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Does canopy position affect wood specific gravity in temperate forest trees?

The radial increases in wood specific gravity known in many tree species have been interpreted as providing mechanical support in response to the stresses associated with wind loading. This interpretation leads to the hypothesis that individuals reaching the canopy should (1) be more likely to have radial increases in specific gravity and (2) exhibit greater increases than individuals in the subcanopy. Wood specific gravity was determined for three species of forest trees (Acer rubrum, Fagus grandifolia and Tsuga canadensis) growing in central Massachusetts, USA. Acer rubrum shows radial increases in specific gravity, but these increases are not more pronounced in canopy trees; the other two species show a pattern of radial decreases. The degree of radial increase or decrease is influenced by tree height and diameter. Of the dominant tree species for which we have data, A. rubrum, Betula papyrifera and Pinus strobus show radial increases in specific gravity, whereas F. grandifolia, T. canadensis and Quercus rubra show decreases. The occurrence of radial increases in B. papyrifera and P. strobus, which are often canopy emergents, suggests that it is overall adaptive strategy that is important rather than position (canopy vs. subcanopy) of any individual tree. It is suggested that radial increases in specific gravity are associated with early-successional status or characteristics and decreases with late-successional status or persistence in mature forest.

Acer↗

Host-feeding patterns of Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) at a temperate North American site.

Precipitin tests and ELISA were used to investigate host-feeding patterns of 172 blood-fed Aedes albopictus (Skuse) collected at Potosi, MO, during the summers of 1989 and 1990. One hundred ten (64.0%) mosquitoes had fed on mammals, 29 (16.9%) on birds, and none on turtles or snakes. Thirty-three (19.2%) mosquitoes failed to react in all tests. Eighty-six (78.2%) of the 110 mammalian feeds were positive for lower taxa as follows: rabbit, 24.5%; deer, 14.5%; dog, 13.6%; human, 8.2%; squirrel, 7.3%; opossum, 4.5%; myomorph rodents other than Rattus, 3.6%; raccoon, 0.9%; and bovine, 0.9%. Positive feeds were not detected for the following mammals: cat (n = 99); horse (n = 95); Rattus (n = 84); and swine (n = 84). Fourteen (48.3%) of the 29 avian feeds were positive for lower taxa as follows: Passeriformes, 24.1%; Columbiformes, 17.2%; Ciconiiformes, 3.4%; and quail, 3.4%. These data, the first on host-feeding patterns for Ae. albopictus populations in the New World, indicate that Ae. albopictus is an opportunistic feeder that utilizes a wide variety of hosts and, therefore, has the potential to become involved in the transmission cycles of indigenous arboviruses.

Aedes↗

Cloning and characterization of a putative fructosyltransferase and two putative invertase genes from the temperate grass Lolium temulentum L.

The invertases of Lolium temulentum have been characterized at the enzyme level. However, studies on the expression of the genes coding for these enzymes have been lacking. To elucidate the role of acid 'invertase-like' genes in sucrose metabolism and carbon partitioning in Gramineae further, three 'invertase-like' homologous clones were isolated from L. temulentum cDNA expression libraries based on leaf tissue, using maize soluble invertase probes. The effect of developmental stage and alterations in carbohydrate status on the expression and tissue distribution of these genes was investigated. The three highly homologous genes (Inv 1:2, Inv 1:4, and FT 2:2) show different patterns of expression and different tissue distribution. Inv 1:2 was predominantly expressed in root tissue. Expression increased during the dark in root and tiller base tissue. Minimal variations in gene expression were observed in leaf tissue following changes in carbohydrate status. Inv 1:4 was predominantly expressed in tiller bases, leaf sheath, and leaf base, with increased expression in tissue samples in the dark period. FT 2:2 was also predominantly expressed in tiller bases, leaf sheath, and leaf base. Higher expression was observed in leaf tissue following increases in carbohydrate content, in a manner that paralleled the regulation and spatial occurrence of fructan in the leaf tissue. Whilst invertases and fructosyltransferases are difficult to distinguish at the level of the whole sequence, analysis of 5' sequence and specific amino acids allows discrimination which correlates with patterns of expression within the tissue. Based on expression patterns and sequence characteristics, it is proposed that Inv 1:2 and Inv 1:4 code for soluble acid invertases, whilst FT 2:2 codes for a fructosyltransferase.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Use of a linear multicopy vector based on the mini-replicon of temperate coliphage N15 for cloning DNA with abnormal secondary structures.

A new cloning vector pN15L is described. It is a linear 13.8 kb plasmid based on the coliphage N15 mini-replicon. The vector capacity exceeds 50 kb and the copy number is 250 per Escherichia coli chromosome. We show that some artificial and natural palindromes and approximately 5% of human DNA Bgl II fragments can be cloned effectively in linear vector pN15L, whereas they either sharply reduce the copy number of circular vector pUC19 or cannot be cloned at all. We conclude that pN15L may be usefully employed to clone large imperfect palindromes and some abnormal sequences of human DNA.

Animals↗

Tropical fish poisoning in temperate climates: food poisoning from ciguatera toxin presenting in Avonmouth.

Ciguatera toxin causes a range of gastrointestinal, cardiovascular and neurological symptoms that occur within 1-6 h of ingesting fish with the toxin and can last for days, months or years. It is a well-recognized problem in the tropics. Avon Health Protection Team investigated food poisoning on a ship at Avonmouth, which was thought by the crew to be related to a white snapper fish from the Caribbean. The symptoms were initially thought to be scombroid fish poisoning but were consistent with ciguatera fish poisoning. Cases of fish poisoning from fish imported from the Caribbean and Pacific or travellers returning from tropical countries may be ciguatera fish poisoning, but mistakenly diagnosed as scombroid fish poisoning.

Animals↗

Constraints to seed production: temperate and tropical forest trees.

Reforestation requires a constant supply of high quality seed. Different methods have been used to measure seed and fruit production as a proportion of that which potentially could be produced. These estimates coupled with developmental studies permit determination of when and to what extent different biological constraints reduce seed and fruit production. These vary among species, years and sites. Overcoming biological constraints may be possible in seed orchards and seed production areas. Biological constraints include: (1) periodic or inadequate floral initiation, (2) asynchronous development and flowering, (3) floral abortion, (4) ovule abortion, (5) embryo abortion, and (6) failure of seeds and fruits to mature and our inability to determine maturity. Solutions to these constraints are varied but all must begin with an understanding of reproductive biology of each species.

Journal Article↗

Structural variation in current-year shoots of broad-leaved evergreen tree saplings under forest canopies in warm temperate Japan.

Stem length and leaf area of current-year shoots were measured in saplings of eight broad-leaved evergreen tree species growing under a forest canopy. Stem length varied over a range of one to two orders of magnitude within each species. In all species, both the number of leaves and the mean stem length between successive leaves were greater in longer shoots. Mean leaf size and stem length were not correlated in six of eight species, and only weakly positively correlated in the other two species. Thus, total leaf area per stem increased with stem length, but not in direct proportion: leaf area per stem length was smaller in shoots with long stems and larger in shoots with short stems. I conclude that the within-species variation in the leaf-stem balance of current-year shoots is related to variation in shoot functional roles, as has been observed for long and short shoots in many deciduous tree species: shoots with long stems are extension oriented and contribute to the framework of the crown, whereas shoots with short stems serve mainly for leaf display. Among species, large differences were found in the leaf area per stem length ratio. In the species with larger leaf area per stem length ratios, leaves had narrower blades or longer petioles, or both, resulting in a reduction of mutual shading among the leaves on the shoot.

Journal Article↗

Drought tolerance, xylem sap abscisic acid and stomatal conductance during soil drying: a comparison of young plants of four temperate deciduous angiosperms.

Patterns of water relations, xylem sap abscisic acid (ABA) concentration ([ABA]) and stomatal aperture were compared in drought-sensitive black walnut (Juglans nigra L.) and black willow (Salix nigra Marsh.), less drought-sensitive sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) and drought-tolerant white oak (Quercus alba L.). Strong correlations among reduction in predawn water potential, increase in xylem sap [ABA] and stomatal closure were observed in all species. Stomatal response was more highly correlated with xylem [ABA] than with ABA flux. Xylem sap pH and ion concentrations appeared not to play a major role in the stomatal response of these species. Stomata were more sensitive to relative changes in [ABA] in drought-sensitive black walnut and black willow than in sugar maple and white oak. In the early stages of drought, increased [ABA] in the xylem sap of black walnut and black willow was probably of root origin and provided a signal to the shoot of the water status of the roots. In sugar maple and white oak, leaf water potential declined with the onset of stomatal closure, so that stomatal closure also may have occurred in response to the change in leaf water potential.

Journal Article↗

Drought tolerance, xylem sap abscisic acid and stomatal conductance during soil drying: a comparison of canopy trees of three temperate deciduous angiosperms.

Patterns of water relations, xylem sap abscisic acid concentration ([ABA]) and stomatal aperture were characterized and compared in drought-sensitive black walnut (Juglans nigra L.), less drought-sensitive sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) and drought-tolerant white oak (Quercus alba L.) trees co-occurring in a second-growth forest in Missouri, USA. There were strong correlations among reduction in predawn leaf water potential, increased xylem sap [ABA] and stomatal closure in all species. Stomatal conductance was more closely correlated with xylem sap ABA concentration than with ABA flux or xylem sap pH and cation concentrations. In isohydric black walnut, increased concentrations of ABA in the xylem sap appeared to be primarily of root origin, causing stomatal closure in response to soil drying. In anisohydric sugar maple and white oak, however, there were reductions in midday leaf water potential associated with stomatal closure, making it uncertain whether drought-induced xylem sap ABA was of leaf or root origin. The role of root-originated xylem sap ABA in these species as a signal to the shoot of the water status of the roots is, therefore, less certain.

Journal Article↗

Sensitivity of photosynthetic electron transport to photoinhibition in a temperate deciduous forest canopy: Photosystem II center openness, non-radiative energy dissipation and excess irradiance under field conditions.

We used chlorophyll fluorescence techniques to investigate responses of Photosystem II (PSII) quantum yield to light availability in the short term (quantum flux density integrated over the measurement day, Qd) and in the long term (Qd averaged over the season, Qs) in a mixed deciduous forest comprising shade-tolerant and water-stress-sensitive Tilia cordata Mill. in the lower canopy and shade-intolerant and water-stress-resistant Populus tremula L. in the upper canopy. In both species, intrinsic efficiency of PSII in the dark-adapted state (Fv/Fm) was lower during the day than during the night, and the difference in Fv/Fm between day and night increased with increasing Qs. Although the capacity for photosynthetic electron transport increased with increasing Qs in both species, maximum quantum efficiency of PSII in the light-adapted state (alpha) decreased with increasing Qs. At a common Qs, alpha was lower in T. cordata than in P. tremula primarily because of a higher fraction of closed PSII centers, and to a smaller extent because of limited, non-radiative, excitation energy dissipation in the pigment bed in T. cordata. Across both species, photochemical quenching (qP), which measures the openness of PSII centers, varied more than fivefold, but the efficiency of excitation energy capture by open PSII centers (Fv'/Fm'), which is an estimate of non-radiative excitation energy dissipation in PSII antennae, varied by only 50%. Chlorophyll turnover rates increased with increasing irradiance, especially in T. cordata, possibly because of increased photodestruction. Diurnal measurements of PSII quantum yields (PhiPSII) indicated that, under similar environmental conditions, PhiPSII was always lower in the afternoon than in the morning, and the fraction of daily integrated photosynthetic electron transport lost because of diurnal declines in PhiPSII (Delta) increased with increasing Qd. At a common Qd, mean daily PSII center reduction state, the fraction of light in excess (1 - fractions of light used in photochemistry and dissipated as heat) and Delta were higher in T. cordata than in P. tremula. This was attributed to greater stomatal closure during the day, which led to a greater reduction in the requirement for assimilative electron flow in T. cordata. Across both species, Delta scaled negatively with the fraction of light utilized photochemically, demonstrating the leading role of PSII center openness in maintaining high PSII efficiency. Because photosynthesis (A) at current ambient carbon dioxide concentration is limited by CO2 availability in high light and mainly by photosynthetic electron transport rates in low light, overall daily down-regulation of PhiPSII primarily influences A in low light. Given that foliar water stress scales positively with Qs in both species, we conclude that the inverse patterns of variation in water and light availabilities in the canopy result in a greater decline in A than is predicted by decreases in stomatal conductance alone.

Chlorophyll↗