Tuo Chen

The effect of enhanced ultraviolet-B radiation on growth, photosynthesis and stable carbon isotope composition (δ13C) of two soybean cultivars (Glycine max) under field conditions

Abstract Two Chinese cultivars of Glycine max , namely Heidou and Jindou, were exposed to ambient and supplemental levels of ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation simulating a 24% depletion in stratospheric ozone over a 9-week growing period at an outdoor experimental site. Enhanced UV-B irradiation significantly reduced leaf, stem and root biomass, and plant height in the Heidou cultivar. These changes were associated with a diminished photosynthetic (net CO 2 ) rate, stomatal conductance, transpiration rate and water use efficiency, and accompanied by decreased foliar chlorophyll a and b, and total carotenoid concentrations and elevated foliar flavonoid levels. In contrast, the Jindou cultivar displayed only a significantly reduced stem mass and stomatal conductance, but no changes in pigment composition under elevated UV-B. The greater tolerance of elevated UV-B exposures by the Jindou cultivar was attributed partly to its higher foliar flavonoid content, smaller leaf size, thicker leaf cuticle and scabrous (hairy) lamina. Nevertheless both the Heidou cultivar and the less UV-B sensitive Jindou cultivar displayed an altered carbon isotope composition (δ 13 C) in their tissues following exposure to elevated UV-B. Such carbon isotope composition changes in plant tissues suggested a means of early detection of photosynthetic disruption in plants with anticipated increase in UV-B due to stratospheric ozone depletion.

The Cascade Mechanisms of Nitric Oxide as a Second Messenger of Ultraviolet B in Inhibiting Mesocotyl Elongations

In this report, a number of physiological aspects was examined during developmental growth of maize seedlings mesocotyl. It was found that ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation was able to significantly induce nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activities and speedup the release of apparent nitric oxide (NO) of mesocotyl and that exogenous NO donors rhizospheric treatments may mimic the responses of the mesocotyl to UVB radiation, such as the inhibition of mesocotyl elongation, the decrease in exo‐ and endoglucanase activities and the increase in protein content of cell wall of mesocotyl. When the seedlings were treated with N‐nitro‐l‐arginine, an inhibitor of NOS, the mesocotyl elongation was promoted, the exo‐ and endoglucanase activities were raised and the protein content was reduced. However, under UVB radiation, the effects of exogenous NO on several physiological aspects of mesocotyl were similar to those of exogenous reactive oxygen species (ROS) eliminator, N‐acetyl‐cysteine. All the physiological changes were associated with either the exogenous NO supply or the activities of NOS in plant. Accordingly, it is assumed that reduction in mesocotyl length caused by UVB radiation was possibly achieved through modification of the chemical properties of the cell wall polysaccharides, which was induced by NO and ROS synergically mediated changes in exo‐ and endo‐β‐d‐glucanases activities in cell walls, and NO was one of the main signaling molecule of UVB radiation in inhibiting mesocotyl elongations. So NO might function as both a second messenger and an antioxidant of UVB radiation during developmental growth of the mesocotyl.

Dendroclimatic temperature record derived from tree-ring width and stable carbon isotope chronologies in the middle qilian mountains, China

ABSTRACT Using long-lived Qilian juniper (Sabina przewalskii Kom.) in the middle Qilian Mountains, the temperature variations in the last 1000 yr were reconstructed. We find that the annual growth ring width and δ13C series mainly reflect variations in regional temperature. Except in May, warmer temperatures indicate greater growth over the period from December to April, and δ13C values in tree-rings are higher for years with higher temperature. The notable features in the temperature reconstruction are the occurrence of the Little Ice Age from A.D. 1600 to 1880 and the abrupt warming over the end of past millennia. The comparison of our chronology to a Northern Hemispheric temperature proxy shows that our tree-ring data will facilitate intercontinental differentiation of large-scale synoptic climate variability.

Brassinosteroids regulate pectin methylesterase activity and AtPME41 expression in Arabidopsis under chilling stress

Pectin methylesterases (PMEs) are important cell wall enzymes that may play important roles in plant chilling/freezing tolerance. We investigated the possible roles of brassinosteroids (BRs) in regulation of PMEs under chilling stress. Chilling stress or 24-epibrassinolide (eBL) treatments induced significant increases in PME activity in wild type (Col-0) seedlings of Arabidopsis. The chilling-stress-induced increases in PME activity were also found in bzr1-D mutant, a BZR1 stabilized mutant with a constitutively active BR signaling pathway, but not in bri1-116, a BR insensitive null allele of the BR receptor BRI1. The results suggest that the regulation of PME activity in Arabidopsis under chilling stress depends on the BR signaling pathway. Furthermore, we showed that the effect of chilling stress on PME activity was impaired in pme41, a knockout mutant of AtPME41. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR results showed that expression of AtPME41 was induced by chilling stress in wild type plants but not in the bri1-116 mutant. The expression of AtPME41 increased in bzr1-D and eBL treated wild type seedlings, but decreased in bri1-116 seedlings. Furthermore, ion leakage induced by low temperature were dramatically increased in both bri1-116 and pme41, while lipid peroxidation was increased in bri1-116 only. The results suggest that BRs may modulate total PME activity in Arabidopsis under chilling stress by regulating AtPME41 expression. Regulation of PME activity may serve as one of the mechanisms that BR participates in chilling tolerance of plants.

Catalytic growth of single-walled carbon nanotubes with a narrow distribution of diameters over Fe nanoparticles prepared in situ by the reduction of LaFeO3

Abstract Bundles of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) with a narrower distribution of diameter have been produced by catalytic decomposition of methane at 1010 °C on a newly developed catalyst LaFeO 3 . The SWNTs were characterized by means of transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and Raman spectroscopy. The diameter of the SWNTs is in the range of 0.8–1.8 nm. This result shows for the first time that SWNTs could be produced by catalytic decomposition of hydrocarbons without Al 2 O 3 , or SiO 2 or MgO support.

Microbial community structure along an altitude gradient in three different localities.

The microbial community structure along an altitude gradient was investigated in different localities, in Kalasi lake, Urumqi river and Sangong river, Xingjiang (China). The mean numbers of DAPI (4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole)-stained cells were lower in Kalasi lake than that in Urumqi river and Sangong river; these differences were attributed to increasing environmental harshness including lower soil organic carbon and nitrogen content, more acidic pH and lower annual temperature. In each locality, the numbers of bacteria and archaea measured with two fluorescence-labeled 16S rRNA oligonucleotide probes (EUB338 and ARCH915) were higher in a coniferous forest and lower in desert vegetation. A significant and positive relationship was found between microbial and soil organic carbon and total nitrogen along the altitudinal gradient, indicating that plant communities and soil nutrients influence the soil microbial structure. The results show that the microbial population in higher latitudinal site was fewer than lower latitudinal one, soil microorganisms were positively correlated to soil organic carbon and total nitrogen, and plant communities had an obviously impact on soil microbes.

Bacterial diversity in the foreland of the Tianshan No. 1 glacier, China

There is compelling evidence that glaciers are retreating in many mountainous areas of the world due to global warming. With this glacier retreat, new habitats are being exposed that are colonized by microorganisms whose diversity and function are less well studied. Here, we characterized bacterial diversity along the chronosequences of the glacier No. 1 foreland that follows glacier retreat. An average of 10 000 sequences was obtained from each sample by 454 pyrosequencing. Using non-parametric and rarefaction estimated analysis, we found bacterial phylotype richness was high. The bacterial species turnover rate was especially high between sites exposed for 6 and 10 yr. Pyrosequencing showed tremendous bacterial diversity, among which the Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria were found to be present at larger numbers at the study area. Meanwhile, the proportion of Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria decreased and the proportion of Acidobacteria increased along the chronosequences. Some known functional bacterial genera were also detected and the sulfur- and sulfate-reducing bacteria were present in a lower proportion of sequences. These findings suggest that high-throughput pyrosequencing can comprehensively detect bacteria in the foreland, including rare groups, and give a deeper understanding of the bacterial community structure and variation along the chronosequences.

The irregular pattern of isotopic and ionic signals in the typical monsoon temperate-glacier area, Yulong mountain, China

Abstract Sampling was carried out at Baishui glacier No. 1, the largest glacier on Yulong mountain, China, during the summers of 1999 and 2000, to investigate the spatial variations of oxygen isotopes in the atmosphere–glacier–river system. the results confirm that there is an apparent inverse relation between the oxygen isotopic composition of precipitation and air-temperature/precipitation amount in this region, with lower δ 18O values when the amount of precipitation and air temperature in summer is higher, due to the influence of intense monsoon climate on the study area. There are marked differences in the δ 18O values of winter-accumulated snow, glacial meltwater, summer precipitation and the glacier-fed river water. Spatial and temporal variations of isotopic composition are controlled by varied weather conditions at different altitudes. Isotopic depletion or fractionation occurs during phase changes, snow-to-ice and ice-to-meltwater transformations and runoff processes.Variations of stable isotopes in glacier runoff can indicate variations of sources of supply. Ionic changes occur as a result of meltwater contact with glacier bed materials.

Bacterial diversity and distribution in the southeast edge of the Tengger Desert and their correlation with soil enzyme activities

The nature of microbial communities and their relation to enzyme activities in desert soils is a neglected area of investigation. To address this, the bacterial diversity and distribution and soil physico-chemical factors were investigated in the soil crust, the soil beneath the crust and rhizosphere soil at the southeast edge of the Tengger Desert, using the denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis of 16S rRNA genes amplified by the polymerase chain reaction. Phylogenetic analysis of the sequenced DGGE bands revealed a great diversity of bacteria. The Proteobacteria, consisting of the alpha, beta, and gamma subdivisions, were clearly the dominant group at all depths and in rhizosphere soil. Analysis of the enzyme activities indicated that the rhizosphere soil of Caragana korshinskii exhibited the highest protease and polyphenol oxidase activities, and in the soil crust there were increased activities of catalase, urease, dehydrogenase and sucrase. The bacterial community abundance closely correlated with soil enzyme activities in different soils. The presence of Cyanobacteria correlated with significant increases in protease, catalase and sucrase in the soil crust, and increased urease in the rhizosphere soil of Artemisia ordosica. The occurrence of Acidobacteria was associated with significant increases in urease, dehydrogenase, and sucrase in the rhizosphere soil of C. korshinski. The presence of gamma-Proteobacteria correlated with a significant increase in polyphenol oxidase in the rhizosphere soil of A. ordosica. The study indicated a close relationship between the soil bacterial community and soil enzymes, suggesting the necessity of further investigations into bacterial function in this desert ecosystem.

Pyrosequencing Reveals Bacterial Diversity in the Rhizosphere of Three Phragmites australis Ecotypes

Here we present the use of high-throughput DNA pyrosequencing to assess bacterial diversity in the rhizosphere of three Phragmites australis ecotypes from the Hexi Corridor, China. In total, 43404 sequences were obtained for the three ecotypes, representing 31 phyla and a small amount of unclassified bacteria. The predominant bacterial groups in the rhizosphere of P. australis were Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi, Gemmatimonadetes and Planctomycetes. The bacterial community structure varied with the different degrees of wetland degradation, which were exhibited by the three P. australis ecotypes in the study area. At the phylum level, the Caldiserica, Chlamydiae, Deferribacteres, Lentisphaerae, and candidate division WS3 were only detected in the swamp reed (SR) sample. Then, δ-proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Cyanobacteria and Fusobacteria decreased, the Actinobacteria increased with the degree of degradation from SR through salt meadow reed (SMR) to dune reed (DR). The functional bacterial genera also varied with wetland degradation. The sulfur and sulfate-reducing, nitrifying and nitrogen-fixing bacteria were more abundant in the rhizosphere of the SR sample. Methane-oxidizing bacteria were abundant in the SR and DR samples but less so in the SMR. In our study, pyrosequencing of different P. australis ecotypes provided insight into the structural variation of the rhizosphere bacterial community. This study gave a database for the use of bacteria in the protection and ecological restoration of wetland.