Facile separation and determination of Aconitine alkaloids in traditional Chinese medicines by CE with tris(2,2 '-bipyridyl) ruthenium(II)-based electrochemi-luminescence detection

A facile CE method coupled with tris(2,2'-bipyridyl) ruthenium(ll)-based electrochem iluminescence [Ru(bpy)(3)(2+)] detection was developed for simultaneous determination of Aconitum alkaloids, i.e., hypaconitine (HA), aconitine (AC), and mesaconitine (MA) in baseline separation. The optimal separation of these Aconitum alkaloids was achieved in a fused-silica capillary column (50 cm x 25 mu m id) with 30 mM phosphate solution (pH 8.40) as running buffer at 12 kV applied voltage. The three alkaloids can be determined within 10 min by a single run. The calibration curves showed a linear range from 2.0 x 10(-7) to 2.0 x 10(-5) M for HA, 3.4 x 10(-7) to 1.7 x 10(-5) M for AC, and 3.8 x 10(-7) to 1.9 x 10(-5) M for MA. The RSDs; for all analytes were below 3.01%. Good linear relationships were found with correlation coefficients for all analytes exceeding 0.993. The detection limits were 2.0 x 10(-8) M for HA, 1.7 x 10(-7) M for AC, and 1.9 x 10(-7) M for MA under optimal conditions. This method was successfully applied to determine the three alkaloids in Aconitum plants.

Discrimination of herbal medicines by molecular spectroscopy and chemical pattern recognition

The molecular spectroscopy (including near infrared diffuse reflection spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and infrared spectroscopy) with OPUS/Ident software was applied to clustering ginsengs according to species and processing methods. The results demonstrate that molecular spectroscopic analysis could provide a rapid, nondestructive and reliable method for identification of Chinese traditional medicine. It's found that the result of Raman spectroscopic analysis was the best one among these three methods. Comparing with traditional methods, which are laborious and time consuming, the molecular spectroscopic analysis is more effective.

Capillary electrophoresis with amperometric detection of curcumin in Chinese herbal medicine pretreated by solid-phase extraction

In the present study, curcumin from Chinese herbal medicine turmeric was determined by capillary electrophoresis with amperometric detection (CE-AD) pretreated by a self-designed, simple, inexpensive solid-phase extraction (SPE) cartridge based on the material of tributyl phosphate resin. An average concentration factor of 9 with the recovery of >80% was achieved when applied to the analysis of curcumin in extracts of turmeric. Under the optimized CE-AD conditions: a running buffer composed of 15 mM phosphate buffer at a pH 9.7, separation voltage at 16 W, injection for 6 s at 9 W and detection at 1.20 V, CE-AD with SPE exhibited low detection limit as 3 - 10(-8) mol/l (SIN = 3), high efficiency of 1.0(.)10(5) N, linear range of 7(.)10(-4) -3(.)10(-6) mol/l (r = 0.9986) for curcumin extracted from light petroleum. The method developed resulted in enhancement of the detection sensitivity and reduction of interference from sample matrix in complicated samples and exhibited the potential application for routine analysis, especially in food, because a relatively complete process of sample treatment and analysis was described.

Role of snow depth in spring of Tibetan Plateau in onset of South China Sea summer monsoon

The role of snow depth of Tibetan Plateau in the onset of South China Sea summer monsoon and the influence of ENSO on snow depth of Tibetan Plateau are investigated with use of data from ECMWF reanalysis and NCEP/NCAR reanalysis. The results are as follows: (1) The snow depth data from ECMWF reanalysis are tested and reliable, and can be used to study the influence of snow depth of Tibetan Plateau on the onset of South China Sea summer monsoon; (2) Anomaly of snow depth of Tibetan Plateau causes anomaly in air temperature and its contrast between the Indian Ocean and the continent resulting in easterly wind anomaly over 500 hPa and hence as well as in the atmospheric circulation in the lower layer. For the year of negative anomaly of snow depth a westerly wind anomaly with a cyclone pair takes place, while for positive anomaly of snow depth an easterly anomaly occurs with an anticyclone pair; (3) While positive anomaly of SST occurs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, positive anomaly of air pressure also takes place over the eastern Indian Ocean and the South China Sea, causing stronger meridional pressure gradient between the ocean and continent and then westerly wind anomaly. At the same time, the atmospheric pressure increases in the northern Tibetan Plateau, northerly wind gets stronger, and subtropical front strengthens. All of these are favorable for snowfall over Tibetan Plateau.

Surface energy partitioning in alpine swamp meadow in the Qinghai Tibetan Plateau

Based on surface energy flux data measured by eddy covariance methods from China Flux in alpine swamp meadow of the Qinghai Tibetan Plateau in 2005, the daily and seasonal dynamic of surface energy fluxes and their partitioning, as well as abiotic factors effects were analyzed. The results suggested that LE （Latent heat flux） was the largest consumer of the incoming energy. Rn （Net radiation flux） and LE showed clear seasonal variations in sharp hump and up to their maximums in August and July, respectively. H （Sensible heat flux） increased to its peak in August whereafter declined slowly. Precipitation could reduce the components of surface energy. As to Rn and LE, their correlations with abiotic factors were evident while it was not significant in H. Average EBR （Energy balance ratio） was 50.7 %, which was much larger in growing season than non-growing season.

Carbon Dioxide Exchange Between the Atmosphere and an Alpine Shrubland Meadow During the Growing Season on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

In the present study, we used the eddy covariance method to measure CO2 exchange between the atmosphere and an alpine shrubland meadow ecosystem (37°36'N, 101°18'E; 3 250 m a.s.l.) on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, China, during the growing season in 2003, from 20 April to 30 September. This meadow is dominated by formations of Potentilla fruticosa L. The soil is Mol-Cryic Cambisols. During the study period, the meadow was not grazed. The maximum rates of CO2 uptake and release derived from the diurnal course of CO2 flux were -9.38 and 5.02 μmol•m-2•s-1, respectively. The largest daily CO2 uptake was 1.7 g C•m-2•d-1 on 14 July, which is less than half that of an alpine Kobresia meadow ecosystem at similar latitudes. Daily CO2 uptake during the measurement period indicated that the alpine shrubland meadow ecosystem may behave as a sink of atmospheric CO2 during the growing season. The daytime CO2 uptake was correlated exponentially or linearly with the daily photo synthetic photon flux density each month. The daytime average water use efficiency of the ecosystem was 6.47 mg CO2/g H2O. The efficiency of the ecosystem increased with a decrease in vapor pressure deficit.

Livestock grazing, plateau pikas and the conservation of avian biodiversity on the Tibetan plateau

On the Qinghai-Tibet plateau increased livestock numbers have resulted in degradation of the grasslands with potential impacts on native biodiversity. Concurrently, perceived increases in populations of native small mammals such as plateau pikas (Ochotona curzoniae) have led to poisoning programs, with uncertain impacts on species such as ground-nesting birds. We explored the relationships between the local seasonal abundance of small birds and (1) the density of pika burrows; (2) livestock grazing practices; and (3) local poisoning of pikas. Around Naqu prefecture, central Tibet, we used a nested experimental design to collect data from areas rested from grazing over summer, nearby areas with year-round grazing and areas subjected to pika poisoning. Additional data were collected from a site where grazing had not occurred for at least 4 years prior to the study. Poisoning pikas in spring had no detectable effect on the local abundance of birds the following autumn. However, two ground-nesting species, white-rumped and rufous-necked snowfinches, showed positive associations with the density of pika burrows, indicating that long-term 'pika poisoning could reduce the density of these species by reducing the density of pika burrows. Rufous-necked snowfinches and non ground-nesting species including horned larks and common hoopoes showed positive responses to reduced grazing pressure from livestock, particularly in the long-rested site, indicating current grazing levels could be having a negative impact on these species. Conservation of small passerine biodiversity in this system will require changed management practices for livestock and pikas that consider the complex three-way interaction between livestock grazing, pikas and small birds. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Host sex and ectoparasite infections of plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae, Hodgson) on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

A total of 449 plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae Hudgson) individuals were sampled with rattraps from 21 plots (size 1 ha) randomly scattered over the area of the species distribution at the altitude 3275-4807 in a.s.l. in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (West China). Two main ectoparasite species Hypoderma satyrus Brauer and Ixodes crenulatus Neumann of plateau pika were surveyed, and the relations between host sex and parasitism were analyzed. The results were: (i) although not significantly, the infection rate of female young was close to zero and lower than that of male young (6%), while the infection rate of female sub-adults (19%) was contrarily - higher than that of male sub-adults (11%); adult females had significantly higher (41%) infection rate than that of males (18%) (P<0.001); (ii) the parasite infection rates for both males and females increased with increasing age, but female age-groups had obviously steeper slope. We suggested that the differences of body mass, growth rate and home range between males and females had mainly caused the sex-biased parasitism (SBP) of plateau pika at each age stage. Also, due to the higher increases of body mass and maybe as well as of the home range differences between consecutive age-groups, the parasite infections of females became more sensitive to the influences of age than that of males.

Nitrous oxide emissions from two alpine meadows in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Nitrous oxide (N2O) emission was measured in a Kobresia humilis meadow and a Potentilla fruticosa meadow in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau from June 2003 to July 2006. Five treatments were setup in the two alpine meadows. Two bare soil treatments were setup in the K. humilis meadow (BSK) and in the P. fruticosa meadow (BSP) by removing the above- and belowground plant biomass. Three plant community treatments were setup with one in the K. humilis meadow (herbaceous community in the K. humilis meadow-HCK) and two in the P. fruticosa meadow (herbaceous community in the P. fruticosa meadow-HCP, and shrub community in the P. fruticosa meadow-SCP). Nitrous oxide emission from BSP was estimated to be 38.1 +/- 3.6 mu g m(-2) h(-1), significantly higher than from BSK (30.2 +/- 2.8 mu g m(-2) h(-1)) during the whole experiment period. Rates from the two herbaceous blocks (HCK and HCP) were close to 39.5 mu g m(-2) stop h(-1) during the whole experimental period whereas shrub community (SCP) showed significant high emission rates of N2O. Annual rate of N2O emission was estimated to be 356.7 +/- 8.3 and 295.0 +/- 11.6 mg m(-2) year(-1) from the alpine P. fruticosa meadow and from the alpine K. humilis meadow, respectively. These results suggest that alpine meadows in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau are an important source of N2O, contributing an average of 0.3 Tg N2O year(-1). We concluded that N2O emission will decrease, due to a predicted vegetation shift from shrubs to grasses imposed by overgrazing.

Decline in medicinal and forage species with warming is mediated by plant traits on the Tibetan Plateau

Experimental studies of how global changes and human activities affect plant diversity often focus on broad measures of diversity and discuss the implications of these changes for ecosystem function. We examined how experimental warming and grazing affected species within plant groups of direct importance to Tibetan pastoralists: medicinal plants used by humans and palatable plants consumed by livestock. Warming resulted in species losses from both the medicinal and palatable plant groups; however, differential relative vulnerability to warming occurred. With respect to the percent of warming-induced species losses, the overall plant community lost 27%, medicinal plants lost 21%, and non-medicinal plants lost 40% of species. Losses of palatable and non-palatable species were similar to losses in the overall plant community. The deep-rootedness of medicinal plants resulted in lowered sensitivity to warming, whereas the shallow-rootedness of non-medicinal plants resulted in greater sensitivity to warming; the variable rooting depth of palatable and non-palatable plants resulted in an intermediate response to warming. Predicting the vulnerability of plant groups to human activities can be enhanced by knowledge of plant traits, their response to specific drivers, and their distribution within plant groups. Knowledge of the mechanisms through which a driver operates, and the evolutionary interaction of plants with that driver, will aid predictions. Future steps to protect ecosystem services furnished by medicinal and palatable plants will be required under the novel stress of a warmer climate. Grazing may be an important tool in maintaining some of these services under future warming.

Diploid and tetraploid distribution of Allium przewalskianum Regel. (Liliaceae) in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and adjacent regions

Polyploidization plays an important role in generating the current high diversity of plants. Studies of distributional patterns of diploids and derivative autopolyploids have provided important insights into evolutionary processes and cryptic speciation of polyploidization within species defined on the basis of their morphology. However, few studies have been designed to examine distributions of infrageneric diploids and polyploids on the Asian Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP). Allium przewalskianum occurs widely on the QTP and in adjacent regions, at altitudes ranging from 2000m to 4500m. We collected a total of 844 individuals from 62 populations and determined their cytotypes over the entire distribution range of this species. Tetraploids tend to occur at high altitudes; however, the positive relationship between the ploidy and altitude was only marginally significant (P < 0.05). Contact zones between diploids and tetraploids were recorded on the eastern QTP from north to south. Four populations were found to harbor both cytotypes, but no triploid individuals. The wider distribution of tetraploids may be mainly due to their greater colonization ability in the new niches created by the Quaternary climatic oscillations in the QTP region. Our results offer a fundamental framework for studying evolutionary origins, adaptations and cryptic divergences of polyploids within this species complex based on molecular and/or ecological examinations in the future.

Status and dynamics of Kobresia pygmaea ecosystem on the Tibetan plateau

This paper provides information about the distribution, structure, and ecology of the world's largest alpine ecosystem, the Kobresia pygmaea pastures in the southeastern Tibetan plateau. The environmental importance of these Cyperaceae mats derives from the extremely firm turf, which protects large surfaces against erosion, including the headwaters of the Huang He, Yangtze, Mekong, Salween, and Brahmaputra. The emphasis of the present article is on the climate-driven evolution and recent dynamics of these mats under the grazing impact of small mammals and livestock. Considering pedological analyses, radiocarbon datings, and results from exclosure experiments, we hypothesize that the majority of K. pygmaea mats are human-induced and replace forests, scrub, and taller grasslands. At present, the carrying capacity is increasingly exceeded, and reinforced settlement of nomads threatens this ecosystem especially in its drier part, where small mammals become strong competitors with livestock and the removal of the turf is irreversible. Examples of rehabilitation measures are given.

Separation and determination of flavone and xanthone glycosides in Tibetan folk medicinal species Swertia mussotii and S-franchetiana by capillary electrophoresis

The contents of five pharmacologically active flavone and xanthone glycosides, namely, swertianolin, swertisin, isoorientin, mangiferin, and 7-O-[alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 -> 2)-beta-D-xylopyranosyl]-1,8-dihydroxy-3-methoxyxanthone, extracted from Tibetan folk medicinal species Swertia mussotii and S. franchetiana were determined by capillary electrophoresis with diode-array detection. The separation of five components has been optimized with a capillary column with a total length of 48.5 cm and effective length of 40 cm (50 mu m i.d). The influence of the running buffer, the sodium dodecyl sulfonate (SDS) concentration, organic modifier, etc. on the resolution was evaluated. The background electrolyte contained 30 mM borate buffer, 28 mM SDS, 1.0% (v/v) acetonitrile, and was adjusted to pH 9.0 with 0.1 M NaOH. A good baseline resolution was obtained for the separation of five components within 5 min with the working voltage of 24 kV and a column temperature of 25 degrees C. The established method was rapid and reproducible for the separation and determination of five flavone and xanthone glycosides from the extracts of S. mussotii and franchetiana plant samples.

Feeding behaviour of yaks on spring, transitional, summer and winter pasture in the alpine region of the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau

Of the present estimated world population of 14.2 million yaks, approximately 13.3 million occur within Chinese territories (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2003). Although there is an extensive bibliography covering the species, few studies have been conducted in the area of foraging behaviour. The present study was conducted at pasture during the spring, transitional, summer and winter seasons to determine the daily temporal patterns of grazing and ruminating behaviour by yaks. During each study period, two 24 h recordings were undertaken with each of six mature dairy yaks. One study period was conducted on each of the transitional, summer and winter pastures, whereas, due to the considerable changes occurring in the morphology of the spring pasture, three separate studies were completed during March, April and May. During the second of these studies (April), the effect of level of concentrate supplementation on grazing and ruminating behaviour was also examined. Behaviour recordings were made using solid-state behaviour recorders. Short-term intake rates (IR, g min(-1)) were calculated by weighing yaks before and after approximately 1 h of grazing, retaining the faeces and urine excreted and applying a correction for insensible weight loss. Yaks spent less time grazing during the dry season (the early period on the spring pasture) compared with the later green swards (the later period on the spring pasture, the transitional pasture and the summer pasture) (P < 0.05). When the forage quality improved, but there was still insufficient mass (the later period on the spring pasture), the yaks extended their grazing time at the expense of other activities. During the early periods on the spring pasture, the short-term IR by yaks was up to 53 g DM min(-1), significantly higher than at other times (P < 0.05). The level of concentrate offered had little or no effect on grazing or ruminating time. The total eating time of the yaks offered 0.5 or 1.0 kg concentrate was 2.9 and 4.5 h day(-1) respectively, significantly lower than unsupplemented yaks (6.8 h) (P < 0.05). In general, yaks can regulate their foraging behaviour according to the changes of sward conditions in order to achieve optimal grazing strategies. (C) 2007 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Characterizing evapotranspiration over a meadow ecosystem on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

To characterize evapotranspiration (ET) over grasslands on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, we examined ET and its relevant environmental variables in a Kobresia meadow from 2002 to 2004 using the eddy covariance method. The annual precipitation changed greatly, with 554, 706, and 666 mm a(-1) for the three consecutive calendar years. The annual ET varied correspondingly to the annual precipitation with 341, 407, and 426 mm a(-1). The annual ET was, however, constant at about 60% of the annual precipitation. About 85% annual ET occurred during the growing season from May to September, and the averaged ET for this period was 1.90, 2.23, and 2.22 mm/d, respectively for the three consecutive years. The averaged ET was, however, very low (< 0.40 mm/d) during the nongrowing season from October to April. The annual canopy conductance (gc) and the Priestley-Taylor coefficient (a) showed the lowest values in the year with the lowest precipitation. This study first demonstrates that the alpine meadow ecosystem is characterized by a low ratio of annual ET to precipitation and that the interannual variation of ET is determined by annual precipitation.