Groundwater-surface water interactions on tree islands in the Everglades, south Florida

The marked decline in tree island cover across the Everglades over the last century, has been attributed to landscape-scale hydrologic degradation. To preserve and restore Everglades tree islands, a clear understanding of tree island groundwater-surface water interactions is needed, as these interactions strongly influence the chemistry of shallow groundwater and the location and patterns of vegetation in many wetlands. The goal of this work was to define the relationship between groundwater-surface water interactions, plant-water uptake, and the groundwater geochemical condition of tree islands. Groundwater and surface water levels, temperature, and chemistry were monitored on eight constructed and one natural tree island in the Everglades from 2007–2010. Sap flow, diurnal water table fluctuations and stable oxygen isotopes of stem, ground and soil water were used to determine the effect of plant-water uptake on groundwater-surface water interactions. Hydrologic and geochemical modeling was used to further explore the effect of plant-groundwater-surface water interactions on ion concentrations and potential mineral formation.^

Ecophysiology of Adonis distorta, a high-mountain species endemic of the Central Apennines

Morphological, anatomical and physiological plant and leaf traits of A. distorta, an endemic species of the Central Apennines on the Majella Massif, growing at 2,675 m a.s.l, were analyzed. The length of the phenological cycle starts immediately after the snowmelt at the end of May, lasting 128 ± 10 days. The low A. distorta height  (Hmax= 64 ± 4 mm) and total leaf area (TLA= 38 ± 9 cm2) associated to a high leaf mass area (LMA =11.8±0.6 mg cm−2) and a relatively high leaf tissue density (LTD = 124.6±14.3 mg cm−3) seem to be adaptive traits to the stress factors of the environment where it grows. From a physiological point of view, the high A. distorta photosynthetic rates (PN =19.6 ± 2.3 µmol m−2 s−1) and total chlorophyll content (Chla+b = 0.88 ± 0.13 mg g−1) in July are justified by the favorable temperature. PN decreases by 87% in September at the beginning of plant senescence. Photosynthesis and leaf respiration (RD) variations allow A. distorta to maintain a positive carbon balance during the growing season becoming indicative of the efficiency of plant carbon use. The results could be an important tool for conservation programmes of the A. distorta wild populations.

Xylem plugging and postharvest longevity of cut Acacia holosericea

An inherently short vase life is a problematic characteristic of cut flowers and foliage for otherwise attractive native Australian Acacia spp. Reasons underlying the poor postharvest water uptake of cut acacia stems have been elusive. A. holosericea was used to investigate possible bacteria-induced and wound-induced xylem occlusion. The effects of bacterial-and wound-induced xylem blockage on water uptake were investigated by light and scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Observations were made on cut stems that stood into either deionised water (DIW; control) or 0.5 mM Cu2+ solution and on stems pulsed with 2.2 mM Cu2+ solution and then stood into DIW. The stem-end region of cut A. holosericea that stood into DIW or Cu2+ solution became covered with bacterial growth after 3 days. Regardless of the bacterial biofilm, the Cu2+ treated stems had improved water relations and vase life. Therefore, the biofilm had little or no effect on cut A. holosericea longevity. Further observations revealed presence of a vessel-occluding substance (gel) originating from axial parenchyma cells in direct physical contact with xylem vessels. The gel exuded into vessel lumens through pit membranes, evidently as a wound-response. Xylem occlusion by gels in A. holosericea may be especially problematic due to an abundance of secretory contact cells relative to xylem elements. Nonetheless, active wound response processes may be the key determinant of short postharvest longevity for this and possibly other cut Acacia spp. Cu2+ treatments, however, disrupted the secretory function of axial parenchyma cells thereby preventing vessel occlusion by the gels.

Seasonal dynamics and operational monitoring of hedgerow olive tree transpiration in response to applied water

We used 2012 sap flow measurements to assess the seasonal dynamics of daily plant transpiration (ETc) in a high-density olive orchard (Olea europaea L. cv. ‘Arbequina’) with a well-watered (HI) control treatment A to supply 100 % of the crop water needs, and a moderately (MI) watered treatment B that replaced 70% of crop needs. To assure that treatment A was well-watered, we compared field daily ETc values against ETc obtained with the Penman-Monteith (PM) combination equation incorporating the Orgaz et al. (2007) bulk daily canopy conductance (gc) model, validated for our non-limiting conditions. We then tested the hypothesis of indirectly monitoring olive ETc from readily available vegetation index (VI) and ground-based plant water stress indicator. In the process we used the FAO56 dual crop coefficient (Kc) approach. For the HI olive trees we defined Kcb as the basal transpiration coefficient, and we related Kcb to remotely sensed Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI) through a Kcb-SAVI functional relationship. For the MI treatment, we defined the actual transpiration ETc as the product of Kcb and the stress reduction coefficient Ks obtained as the ratio of actual to crop ETc, and we correlated Ks with MI midday stem water potential (ψst) values through a Ks-ψ functional relationship. Operational monitoring of ETc was then implemented with the ETc = Kcb(SAVI)Ks(ψ)ETo relationship stemmed from the FAO56 approach and validated taking as inputs collected SAVI and ψst data reporting to year 2011. Low validation error (6%) and high goodness-of-fit of prediction were observed (R2 = 0.94, RSME = 0.2 mm day-1, P = 0.0015), allowing to consider that under field conditions it is possible to predict ETc values for our hedgerow olive orchards if SAVI and water potential (ψst) values are known.

Physiological basis of salt stress tolerance in rice expressing the antiapoptotic gene SfIAP

Programmed cell death-associated genes, especially antiapoptosis-related genes have been reported to confer tolerance to a wide range of biotic and abiotic stresses in dicotyledonous plants such as tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.). This is the first time the antiapoptotic gene SfIAP was transformed into a monocotyledonous representative: rice (Oryza sativa L.). Transgenic rice strains expressing SfIAP were generated by the Agrobacterium-mediated transformation method and rice embryogenic calli, and assessed for their ability to confer tolerance to salt stress at both the seedling and reproductive stages using a combination of molecular, agronomical, physiological and biochemical techniques. The results show that plants expressing SfIAP have higher salt tolerance levels in comparison to the wild-type and vector controls. By preventing cell death at the onset of salt stress and maintaining the cell membrane’s integrity, SfIAP transgenic rice plants can retain plant water status, ion homeostasis, photosynthetic efficiency and growth to combat salinity successfully.

Multivariate statistical analysis of hydrochemical data to assess alluvial aquifer–stream connectivity during drought and flood : Cressbrook Creek, southeast Queensland, Australia

A catchment-scale multivariate statistical analysis of hydrochemistry enabled assessment of interactions between alluvial groundwater and Cressbrook Creek, an intermittent drainage system in southeast Queensland, Australia. Hierarchical cluster analyses and principal component analysis were applied to time-series data to evaluate the hydrochemical evolution of groundwater during periods of extreme drought and severe flooding. A simple three-dimensional geological model was developed to conceptualise the catchment morphology and the stratigraphic framework of the alluvium. The alluvium forms a two-layer system with a basal coarse-grained layer overlain by a clay-rich low-permeability unit. In the upper and middle catchment, alluvial groundwater is chemically similar to streamwater, particularly near the creek (reflected by high HCO3/Cl and K/Na ratios and low salinities), indicating a high degree of connectivity. In the lower catchment, groundwater is more saline with lower HCO3/Cl and K/Na ratios, notably during dry periods. Groundwater salinity substantially decreased following severe flooding in 2011, notably in the lower catchment, confirming that flooding is an important mechanism for both recharge and maintaining groundwater quality. The integrated approach used in this study enabled effective interpretation of hydrological processes and can be applied to a variety of hydrological settings to synthesise and evaluate large hydrochemical datasets.

Characterisation of wood properties and transverse anatomy for vacuum drying modelling of commercially important Australian hardwood species.

Characterisation and investigation of a number of key wood properties, critical for further modelling work, has been achieved. The key results were: • Morphological characterisation, in terms of fibre cell wall thickness and porosity, was completed. A clear difference in fibre porosity, size, wall thickness and orientation was evident between species. Results were consistent with published data for other species. • Viscoelastic properties of wood were shown to differ greatly between species and in the radial and tangential directions, largely due to anatomical and chemical variations. Consistent with published data, the radial direction shows higher stiffness, internal friction and glass transition temperature than the tangential directions. The loss of stiffness over the measured temperature range was greater in the tangential direction than the radial direction. Due to time dependant molecular relaxation, the storage modulus and glass transition temperature decreased with decreasing test frequency, approaching an asymptotic limit. Thus the viscoelastic properties measured at lower frequencies are more representative of static material. • Dynamic interactions between relative humidity, moisture content and shrinkage of four Australian hardwood timbers can be accurately monitored on micro-samples using a specialised experimental device developed by AgroParisTech – ENGREF. The device generated shrinkage data that varied between species but were consistent (repeatable) within a species. Collapse shrinkage was clearly evident with this method for Eucalyptus obliqua, but not with other species, consistent with industrial seasoning experience. To characterise the wood-water relations of this species, free of collapse, thinner sample sections (in the R-T plane) should be used.

Efficacy of nano-silver in alleviating bacteria-related blockage in cut rose cv. Movie Star stems

Postharvest treatments with nano-silver (NS) significantly improve water relations and therefore prolong the vase life of several cut flowers, including rose (Rosa hybrida cv. Movie Star). The efficacy of NS in alleviating bacterial related blockage in the stem-ends of cut cv. Movie Star was further investigated. Four dominant bacteria strains Pseudomonas fluorescens, Aeromonas sp., Comamonas acidovorans and Chryseomonas luteola were isolated from the stem-ends of cut roses. High numbers of the isolated bacteria at 10 8colony forming unitsmL -1 vase solution led to a sharp reduction in vase life, flower fresh weight, and water uptake. In vitro assessments of the antibacterial activity of NS against the four bacterial strains was >80% at 5mgL -1 and nearly 100% at 50mgL -1. Bacterial blockage in the stem-ends of cut cv. Movie Star roses with and without NS pulse treatments was assessed during the vase period using scanning electron microscopy. Following a 50mgL -1 NS pulse treatment, there were few bacterial cells on the cut surface of the stems even on day 7. Moreover, no obvious bacterial blockage was observed inside the xylem vessels. In contrast, the cut surface of control stems was covered with bacteria and associated amorphous substances, and numerous bacteria were found in the xylem vessels. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.

Investigation of potential antibacterial action for postharvest copper treatments of cut Acacia holosericea

The mechanisms of action of Cu 2+ in improving the longevity of cut flowers and foliage have not been elucidated. Possible antimicrobial action of Cu 2+ against stem end and vase solution colonising bacteria was investigated using Cu 2+ treatments optimised for cut Acacia holosericea A. Cunn. ex G. Don foliage stems. These treatments were a 5h pulse with 2.2mM Cu 2+ or a 0.5mM Cu 2+ vase solution versus a deionised water (no Cu 2+) control. Bacterial growth over time was assessed by a standard plate count agar technique and with scanning electron microscopy. Cu 2+ treatments significantly extended the cut foliage vase life. However, they did not have sustained antibacterial activity against stem end or vase solution colonising bacteria. Also, regular recutting of 1-2cm from the stem ends did not substantially improve either cut stem water relations or longevity. The positive effects of Cu 2+ treatments were unaffected by the repeated stem end recutting. It was concluded that the primary mechanism of Cu 2+ was not antibacterial. Moreover, naturally growing vase solution and stem end microbial populations had relatively insignificant effects on cut A. holosericea vase life. Research into alternative mechanisms of Cu 2+ is required. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.

Respuesta a la sequía de Pinus radiata D. Don y su implicación en los procesos de tolerancia

160 p. (Bibliogr. 141-160)

中国毛乌素沙地土壤-植物-大气系统中植物水分关系的定性及定量解释

本研究通过探讨毛乌素沙地主要犀生植物和中生植物的冰分关系。对“翠生植物”的概念作了进一步的分析和阐述，探讨了燕腾作用、光合作用的气孔调节与植物叶片水分平衡的相互关系，并提出了以蒸腾“午休一为基础的关于捌分植物水分生态类型的新概念。上述问题的探讨可作为对中圈毛乌素沙化草地植物环境系统优化模式的水平衡假说的验证。 探讨了为合理确定在研究地区种蕈造林的最佳密度所需进一步研究的内容：水分亏缺对植物量累积的抑制作用。并对该地区主要植物种的季节蒸腾耗水量作了估算。 研究了依赖于主导环境因子的沙生植物蒸腾速率的回归模型。得出结论认为：对手蒸腾速率和叶面积指数，建立多元非线性回归可以取得较好结果。 最后，对几个重要的蒸散预测模型和土壤水分运动的物理模型进行了评述，并探讨了这些模型对于干旱区蒸散预测研究的可行性，作为本研究的未来探讨的课题。

西双版纳片段化热带雨林植物水分利用效率的边缘效应

本研究利用稳定性碳同位素法，测定了西双版纳城子片断化季雨林和补蚌沟谷雨林7条样线上70个科226种林下植物叶片δ13C值，并以此为表征研究了片断化雨林植物WUE边缘效应，结果表明： 西双版纳热带雨林林下植物叶片δ13C值与世界范围内其他热带雨林的研究结果相近。补蚌样地的植物叶片δ13C值显著低于城子样地植物叶片δ13C值，说明水分条件是植物水分利用效率的主要决定因素。 常绿植物的δ13C值显著低于落叶植物，由此可推知常绿植物的WUE显著低于落叶植物;乔灌草和藤本植物叶片δ13C值也存在显著差异，表现为：藤本＞灌木，乔木＞草本。 方位对边缘效应的影响不容视。东、西、南、北四个方位相比，边缘的产生对四面影响最大，北面最小。森林边缘对植物WUE的影响深度至少进入林内30m。 侵入物种所占比例在林缘较大，而进入林内锐减。有些植物δ13C值与距离显著负相关，说明这些植物对水分条件敏感（如假海桐，木奶果），若小气候条件继续变干，他们有在林缘消失的危险;有些相关不显著（如冬叶、锡金粗叶木、小叶藤黄），则植物对水分条件不敏感，这些物种在边缘产生后对环境条件变化影响不敏感，不会因森林片断化而迅速灭绝。

针茅属植物锥形繁殖体打钻及其适应意义的研究羊草草原群落植物水分来源对放牧干扰的响应

锥形繁殖体是具有吸湿芒和锐利尖端的一种繁殖体类型。芒的吸湿运动促使锥形繁殖体穿透土壤，而存在于繁殖体上的短硬刚毛阻止它在芒再次打开螺旋时从土壤中退出。通过这个过程，种子被埋藏到一定深度，称之为种子（繁殖体）的打钻作用，这是锥形繁殖体最主要的功能。锥形繁殖体的结构和功能代表了繁殖体在生活史各个阶段的适应，可能是植物在群落内占优势的原因之一。针茅属植物是具有锥形繁殖体的植物中较大的一类，常常被看作是识别地带性植被的优势种。小针茅分布于荒漠草原，克氏针茅和大针茅分别分布于典型草原较干和较湿的区域。沿着环境梯度的变化这些植物呈现明显的生态替代。因此，我们以小针茅、克氏针茅和大针茅为研究对象，从种子打钻、种子埋藏、种子生理特征出发研究针茅属植物的繁殖体特征对地带性分布的适应。结果表明： 小针茅的实生苗主要由当年种子产生，克氏针茅和大针茅在当年的冷秋季节和第二年的春季均能够产生实生苗。根据土壤种子库分类，三种针茅均具有瞬时种子库，所不同的是小针茅具有I型种子库的特征，克氏针茅和大针茅具有II型种子库的特征。针茅属植物通过芒的吸湿运动将繁殖体埋入土壤，这个过程可以造成种子损伤，但大部分只是引起基盘的脱落，而这不影响萌发，受到严重损伤的种子仅占种子库很小的一部分。 繁殖体吸湿芒的损伤程度和繁殖体的入土角度都影响繁殖体的埋藏。当芒被过度损伤以致不能提供杠杆作用时繁殖体不能埋藏。而繁殖体入土角度和埋藏深度之间存在显著的负相关关系。繁殖体的埋藏能力并不总是与土壤条件有关，大针茅和克氏针茅的繁殖体埋藏与土壤类型有关，而小针茅的埋藏主要与环境的湿度条件有关。 种子埋藏深度通过减少实生苗出现率和推迟实生苗的出现时间来影响实生苗的出现。埋藏深度与实生苗的出现率呈显著负相关，与实生苗出现时间呈显著的正相关关系。棕钙土内种子埋藏深度对实生苗出现的影响比在栗钙土内的影响更明显。不同针茅物种具有不同的最适埋藏深度范围，小针茅的最适埋藏深度更浅而范围也更窄，这与它出现的环境有关。因此，繁殖体的形态和生理特征都体现了不同针茅繁殖体对环境条件的进化适应，可以从有性更新的角度解释针茅属植物的地带性分布和生态替代的原因。 放牧是羊草草原的主要利用方式。放牧引起的植被变化影响水分的可用性，而反过来植物所获取的水分来源也可以影响物种的分布。通过测定内蒙古羊草草原群落放牧和不放牧区内主要植物种和土壤的氢同位素值来研究植物 的水分来源，确定放牧对植物使用水分来源的影响，调查放牧前后植物的水分来源变化和相对生物量变化的关系。 我们发现120 cm深的土壤剖面在统计学上可以分为三层：0-20 cm, 20-50 cm和50-120 cm。低于50 cm土壤层的氢同 位素信号类似于地下水，这部分水分很少受到降雨的影响也不被任何植物所利用。群落内，灌木小叶锦鸡儿主要使 用来自20-50 cm土壤层的水分，除此之外大多数物种则主要使用来自水分含量频繁波动的地下20 cm土壤层内的水分。放牧使群落倾向于利用更浅层的土壤水，对植物的水分来源的影响则直接反映到它们的生物量变化上。此外，植 物水分来源对放牧的响应和生物量对放牧的响应存在显著的相关关系，水分来源受到放牧影响越大的植物对放牧的响应越敏感。因此，我们有可能能够通过植物对水分来源的利用来估计物种在放牧演替中的丰富度分布。

不同生活型植物对机械刺激的反应

机械刺激效应（Effects of mechanical stimulation）是风生态学直接效应的主要表现形式。研究机械刺激对植物的影响，有利于将风的直接与间接效应区别开来，从而精确研究植物对风的反应格局;研究不同生活型植物对机械刺激的反应是植物力学与植物生态学的重要内容，有助于揭示植物对生境的适应机制。 本研究涉及三个实验。第一个实验探讨不同生活型植物对机械刺激和水分互作的响应格局;第二个实验研究匍匐茎草本植物蛇莓对部分机械刺激的反应;最后一个实验揭示不同水分供应条件下，番茄和紫花苜蓿对不同机械刺激频度的响应。在第一个实验中，克隆半灌木羊柴（Hedysarum laeve），一年生草本植物虫实（Corispermum mongolicum），多年生大型禾草沙鞭（Psammochloa villosa）和多年生丛生禾草黑麦草（Lolium perenne）分别接受由两个水平机械刺激（无刺激和刺激60 s d-1）和两个水平水分供应（200 ml d-1和400 ml d-1）组成的处理。在第二个实验中，匍匐茎草本蛇莓（Duchesnea indica）接受4个不同水平的机械刺激：（1）整个克隆不受机械刺激;（2）整个克隆都受机械刺激;（3）除顶端外其余克隆部分受机械刺激;（4）仅克隆顶端受机械刺激，其余部分不受机械刺激。在最后一个实验中，番茄（Lycopersicon esculentum）和紫花苜蓿（Medicago sativa）接受由三个水平机械刺激频度（0，25赫兹和50赫兹）和三个水平水分供应（50ml，150ml和250ml）组成的处理。这些实验主要回答不同生活型植物的生长和（或）机械性状如何响应机械刺激。主要结果如下： （1）在对机械刺激和水分交互效应的实验中，交互效应随物种发生变化。机械刺激和水分的交互效应对羊柴、番茄和紫花苜蓿作用不显著，但对虫实、沙鞭和黑麦草作用显著。 （2）在对机械刺激的研究中，机械刺激对植物的效应有正负之分。如机械刺激降低羊柴和沙鞭的总生物量，表明其是一种胁迫因子。但对于虫实、番茄和紫花苜蓿来说，机械刺激却能不同程度地促进植物的生长。 （3）机械刺激对虫实的机械性状没有显著影响，但对羊柴的机械性状恰好相反。此外，水分对虫实机械性状有显著影响。 （4）不同植物对机械刺激频度的敏感性存在差异。对番茄来而言，50赫兹的机械刺激对其生长具有较强的促进作用;对紫花苜蓿来说，25赫兹的机械刺激对其生长具有较强的促进作用。 （5）蛇莓对局部机械刺激具有显著反应，特别是在顶端进行机械刺激的处理中，整个克隆片段的叶柄长度缩短，根冠比发生改变，将较多的生物量分配到根。 这些结果表明：（1）不同物种对机械刺激和水分互作的反应可能与机械震动方式及物种本身有关;（2）单位植物大小所承受的机械刺激的强度及物种的生长速率是不一样的;（3）不同反应间的相互作用及相互独立可部分解释物种间的效应差异;（4）接触性形态建成的效应不能从一个物种外推到另外一个物种。 以前的研究集中探讨直立茎植物对机械刺激的响应，而对匍匐茎植物的研究极为贫乏。我们对蛇莓部分机械刺激的研究仅仅是一个初步探索。蛇莓的可塑性行为可能是一种适应性策略，因为这类植物常常生长在机械刺激频繁的开阔生境中。上述三个实验仅仅从生长和机械角度探讨了植物的适应性，而要真正揭示植物对多风生境的适应需要对不同物种进行多水平、多层面的研究，以期掌握不同生活型植物对机械刺激响应的一般格局。例如，从激素、细胞、解剖结构等方面探索其内在机制。