芍药花色形成的化学机制及其化学分类研究

本文以9 个芍药野生种（15 份种质）、104 个品种及2 个牡丹芍药组间杂种的花瓣为材料，利用液质联用技术鉴定了花瓣中的色素成分并探讨了芍药花色形成的化学机制和化学分类法。 结果表明，芍药花中主要含有5 种花青素，即芍药花素-3，5-二葡糖苷（ peonidin-3,5-di-O-glucoside ， Pn3G5G ）; 矢车菊素-3 ， 5- 二葡糖苷（ cyanidin-3,5-di-O-glucoside ， Cy3G5G ）; 天竺葵素-3 ， 5- 二葡糖苷（ pelargonidin-3,5-di-O-glucoside ， Pg3G5G ）; 芍药花素-3- 葡糖苷（peonidin-3-O-glucoside，Pn3G）和矢车菊素-3-葡糖苷（cyanidin-3-O-glucoside，Cy3G）。此外，3 种微量的花青素首次在芍药中发现：它们分别为芍药花素-3-葡萄糖-5-阿拉伯糖苷（peonidin-3-O-glucoside-5-O-arabinoside，Pn3G5Ara）、矢车菊素-3- 葡萄糖-5- 半乳糖苷（ cyanidin-3-O-glucoside-5-O-galactoside ，Cy3G5Gal）和天竺葵素-3-葡萄糖-5-半乳糖苷（pelargonidin-3-O-glucoside-5-Ogalactoside，Pg3G5Gal）。特征花青素Cy3G5Gal 和Pg3G5Gal 仅在新疆芍药（Paeonia anomala L.）及其亚种川赤芍（P. anomala subsp. veitchii(Lynch) D. Y.Hong & K. Y. Pan）中被检测出来，表明它们属于同一个种。Pn3G5Ara 仅存在于欧洲的野生芍药花瓣中，表明中国野生芍药和欧洲芍药的花青素代谢途径不同。 芍药花瓣中主要含有11 种花黄素，均为黄酮醇类物质。包括栎精-3，7 二葡糖苷（ quercetin-3,7-di-O-glucoside ）、山奈酚-3 ， 7 二葡糖苷（kaempferol-3,7-di-O-glucoside）、异鼠李素-3，7 二葡糖苷（isorhamnetin-3,7-di-Oglucoside）、栎精-3-O-(6”-没食子酰基)-葡糖苷 [quercetin-3-O-（6”-O-galloyl）-glucoside] 、栎精-3- 葡糖苷（ quercetin-3-O-glucoside ）、山奈酚-7- 葡糖苷（ kaempferol-7-O-glucoside ）、山奈酚-3-O- （ 6”- 没食子酰基） - 葡糖苷[kaempferol-3-O-（6”-O-galloyl)-glucoside]、异鼠李素-3-O-（6”-没食子酰基）-葡糖苷 [isorhamnetin-3-O- （ 6”-O-galloyl ） -glucoside] 、山奈酚-3- 葡糖苷（kaempferol-3-O-glucoside）、异鼠李素-3-葡糖苷（isorhamnetin-3-O-glucoside）和山奈酚-丙二酰葡糖苷（kaempferol-malonyl-glucoside）。此外，查耳酮在黄色的栽培品种‘黄金轮’和牡丹芍药组间杂交种‘伊藤杂种’中首次被检测到。其化学结构为查耳酮-2’-葡糖苷（chalcononaringenin 2’-O-glucoside），它是花瓣表现出黄色的主要色素，它与黄色牡丹野生种‘滇牡丹’（P. delavayi Franchet）花瓣中主要黄色色素成分一致。 通过对所有芍药野生种和栽培品种的色素分析，研究发现花青素是芍药花瓣中主要的色素，其中Pn3G5G 是花瓣中含量最高的花青素苷，其次为Cy3G5G。3G 型糖苷仅在少数品种中检测出来。此外，黄酮醇是芍药花瓣中重要的辅助色素。山奈酚苷是花瓣中含量最高的黄酮醇类，其次是栎精。 多元线性回归分析的结果表明，芍药花色的形成主要与花瓣中Pn3G5G、Cy3G5G 和Pg3G5G 的含量及总花青素量（TA）有关。根据8 种花青素结构与花色组成，将国内的野生种和大部分品种进行了化学分类：所有样本聚成3 大类，聚类后的树状图与其花色、花色素组成数据相一致，直观反映了野生种和栽培品种花色形成的化学背景和表型相似性程度。 芍药成色机理和化学分类的初步研究，对芍药新花色育种具有重要意义：芍药鲜红色花的育种中，育种亲本应具有高的Cy3G 含量、低的辅助色素效应指数。选育深紫色花或紫黑色花的品种，亲本应具有高的Pn3G5G 含量和低的Pg3G5G 含量。

Abundance of introduced species at home predicts abundance away in herbaceous communities

Many ecosystems worldwide are dominated by introduced plant species, leading to loss of biodiversity and ecosystem function. A common but rarely tested assumption is that these plants are more abundant in introduced vs. native communities, because ecological or evolutionary-based shifts in populations underlie invasion success. Here, data for 26 herbaceous species at 39 sites, within eight countries, revealed that species abundances were similar at native (home) and introduced (away) sites – grass species were generally abundant home and away, while forbs were low in abundance, but more abundant at home. Sites with six or more of these species had similar community abundance hierarchies, suggesting that suites of introduced species are assembling similarly on different continents. Overall, we found that substantial changes to populations are not necessarily a pre-condition for invasion success and that increases in species abundance are unusual. Instead, abundance at home predicts abundance away, a potentially useful additional criterion for biosecurity programmes.

Biomethanation of herbaceous biomass residues using 3-zone plug flow like digesters - A case study from India

Biomethanation of herbaceous biomass feedstock has the potential to provide clean energy source for cooking and other activities in areas where such biomass availability predominates. A biomethanation concept that involves fermentation of biomass residues in three steps, occurring in three zones of the fermentor is described. This approach while attempting take advantage of multistage reactors simplifies the reactor operation and obviates the need for a high degree of process control or complex reactor design. Typical herbaceous biomass decompose with a rapid VFA flux initially (with a tendency to float) followed by a slower decomposition showing balanced process of VFA generation and its utilization by methanogens that colonize biomass slowly. The tendency to float at the initial stages is suppressed by allowing previous days feed to hold it below digester liquid which permits VFA to disperse into the digester liquid without causing process inhibition. This approach has been used to build and operate simple biomass digesters to provide cooking gas in rural areas with weed and agro-residues. With appropriate modifications, the same concept has been used for digesting municipal solid wastes in small towns where large fermentors are not viable. With further modifications this concept has been used for solid-liquid feed fermentors. Methanogen colonized leaf biomass has been used as biofilm support to treat coffee processing wastewater as well as crop litter alternately in a year. During summer it functions as a biomass based biogas plants operating in the three-zone mode while in winter, feeding biomass is suspended and high strength coffee processing wastewater is let into the fermentor achieving over 90% BOD reduction. The early field experience of these fermentors is presented.

Sireenit, floksit ja iirikset- Puu-Käpylän koristekasvit

Puu-Käpylä (“Wooden Käpylä”), a neighbourhood of Helsinki, is the earliest example of the Garden City Movement in Finland. The suburb of valuable wooden architecture was built between 1920 and 1925, with the aim to provide a healthy housing area for working-class families with many children. The houses were erected by a co-operative (Käpylän kansanasunnot, “People?s Dwellings”) and they are protected by the city plan since 1960?s. However, the historical value of the sheltered courtyards has not been investigated. The aim of this study was to survey the garden flora of Puu-Käpylä and to evaluate the authenticity of the courtyard gardens. The survey covered the area of one residential quarter (1.2 ha) with twelve 2-storey semi-detached timber houses arranged around a common yard, which was originally appointed for the tenants? vegetable gardens. The houses are still rented, and each flat is allowed a small lot of the courtyard for cultivation. A complete list was made of all perennial, ornamental plant taxa present in the quarter. Spring bulbs were missed due to the timing of the survey. Generally, the plants were recorded on species level, with the exception of common lilacs, shrub roses, irises and peonies that were thoroughly studied for cultivar identification. It was assumed that plants initially grown in the courtyard could be distinguished by studying Finnish garden magazines, books and nursery catalogues published in the 1920?s and by comparing the present vegetation to surviving documents from the quarter. The total number of ornamental plant taxa identified was 172, of which 17 were trees, 47 shrubs, 7 climbers and 101 herbaceous perennials. The results indicated that a major part of the shrubs, climbers and perennials presumably originated from the 1970?s or later, whereas ca. 70 % of the tree specimens were deemed as original. The survey disclosed a heritage variety of common lilac, resembling cultivar „Prince Notger?, a specific peony taxon, Paeonia humilis Retz., cultivated in Nordic countries since long ago, and a few historic iris varieties. Well-preserved design elements included front gardens on one side of the quarter, a maple alley on another side as well as trees at the garden gates. Old garden books and magazines did not shed much light on the Finnish garden flora commonly used in the period when Puu-Käpylä was built. However, they gave a valuable picture of contemporary planting design. Nursery catalogues offered insight into the assortment of ornamental plants traded in the 1920?s. Conclusions on the authenticity of the current flora were mainly drawn on the basis of old photographs and a vegetation survey map drawn in the 1970?s. This study revealed a need for standardization of syrvey methods applied when investigating garden floras. Uniform survey techniques would make the results comparable and enable a future compilation of data from e.g. historic gardens.