Summary of 25 Years of Xylem Tracheids and Sewage/Sludge in the Sea

The Rapid Sewage/Sludge Indicator Technique (RSIT), developed during the early 1970's, responded to critical needs within the Bureau of Water Pollution Control. It enabled quick detection of contamination in ocean water and bottom sediments during sewage-related emergencies and routine monitoring. RSIT became an invaluable tool for resource management, in determining where and to what extent marine environments are impacted, and when immediate information is necessary for public health decisions.

The RSIT utilizes microscopic examination for terrestrial plant vascular tissue, especially the xylem tracheid elements, as identifiers of sewage/sludge. Not normally found in ocean waters, this material, in toilet paper and the roughage of the human diet which passes through the digestive system intact, is an indicator of human faecal contamination. Minimal training and common laboratory materials allow gross screening in five minutes. New studies by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), United States Geologic Survey (USGS) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), most recently at the 106-mile dump site off the New York Bight, revalidated the technique as a rapid, inexpensive, easy to use, semiquantitative indicator both for water column and sediment samples.     

Formation of Two Xylem Frost Injuries in One Annual Ring in Siberian Spruce under Conditions of Western Siberian Forest-Tundra

The phenomenon of the formation of two damaged xylem layers in one frost ring is described in Siberian spruce grown in western Siberian forest-tundra. Temperature conditions providing for the formation of pathological cell and tissue structures are determined. The relationship between the formation of double frost injuries and cold periods is demonstrated.     

典型黄土区油松树干液流变化特征分析

蒸腾耗水是植被水分利用的重要方式和重要过程之一,对植物养分输送、生长发育、应对和缓解干旱胁迫以及改善区域微气候等都具有重要意义.研究以半干旱黄土区的油松植被为例,基于四针式热扩散探针法监测树干液流的动态变化,探讨其蒸腾耗水规律,分析油松树种的水分利用方式及对生存环境的适应能力.结果表明,油松的液流速率具有明显的季节性差异,不同月份的液流速率以4月最低,其次为10月、9月和8月,分别为0.024、0.057、0.062和0.071 m L·(cm2·min)-1.液流速率的日变化在各个时期都呈现昼高夜低趋势,夜间液流速率较低,但不为零.在降雨事件影响下,夜间液流量在日液流总量中的比重明显增加,是晴朗天气的3.9倍,而白天液流量所占比重下降31.8%.寒潮期间液流速率表现出相似的变化趋势,对突变环境具有较强的适应能力.油松液流速率与气象因子显著相关,对液流速率影响的大小顺序为:太阳辐射水汽压亏缺相对湿度大气温度.     

Effects of elevated pO3 on carbon cycle between above and belowground organs of trees

Translocation of carbohydrate from leaves to roots via phloem and reallocation from roots to leaves via xylem regulate the allocation of carbon （C） between above and belowground organs of trees. To quantitatively analyze effects of elevated ozone concentrations pO3 on the internal cycle of C, juvenile beech and spruce were grown in phytotrons and exposed to ambient and elevated pO3 （i.e. twice-ambient O3 levels, restricted to 〈 150 ppb） for two growing seasons. The translocation of C in the phloem and xylem was quantitatively studied by investigating the phloem/xylem-loading of sugars, the differentiation of stem conductive tissue and the hourly water flow through the stem. Results in the present study shown, elevated pO3 significantly decreased C translocation from shoot to roots in beech by reducing both sugar concentration in the phloem and conductive phloem area. Elevated pO3 also significantly decreased C reallocation from the roots to the shoot in beech by reducing both of sugar concentration in the xylem and transpiration rate. The adverse effects of elevated pO3 on C translocation in the phloem and xylem, however, were small in spruce. Contrasting to beech, spruce is less sensitive to elevated pO3, regarding to phloem differentiation and sugar concentrations in the phloem and xylem.     

Summary of 25 Years of Xylem Tracheids and Sewage/Sludge in the Sea

The Rapid Sewage/Sludge Indicator Technique (RSIT), developed during the early 1970′s, responded to critical needs within the Bureau of Water Pollution Control. It enabled quick detection of contamination in ocean water and bottom sediments during sewage-related emergencies and routine monitoring. RSIT became an invaluable tool for resource management, in determining where and to what extent marine environments are impacted, and when immediate information is necessary for public health decisions.

The RSIT utilizes microscopic examination for terrestrial plant vascular tissue, especially the xylem tracheid elements, as identifiers of sewage/sludge. Not normally found in ocean waters, this material, in toilet paper and the roughage of the human diet which passes through the digestive system intact, is an indicator of human faecal contamination. Minimal training and common laboratory materials allow gross screening in five minutes. New studies by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), United States Geologic Survey (USGS) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), most recently at the 106-mile dump site off the New York Bight, revalidated the technique as a rapid, inexpensive, easy to use, semiquantitative indicator both for water column and sediment samples.     

Heavy Metal Content in Xylem Sap (Vitis Vinifera) from Mining and Smelting Areas

No data are available on the content of heavy metals in the xylem sap of grapevines growing in contaminated areas. The aim of this work was to obtain data on the concentration of Pb, Zn, Cd and Cu in the xylem sap of grapevine (Vitis vinifera) cultivar Monica (ungrafted), growing near contaminated sites: a smelter, an abandoned and an active mine, and to investigate relationships between xylem sap mineral composition and the heavy metal content of the soil. The concentrations of Pb, Zn, Cd and Cu in the sap were enhanced compared to that of the soil, ranging from 4.3 to 611.4 µg Pb , 801 to 6176 µg Zn , 2.5 to 45 µg Cd and 19.8 to 161 µg Cu . Dry matter of xylem sap was significantly related to the heavy metals content in xylem saps, but no significant relationship between the metals in sap and total and DTPA/TEA extractable metal fraction in soil was found.     

Water‐Yield Reduction After Afforestation and Related Processes in the Semiarid Liupan Mountains,Northwest China1

Abstract: The increase of coverage of forest/vegetation is imperative to improve the environment in dry‐land areas of China, especially for protecting soil against serious erosion and sandstorms. However, inherent severe water shortages, drought stresses, and increasing water use competition greatly restrict the reforestation. Notably, the water‐yield reduction after afforestation generates intense debate about the correct approach to afforestation and forest management in dry‐land areas. However, most studies on water‐yield reduction of forests have been at catchment scales, and there are few studies of the response of total evapotranspiration (ET) and its partitioning to vegetation structure change. This motivates us to learn the linkage between hydrological processes and vegetation structure in slope ecosystems. Therefore, an ecohydrological study was carried out by measuring the individual items of water balance on sloping plots covered by different vegetation types in the semiarid Liupan Mountains of northwest China. The ratio of precipitation consumed as ET was about 60% for grassland, 93% for shrubs, and >95% for forestland. Thus, the water yield was very low, site‐specific, and sensitive to vegetation change. Conversion of grassland to forest decreased the annual water yield from slope by 50‐100 mm. In certain periods, the plantations at lower slopes even consumed the runon from upper slopes. Reducing the density of forests and shrubs by thinning was not an efficient approach to minimize water use. Leaf area index was a better indicator than plant density to relate ET to vegetation structure and to evaluate the soil water carrying capacity for vegetation (i.e., the maximum amount of vegetation that can be supported by the available soil water for an extended time). Selecting proper vegetation types and plant species, based on site soil water condition, may be more effective than the forest density regulation to minimize water‐yield reduction by vegetation coverage increase and notably by reforestation. Finally, the focuses in future research to improve the forest‐water relations in dry‐land areas are recommended as follows: vegetation growth dynamics driven by environment especially water conditions, coupling of ecological and hydrological processes, further development of distributed ecohydrological models, quantitative relation of eco‐water quota of ecosystems with vegetation structures, multi‐scaled evaluation of soil water carrying capacity for vegetation, and the development of widely applicable decision support tools.     

荷木树干CO2释放通量的个体间差异及树干液流的效应

为研究荷木(Schima superba)个体间树干CO2释放通量(Es)的差异以及树干液流对Es的影响,提高森林生态系统呼吸计算准确性,利用红外气体分析仪及自制式气室于2009年湿季和干季监测了华南荷木人工林5棵样树的Es,并同步监测了树干温度(θs)、气温及液流密度.结果显示:θs与气温之间呈显著线形正相关;Es与树干温度之间存在显著指数函数关系;Es干湿季的差异显著,并呈现明显的季节变化;5株样树之间Es存在显著差异,平均Es分别为3.12、3.60、5.52、6.98、8.09μmol m-2 s-1;同时,样树之间树干CO2释放通量的温度系数(Q10)差异显著(1.97～4.24之间).Tree1、Tree2和Tree4白天的Es与液流速度(v)显著正相关,白天的标准化树干CO2释放通量(R25,温度为25℃时的Es)高于晚上.荷木Es个体之间及时间上的差异主要受树干温度、生长状况和液流速度的影响.图3表6参35     

野生植物汁液对作物营养效应的研究

采用土培试验与化学分析方法研究了３种野生植物汁液对绿豆和玉米生长的营养效应。结果表明，野生植物汁液提高绿豆植株干重、根系活力、磷含量和叶绿素含量，以Ｃ汁液对植株干重提高量最大，达１６５％～２６０％；Ｂ、Ｃ汁液提高绿豆根系活力２５４％～１１０２％。３种野生植物汁液处理的玉米植株干重差异不明显，但却显著提高根系活力和过氧化氢酶活性。     

固沙植被黄柳、小叶锦鸡儿蒸腾耗水尺度提升研究

论文以科尔沁沙地主要固沙植被黄柳、小叶锦鸡儿为研究对象,基于生长季典型枝条茎流的逐日动态观测数据,以黄柳茎干截面积和小叶锦鸡儿叶面积实测数据为扩展纯量,实现了由枝条茎流向灌丛群落蒸腾耗水的尺度提升。结果表明：生长季黄柳和小叶锦鸡儿群落的蒸腾耗水量分别为287.26 mm和197.23 mm,黄柳的耐旱性相对较低。采用FAO Penman-Monteith公式计算出同时期两种植被群落的蒸散量分别为328.70 mm和233.15 mm。日蒸腾耗水量与日蒸散量变化趋势基本一致,两种植被的决定系数分别为0.717 3和0.678 7。论文所建立的尺度提升方法在荒漠化灌木植被蒸腾耗水估算方面行之有效,可为科学选育和管理固沙植被、确定合理造林密度等提供参考依据。