A possible new mechanism of temperature dependence of electron transfer in photosynthetic systems

A new theory for the electron transfer by the non-adiabatic process is formulated taking into account the origin shift and the frequency change of the vibration. The resultant formulas are quite similar to those of Jortner (Jortner, J. (1976) J. Chem. Phys. 64, 4860–4867) except that the free energy gap ΔG is used instead of the energy gap ΔE. By applying this theory to the photosynthetic electron transfer, the role of the remarkable temperature dependence of the electron transfer from cytochrome to P⁺ in Chromatium vinosum and the experimental data were reproduced very well using a small value of the coupling strength in contrast with the previous theory. This implies that proteins play a role to exclude many of the solvent molecules from the region of the electron transfer reaction between the donor and acceptor molecules. The negative activation process in the back electron transfer from Q^?_A to P⁺, the very slow back electron transfer from I^? to P⁺ and the solvent isotope effect on the cytochrome oxidation are also successfully explained by this new theory. It is shown that even a qualitative conclusion as to the molecular parameters obtained from the temperature dependence of the electron transfer is different between the present theory and that of Jortner.     

Community dynamics of evergreen broadleaf forests in southwestern Japan. I. Wind damaged trees and canopy gaps in an evergreen oak forest

The rates of treefall and canopy opening in the evergreen oak forest in southwestern Japan were determined by studying the number and size distribution of overstory trees, wind damaged trees, and canopy gaps in a belt transect in the Kasugayama Forest Reserve in Nara City. Thirty three percent of the overstory trees wereCastanopsis cuspidata. The total area of canopy gaps was about 20% of the total land area in the study area. The ages of the gaps were determined by counting the annual rings of various kinds of trees growing in gaps. By comparing gap ages with meteorological data, it became evident that gap formation was mainly caused by strong typhoons. The mean time interval between strong typhoons visiting the forest reserve, 6.57 years, was determined by applying the MNY method to the meteorological data. The treefall rate and the mean area of canopy openings per year were 0.84 overstory trees/ha·year and 55.6 m²/ha·year, respectively. The mean residence time of the forest canopy was about 180 years.     

Cell junctions and intercellular communication

Summary We have compared intercellular communication in normal and regenerating rat liver. Gap junctions are greatly reduced in size and numbers 29 to 35 hr after hepatectomy, but we still find some 90% of hepatocytes coupled by electrophysiological criteria. The spread of dyes such as carboxyfluorescein however is very limited in the regenerating organs as compared to the situation in the controls. We show how the apparent discrepancies between morphological and physiological data can be reconciled. We also present a summary of preliminary findings on the biosynthesis of gap junction protein and some of the conclusions one can draw from the sequence of 58 amino acids at the amino terminal of the protein. Presented in the symposium on Molecular and Morphological Aspects of Cell-Cell Communication at the 31st Annual Meeting of the Tissue Culture Association, St. Louis, Missouri, June 1–5, 1980. The original research described was supported by Grants GM 06965 and RR 07003 from the National Institute of Health, and funds from the North-west Area Foundation. David Meyer and Barbara Yancey were the recipients of NIH postdoctoral fellowships (NS 06240 and AM05700). This symposium was supported in part by Contract 263-MD-025754 from the National Cancer Institute and the Fogarty International Center.     

Climate limitation at the cold edge: contrasting perspectives from species distribution modelling and a transplant experiment

The role of climate in determining range margins is often studied using species distribution models (SDMs), which are easily applied but have well-known limitations, e.g. due to their correlative nature and colonization and extinction time lags. Transplant experiments can give more direct information on environmental effects, but often cover small spatial and temporal scales. We simultaneously applied a SDM using high-resolution spatial predictors and an integral projection (demographic) model based on a transplant experiment at 58 sites to examine the effects of microclimate, light and soil conditions on the distribution and performance of a forest herb, Lathyrus vernus, at its cold range margin in central Sweden. In the SDM, occurrences were strongly associated with warmer climates. In contrast, only weak effects of climate were detected in the transplant experiment, whereas effects of soil conditions and light dominated. The higher contribution of climate in the SDM is likely a result from its correlation with soil quality, forest type and potentially historic land use, which were unaccounted for in the model. Predicted habitat suitability and population growth rate, yielded by the two approaches, were not correlated across the transplant sites. We argue that the ranking of site habitat suitability is probably more reliable in the transplant experiment than in the SDM because predictors in the former better describe understory conditions, but that ranking might vary among years, e.g. due to differences in climate. Our results suggest that L. vernus is limited by soil and light rather than directly by climate at its northern range edge, where conifers dominate forests and create suboptimal conditions of soil and canopy-penetrating light. A general implication of our study is that to better understand how climate change influences range dynamics, we should not only strive to improve existing approaches but also to use multiple approaches in concert.     

不同郁闭度对野外回归的梓叶槭幼树形态和生理特征的影响

濒危植物野外回归是扩大极小种群野生植物种群的有效途径。适宜的回归生境是物种生长的必要条件, 研究植物的生理生态特征对不同野外回归生境的适应性, 是科学评价濒危物种种群回归生境适宜性的关键指标。本文以野外回归的极小种群野生植物梓叶槭(Acer catalpifolium)为研究对象, 探讨了无遮荫、林缘、林隙以及林下(郁闭度由小到大) 4种不同光照条件对梓叶槭幼树的形态特征、光合特征、类黄酮指数及叶绿素含量等的影响。结果表明: (1)随着郁闭度的增大, 梓叶槭幼树的基径、冠幅以及新生枝条数量产生差异, 均呈现先增大后减小的趋势; (2)在林缘生境中, 梓叶槭幼树的单叶面积及单叶质量均最大, 比叶面积随着郁闭度的增大而增大; (3)随着郁闭度的增大, 梓叶槭叶片胞间CO₂浓度、蒸腾速率及气孔导度均呈现先减小后增大的趋势, 叶绿素含量呈现上升趋势, 类黄酮指数则呈现先增大后减小的趋势。综上可知, 林缘适宜的光照条件更适合梓叶槭野外回归。这一结果可为梓叶槭以及其他极小种群野生植物的回归生境适宜性的探索研究提供借鉴。     

冠层结构对梨叶片光合特性及果实品质的影响

冠层结构是影响果树生长发育及丰产优质的重要因素。该研究以20年生‘玉露香’梨大冠分层树形为对照(CK),以冠层整形修剪后的3、4和5个主枝的开心树形为处理(分别记为OCC_(3b)、OCC_(4b)和OCC_(5b)),测定了冠层截获的光合有效辐射、叶片的气体交换、叶绿素荧光和果实品质特性,探讨不同冠层结构内光环境的变化对梨树叶片光合特性及果实品质的影响,探讨果树的光合调控和结实规律,为西北黄土高原产区果树的标准化整形修剪提供理论依据。结果表明:(1)OCC_(3b)、OCC_(4b)和OCC_(5b)的冠层不同方位和不同时刻截获的光合有效辐射(PAR)均高于CK。与CK和OCC_(5b)相比,OCC_(3b)和OCC_(4b)叶片光响应的最大净光合速率(P_(nmax))和羧化效率(CE)显著提高。(2)在强光胁迫下,开心树形叶片光呼吸速率(P_r)占总光合速率(P_g)的比例(P_r/P_g)和非光化学淬灭(NPQ)中可恢复组分r(qE)提高,同时不可恢复组分r(qI)降低。(3)OCC_(3b)和OCC_(4b)比OCC_(5b)和CK的单果重、果面红晕面积、果皮花青苷含量、可溶性固形物含量和可溶性总糖含量均显著提高,而可滴定酸含量显著降低。(4)PAR与果面着色面积和果皮花青苷含量呈极显著正相关关系,P_(nmax)与单果重呈极显著正相关关系,而PAR和P_(nmax)均与可滴定酸呈极显著负相关关系。研究发现,OCC_(3b)和OCC_(4b)的梨树冠层内可截获更多的光能,叶片光合能力更强,遭遇强光胁迫时能够通过更高效的热耗散和光呼吸进行自我保护,而且开心形树冠结构还能显著提升果实品质。     

白云山国家森林公园不同人为干扰强度的群落冠层结构和光照特征

为探究森林冠层结构与林下光照的变化规律及其相关性,在河南省白云山国家森林公园选取人工林、择伐林、皆伐林和老龄林建立四块面积为1 hm²（100 m×100 m）的固定监测样地,利用半球面影像技术获取冠层结构及林下光照数据。研究发现：1）随着人为干扰强度降低,冠层覆盖度与叶面积指数呈增加趋势,林下散射辐射与直接辐射呈减少趋势;2）择伐林冠层覆盖度与叶面积指数最大,平均叶倾角与透光比最小,林下光照（直接辐射、散射辐射）与冠层覆盖度和叶面积指数都呈显著负相关,林下散射辐射与冠层覆盖度和叶面积指数的负相关关系最强;3）处于不同干扰强度的群落由于冠层结构的差异,形成了不同群落内特定的光照环境。研究结果丰富了暖温带-亚热带生态过渡区森林冠层结构与林下光照动态变化研究资料,同时也为该区域森林的恢复与重建等提供科学的依据。