Establishment and growth of coniferous seedlings in an altered forest floor after long-term exclusion of deer

We evaluated differences between the forest floors and the establishment and growth of coniferous seedlings in fenced (13 years) and unfenced plots on Mt Ohdaigahara where the sika deer (Cervus nippon) population density is high. Large coniferous seedlings (height > 0.05 m) were less abundant in the unfenced plot, as a result of deer browsing. Small coniferous seedlings (height < 0.05 m), however, were more abundant in the unfenced plot, where most seedlings of Abies homolepis were found on bare ground and those of Picea jezoensis var. hondoensis were found on buttresses and fallen logs. The large area of bare ground in the unfenced plot was caused by deer browsing. Deer therefore have an indirect effect on the emergence and growth of small coniferous seedlings by modifying the forest floor.     

Structural changes in lignin of tropical woods during digestion by termite, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cryptotermes brevis</Emphasis>

Wood samples of apitong (Dipterocarpus grandiflorua) and ilang-ilang (Ilang-Ilang C. dadloyi) and feces of termites [Cryptotermes brevis (Walker)] fed on these woods were collected from University of the Philippines, Los Baňos. Lignin of each sample was isolated by Björkman’s procedure. There was no significant difference in ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra or in the methoxyl content between Björkman lignins from original woods and termite feces. Differences were detected in the contents of aliphatic and unconjugated phenolic hydroxyl groups, suggesting minor structural changes of lignin during digestion by termites. In addition, the ratio of syringyl to guaiacyl nuclei of Björkman lignin from termite feces determined by ¹H NMR spectra was higher than those from the original woods. The molar ratio of syringyl to guaiacyl nuclei of termite feces was higher than those from the original woods as determined by alkaline nitrobenzene oxidation. These results suggest that the structural changes of lignin in the termite gut are due to the insignificant formation of C-C linkages in guaiacyl nuclei. It was concluded that there were minor changes in the structural features of lignin under mostly anaerobic conditions, in contrast to the significant changes that occur through biological modification under aerobic conditions.     

Nickel-catalyzed carbonization of wood for coproduction of functional carbon and fluid fuels I: production of crystallized mesoporous carbon

Japanese larch wood loaded with nickel (1%–4%) alone or with nickel and calcium (0.25%–1.5%) was carbonized at 800°–900°C for 0–120min with a heating rate of 5°–20°C min⁻¹ in a helium flow of 5.8−46.4 ml STP cm⁻² min⁻¹ to examine the influence of these variables on the crystallization of carbon (the formation of T component) and the development of mesoporosity. From the obtained results, reaction conditions suitable for effective production of carbon with the dual functions of adequate electroconductivity and adsorption capacity in liquid phase were established, thereby explaining the factors that govern the process. It was also confirmed that mesopore having a diameter of about 4 nm was selectively produced at the cost of specific (BET) surface area in parallel with the formation of T component. This result provided good insight into how the simultaneous dual function could be realized.     

Storage of biomass and net primary productivity in desert shrubland of Artemisia ordosica on Ordos Plateau of Inner Mongolia, China

Biomass and net primary productivity （NPP） are two important parameters in determining ecosystem carbon pool and carbon sequestration. The biomass storage and NPP in desert shrubland of Artemisia ordosica on Ordos Plateau were investigated with method of harvesting standard size shrub in the growing season （June-October） of 2006. Results indicated that above- and belowground biomass of the same size shrubs showed no significant variation in the growing season （p〉0.1）, but annual biomass varied significantly （p〈 0.01）. In the A. ordosica community, shrub biomass storage was 699.76-1246.40 g.m^-2 and annual aboveground NPP was 224.09 g-m^-2·a^-1. Moreover, shrub biomass and NPP were closely related with shrub dimensions （cover and height） and could be well predicted by shrub volume using power regression.     

Does streptobacillary arthritis reduce house mouse population density,activity and damage to sorghum crops?

An experiment to examine the effect of streptobacillary arthritis on mouse populations was conducted in maturing sorghum crops in mouse-proofed pens. There were three treatment pens and three control pens in which mice with and without clinical signs of streptobacillary arthritis were introduced, respectively. A constant mouse density (533 mice ha⁻¹) was introduced to the pens by releasing 12 mice in each pen. The sex ratio of introduced mice was also constant by releasing in each pen nine males and three females. Mean track index was lower in treatment pens than in control pens, indicating that streptobacillary arthritis reduced the activity of mice. However, this was not translated into a reduction in other population responses. Mean mouse density at harvest, percentage of female pregnant at harvest, yield loss caused by mice and a feeding index (oil card index) did not differ significantly between treatment and control groups. A plausible explanation for these findings was that mice with the clinical signs might be less active but were able to consume as much grains as mice without the clinical signs because food was in abundant supply.     

Spectrophotometrical characteristics in the near infrared region in beech (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Fagus crenata</Emphasis>) and pine (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Pinus densiflora</Emphasis>) litters at the various decomposing stages

We examined the relationships between the absorptional characteristics in the near infrared region and the chemical changes of decomposing beech (Fagus crenata) and pine (Pinus densiflora) litters. Spectra as well as the concentrations of chemical substances approached each other and converged with decomposition, although both initial characteristics differed markedly between beech and pine. This indicated that the fundamental chemical structures were almost the same, although their organochemical composition differed. Specific absorption bands for lignin, polysaccharide, and protein were identified at 2,140 and 1,670 nm, 2,270, 1,720, 1,590, and 1,216 nm, and 2,350 nm, respectively. Absorbance at 1,670 nm, peculiar band of aromatics, showed a positive correlation with lignin concentration, which suggested the relative increment of aromatics due to condensed lignin in decomposing litters. Absorbance at 2,140 nm, characterized as the C–H bond in HRC = CHR, showed a negative correlation with lignin concentration, which suggested the decrements of some structures such as side-chains in lignin polymers unrelated to aromatics. Absorbance at 2,270, 1,720, and 1,216 nm, specified to O–H/C–O/C–H bonds in saccharide, might reflect the change of polysaccharide during decomposition because they showed a positive correlation to polysaccharide concentration. In the same way, absorbance at 2,350 nm, identified to the C–H/CH₂ bonds in protein, showed a negative correlation to nitrogen concentration in decomposing litters, which might indicate that the C–H/CH₂ bonds in protein decreased with decomposition due to microbial consumption of carbon in protein. Our findings suggested the possibility that the spectral changes indicate the litter digestibility during decomposition and that also explain the compositional change in decomposing litters.     

The influences of boiling and drying treatments on the behaviors of tension wood with gelatinous layers in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Zelkova serrata</Emphasis>

This study examined how boiling and drying treatments influenced various physical properties of the tension wood with gelatinous fibers (G-fibers) of a 29-yearold Zelkova branch. By boiling treatment, tension wood with numerous G-fibers contracted considerably in the longitudinal direction and the longitudinal Young’s modulus decreased in spite of the water-saturated condition. The drying treatment caused green tension wood and boiled tension wood with numerous G-fibers to shrink longitudinally and increased their longitudinal Young’s moduli. These specific behaviors in tension wood were highly correlated with the proportion of G-fibers in a specimen and were probably caused by the microscopic behavior of cellulose microfibril (CMF) in the gelatinous layers (G-layers). The longitudinal shrinkage of tension wood due to drying suggests the existence of a hygro-sensible, noncrystalline region in the CMF, which is abundant in the G-layer. Furthermore, the noncrystalline region in the CMF softens during boiling treatment, resulting in the reduction of the longitudinal Young’s modulus in tension wood. The longitudinal contraction of tension wood with G-fibers by boiling might be caused by the tensile growth stress remaining in green G-layers. However, no changes were detected in the 004 d-spacing of cellulose crystal in tension wood from the boiling and drying treatments, regardless of the proportion of G-fibers.     

Chemical analysis of the product in acid-catalyzed solvolysis of cellulose using polyethylene glycol and ethylene carbonate

Degradation and decomposition of cellulose were studied in an acid-catalyzed solvolysis treatment of biomass using polyethylene glycol (PEG) and ethylene carbonate (EC). The solvolysis reaction was followed by a typical reaction system of wood liquefaction that uses sulfuric acid catalyst at 140° or 150°C at atmospheric pressure. The methods of fractionation and chemical analysis of the degraded cellulose in the solvolyzed product are discussed. The solvolyzed product was separated into several fractions, and they were hydrolyzed to release glucose and levulinic acid to determine the quantity of glucosides and levulinates in the solvolysis product. The data clearly showed that the solvolysis reaction had the same mechanism when using PEG or EC. Degradation of cellulose leads to the formation of glucosides, which then decompose, resulting in a levulinic acid structure, and producing a water-insoluble fraction. The conversion rates of both glucosides and levulinates strongly depend on the reaction conditions of the solvolysis. In particular, EC promotes faster conversion of the reactions. The method discussed here is a chemical analytical technique for characterization of the products of wood liquefaction.     

Mechanical properties of wood in an unstable state due to temperature changes,and analysis of the relevant mechanism IV: effect of chemical components on destabilization of wood

In order to investigate the effects of chemical components and matrix structure on the destabilization of quenched wood, we examined the physical and mechanical properties of steam-treated wood, hemicellulose-extracted wood, and delignified wood, which were treated at different levels. For steam-treated and hemicellulose-extracted wood,the relative relaxation modulus of the quenched sample was lower than that of the respective control sample. For delignified wood, the relative relaxation modulus fell with weight loss and reached a minimum value at a certain weight loss, and subsequently increased significantly. The hygroscopicity of all treated samples changed slightly by steaming, whereas increased with removing the component. More-over, the average volumetric swelling per 1% MC at 100% relative humidity (RH) was less than at 75% RH and 93% RH for component-removed wood. It was clear that a void structure existed. As a result, the destabilization evaluated by the fluidity (1 - E _t/E ₀) of steam-treated wood was influenced by the amount of adsorbed water. For component-removed wood, destabilization increased temporarily at lower weight loss because of nonuniform cohesive structure. At high weight loss, destabilization will decreased because capillary-condensed water gathered in the voids and obstructed the motion of adsorbed water. However, the destabilization of all treated wood changed less than that of chemically modified wood.     

The role of competitors for <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chrysomela lapponica</Emphasis>, a north Eurasian willow pest,in pioneering a new host plant

The Palaearctic leaf beetle Chrysomela lapponica usually feeds upon willows in the northern region of its occurrence. However, in Central Europe, some populations are known that have specialised on birch. In this study, we investigated the significance of other herbivores occurring together on the same host plants as possible exploitative competitors of C. lapponica. Two populations were studied: a population from Finland specialised on the willow Salix borealis, and a population from the Czech Republic, specialised on the birch Betula pubescens. Abundances of folivorous and suctivorous insects on both host plants were recorded at both population sites. The willow leaf beetle Phratora vitellinae was the most abundant herbivorous insect at both study sites on willow. A field study was conducted to examine the effects of P. vitellinae on the performance of C. lapponica. The presence of P. vitellinae larvae on the same twig upon which C. lapponica larvae were feeding did not affect increase of body weight in C. lapponica larvae. Thus, the high resource availability of both willows and birches suggest that interspecific competition is unlikely to be a selection factor driving the evolution of host shift in C. lapponica.