江苏省无锡市典型城乡交错区为例

以江苏省无锡市城乡交错区为例,在8km2范围内,采集102个土壤表层样,利用地统计学和G IS相结合的方法,研究了土壤全量和速效氮、磷、钾的空间变异特征,并对其影响因素进行了探讨。结果表明土壤养分空间变异程度从大到小依次为:土壤全氮>土壤全磷>土壤速效磷>土壤速效氮>土壤速效钾>土壤全钾。土壤全氮空间变异受到土壤类型的影响,土壤全磷的空间变异与居民点分布有关,土壤全钾空间变异与土壤粘粒关系最密切。土壤全量养分和相应的速效养分具有显著相关关系,在空间分布上,也分别存在不同程度的相似性。同时土壤全磷和土壤速效养分受土地利用影响也较大。研究还表明,城乡交错区土壤氮、磷流失风险增加,需要实施有效措施控制氮、磷肥料的过度施用。     

Environmental drivers of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ixodes ricinus</Emphasis> abundance in forest fragments of rural European landscapes

Background

The castor bean tick (Ixodes ricinus) transmits infectious diseases such as Lyme borreliosis, which constitutes an important ecosystem disservice. Despite many local studies, a comprehensive understanding of the key drivers of tick abundance at the continental scale is still lacking. We analyze a large set of environmental factors as potential drivers of I. ricinus abundance. Our multi-scale study was carried out in deciduous forest fragments dispersed within two contrasting rural landscapes of eight regions, along a macroclimatic gradient stretching from southern France to central Sweden and Estonia. We surveyed the abundance of I. ricinus, plant community composition, forest structure and soil properties and compiled data on landscape structure, macroclimate and habitat properties. We used linear mixed models to analyze patterns and derived the relative importance of the significant drivers.

Results

Many drivers had, on their own, either a moderate or small explanatory value for the abundance of I. ricinus, but combined they explained a substantial part of variation. This emphasizes the complex ecology of I. ricinus and the relevance of environmental factors for tick abundance. Macroclimate only explained a small fraction of variation, while properties of macro- and microhabitat, which buffer macroclimate, had a considerable impact on tick abundance. The amount of forest and the composition of the surrounding rural landscape were additionally important drivers of tick abundance. Functional (dispersules) and structural (density of tree and shrub layers) properties of the habitat patch played an important role. Various diversity metrics had only a small relative importance. Ontogenetic tick stages showed pronounced differences in their response. The abundance of nymphs and adults is explained by the preceding stage with a positive relationship, indicating a cumulative effect of drivers.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that the ecosystem disservices of tick-borne diseases, via the abundance of ticks, strongly depends on habitat properties and thus on how humans manage ecosystems from the scale of the microhabitat to the landscape. This study stresses the need to further evaluate the interaction between climate change and ecosystem management on I. ricinus abundance.

     

Effects of three infusion fluids with different sodium chloride contents on steady‐state serum concentrations of bromide in dogs

Potassium bromide overdose (bromism) in the management of canine epilepsy has been known. However, a protocol to reduce bromide concentrations rapidly has not been previously established. The effects of three infusion fluids with different chloride contents on the steady‐state serum concentrations of bromide in beagles were determined. After stabilization of the serum bromide concentrations, seven dogs were infused with saline (Na⁺ 154 mmol/L; Cl^? 154 mmol/L), lactated Ringer's (Na⁺ 131 mmol/L; Cl^? 110 mmol/L), or maintenance solutions (Na⁺ 35 mmol/L; Cl^? 35 mmol/L) at a rate of 2 or 10 ml kg^?1 hr^?1 for 5 hr. Serum and urine were collected hourly, and the bromide concentrations were measured. When saline and lactated Ringer's solutions were infused at a rate of 10 ml kg^?1 hr^?1 for 5 hr, serum bromide concentrations were decreased by 14.24% and urine bromide concentrations by 17.63%, respectively. Of all compositions of infusion fluids, only sodium and chloride contents were associated with the decreased serum concentrations and the increased renal clearance of bromide. In summary, saline and lactated Ringer's solutions reduced serum bromide concentrations in a sodium chloride‐dependent manner in dogs were found when infused at 10 ml kg^?1 hr^?1 for 5 hr.     

Diversity of Cryphonectria parasitica in callused chestnut blight cankers on European and American chestnut

Infection of American and European chestnuts with the chestnut blight fungus Cryphonectria parasitica results in the formation of cankers, lesions caused by the growth of mycelia within bark tissue of the host plant. Infection of the fungus with Cryphonectria hypovirus 1 (CHV‐1) results in conversion of the mycelial phenotype from virulent to hypovirulent, thus allowing production of callus around cankers as a reaction by infected trees, rendering active into inactive cankers. In this study, we sampled one USA and six European chestnut stands and assessed frequency of hypovirulent C. parasitica and diversity of vegetative compatibility (vc) types present in calluses and randomly sampled cankers. Callused cankers on C. dentata at West Salem in the USA yielded significantly more hypovirulent C. parasitica isolates compared with four sampled populations on C. sativa, while all six sampled European populations did not show any statistically significant differences among themselves. We observed no correlation between hypovirulence frequencies in randomly sampled cankers and calluses, as well as no correlation of C. parasitica vc type diversity in calluses and residential populations of the fungus. Furthermore, even though we have observed calluses with more than one vc type, they do not occur regularly. Even when present in C. parasitica populations with high vc type diversity, no more than three different vc types were observed in a single callus.     

Dendrochronology and climatic signals in the wood of Nectandra oppositifolia from a dense rain forest in southern Brazil

Nectandra is one of the most representative genera of Lauraceae in the subtropical Atlantic Forest of Brazil. The objective of this work was to study the dendrochronological potential of Nectandra oppositifolia Nees and Mart. from two sites in Santa Catarina State in southern Brazil. A tree-ring chronology of 34 trees was developed. The time span ranged from 1843 to 2013. The oldest and youngest trees were 171 and 47 years-old and the average length of the series was 103 years. Average diameter and annual increment were 20.64 cm and0.74 mm a-1; diameter and age were unrelated. The species has good dendrochronological potential with an intercorrelation of 0.61 between sites, indicating the existence of a synchronous pattern in the development of the trees. The climate response of the species could be seen by negative tree growth effects for previous hot and current rainy growth seasons.     

Separating Norway spruce heartwood and sapwood in dried condition with near-infrared spectroscopy and multivariate data analysis

Norway spruce [Picea abies (L.) Karst.] heartwood and sapwood have differing wood properties, but are similar in appearance. An investigation was made to see whether near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) could be used with multivariate statistics for separation between heartwood and sapwood in dry state on tangential longitudinal surfaces. For classification of wood into sapwood and heartwood, partial least square (PLS) regression was used. Orthogonal signal correction (OSC) filtering was used on the spectra. This study shows that a separation of sapwood and heartwood of spruce is possible with NIR spectra measured in a laboratory environment. The visible-wavelength spectra have significant influence on the predictive power of separation models between sapwood and heartwood of spruce. All 44 specimens in the calibration set were correctly classified into heartwood and sapwood. Validation of the model was done with a prediction set of 16 specimens, of which one was classified incorrectly.