Solubility studies of Np(V) in simulated underground water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Yingjie; Ren Lilong; Jiao Haiyang; Yao Jun; Su Xiguang; Fan Xianhua

2004-01-01

The solubility of Np(V) in simulated underground water has been measured with the variation of pH, storage time (0-100 days). All experiments were performed in an Ar glove box which contained high purity Ar, with an oxygen content of less than 5ppm. Experimental results show that the solubility of Np(V) in simulated underground water decreased with increasing pH value of solution; the solubility of Np(V) in simulated underground water determined at different pH is : pH=6.96, [Np(V)]=(3.52±0.37) x 10 -4 mol/L; pH=8.04, [Np(V)]=(8.24±0.32) x 10 -5 mol/L; pH=9.01, [Np(V)]=(3.04±0.48) x 10'- 5 mol/L, respectively. (author)

Non-photosynthetic plastids as hosts for metabolic engineering

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mellor, Silas Busck; Behrendorff, James Bruce Yarnton H; Nielsen, Agnieszka Janina Zygadlo

2018-01-01

Using plants as hosts for production of complex, high-value compounds and therapeutic proteins has gained increasing momentum over the past decade. Recent advances in metabolic engineering techniques using synthetic biology have set the stage for production yields to become economically attractive......, but more refined design strategies are required to increase product yields without compromising development and growth of the host system. The ability of plant cells to differentiate into various tissues in combination with a high level of cellular compartmentalization represents so far the most...... in green tissues, have proven to be suitable for high yield protein and bio-compound production. Unfortunately, chloroplast manipulation often affects photosynthetic efficiency and therefore plant fitness. In this respect, plastids of non-photosynthetic tissues, which have focused metabolisms for synthesis...

Climate controls photosynthetic capacity more than leaf nitrogen contents

Science.gov (United States)

Ali, A. A.; Xu, C.; McDowell, N. G.

2013-12-01

Global vegetation models continue to lack the ability to make reliable predictions because the photosynthetic capacity varies a lot with growth conditions, season and among species. It is likely that vegetation models link photosynthetic capacity to concurrent changes in leaf nitrogen content only. To improve the predictions of the vegetation models, there is an urgent need to review species growth conditions and their seasonal response to changing climate. We sampled the global distribution of the Vcmax (maximum carboxylation rates) data of various species across different environmental gradients from the literature and standardized its value to 25 degree Celcius. We found that species explained the largest variation in (1) the photosynthetic capacity and (2) the proportion of nitrogen allocated for rubisco (PNcb). Surprisingly, climate variables explained more variations in photosynthetic capacity as well as PNcb than leaf nitrogen content and/or specific leaf area. The chief climate variables that explain variation in photosynthesis and PNcb were radiation, temperature and daylength. Our analysis suggests that species have the greatest control over photosynthesis and PNcb. Further, compared to leaf nitrogen content and/or specific leaf area, climate variables have more control over photosynthesis and PNcb. Therefore, climate variables should be incorporated in the global vegetation models when making predictions about the photosynthetic capacity.

Forest Cover Mapping in Iskandar Malaysia Using Satellite Data

Science.gov (United States)

Kanniah, K. D.; Mohd Najib, N. E.; Vu, T. T.

2016-09-01

Malaysia is the third largest country in the world that had lost forest cover. Therefore, timely information on forest cover is required to help the government to ensure that the remaining forest resources are managed in a sustainable manner. This study aims to map and detect changes of forest cover (deforestation and disturbance) in Iskandar Malaysia region in the south of Peninsular Malaysia between years 1990 and 2010 using Landsat satellite images. The Carnegie Landsat Analysis System-Lite (CLASlite) programme was used to classify forest cover using Landsat images. This software is able to mask out clouds, cloud shadows, terrain shadows, and water bodies and atmospherically correct the images using 6S radiative transfer model. An Automated Monte Carlo Unmixing technique embedded in CLASlite was used to unmix each Landsat pixel into fractions of photosynthetic vegetation (PV), non photosynthetic vegetation (NPV) and soil surface (S). Forest and non-forest areas were produced from the fractional cover images using appropriate threshold values of PV, NPV and S. CLASlite software was found to be able to classify forest cover in Iskandar Malaysia with only a difference between 14% (1990) and 5% (2010) compared to the forest land use map produced by the Department of Agriculture, Malaysia. Nevertheless, the CLASlite automated software used in this study was found not to exclude other vegetation types especially rubber and oil palm that has similar reflectance to forest. Currently rubber and oil palm were discriminated from forest manually using land use maps. Therefore, CLASlite algorithm needs further adjustment to exclude these vegetation and classify only forest cover.

A screening method for the isolation of polyhydroxyalkanoate-producing purple non-sulfur photosynthetic bacteria from natural seawater

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Mieko Higuchi-Takeuchi

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs are a family of biopolyesters accumulated by a variety of microorganisms as carbon and energy storage under starvation conditions. We focused on marine purple non-sulfur photosynthetic bacteria as host microorganisms for PHA production and developed a method for their isolation from natural seawater. To identify novel PHA-producing marine purple non-sulfur photosynthetic bacteria, natural seawaters were cultured in nutrient-rich medium for purple non-sulfur photosynthetic bacteria, and twelve pink- or red-pigmented colonies were picked up. Gas chromatography mass spectrometry analysis revealed that four isolates synthesized PHA at levels ranging from 0.5 to 24.4 wt% of cell dry weight. The 16S ribosomal RNA sequence analysis revealed that one isolate (HM2 showed 100% identity to marine purple non-sulfur photosynthetic bacteria. In conclusion, we have demonstrated in this study that PHA-producing marine purple non-sulfur photosynthetic bacteria can be isolated from natural seawater under nutrient-rich conditions.

Sorption of Np(V) by synthetic hydroxyapatite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moore, R.C.; Holt, K.; Zhao, H.; Hasan, A.; Awwad, N.; Gasser, M.; Sanchez, C.

2003-01-01

The sorption of Np(V) to synthetic hydroxyapatite was determined in batch experiments in a 0.1 M NaClO 4 solution. The hydroxyapatite used was of high purity as determined by SEM, EDS, XRD, FT-IR and ICP-MS analysis. Results from kinetic experiments with an initial Np(V) concentration of 1 x 10 -7 to 1 x 10 -6 M indicate the sorption process is relatively fast with more than 90% of the Np(V) being sorbed in approximately 3 hours. Equilibrium experiments performed over the pH range of 6 to 11 indicated sorption is strongly pH dependent with distribution coefficients, K d values (mL/g), increasing from 123 L/mole at pH 6 to 69 200 L/mole at pH 8.5. K d values are observed to decrease as pH further increases. Data points over a range of Np(V) concentrations were collected at pH 8 and fitted to the Langmuir isotherm model for simple adsorption. The Langmuir equation gave an excellent representation of the data. Langmuir parameters were determined to be C a = 0.032 mole/mole and K = 1.22 x 10 6 L/mole, indicating the high affinity of hydroxyapatite for Np(V) adsorption. (orig.)

NPV Sensitivity Analysis: A Dynamic Excel Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Mangiero, George A.; Kraten, Michael

2017-01-01

Financial analysts generally create static formulas for the computation of NPV. When they do so, however, it is not readily apparent how sensitive the value of NPV is to changes in multiple interdependent and interrelated variables. It is the aim of this paper to analyze this variability by employing a dynamic, visually graphic presentation using…

Relationships between NDVI, canopy structure, and photosynthesis in three California vegetation types

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gamon, J.A.; Field, C.B.; Goulden, M.L.; Griffin, K.L.; Hartley, A.E.; Joel, G.; Penuelas, J.; Valentini, R.

1995-01-01

In a range of plant species from three Californian vegetation types, we examined the widely used ''normalized difference vegetation index'' (NDVI) and ''simple ratio'' (SR) as indicators of canopy structure, light absorption, and photosynthetic activity. These indices, which are derived from canopy reflectance in the red and near-infrared wavebands, highlighted phenological differences between evergreen and deciduous canopies. They were poor indicators of total canopy biomass due to the varying abundance of non-green standing biomass in these vegetation types. However, in sparse canopies (leaf area index (LAI) apprxeq 0-2), NDVI was a sensitive indicator of canopy structure and chemical content (green biomass, green leaf area index, chlorophyll content, and foliar nitrogen content). At higher canopy green LAI values ( gt 2; typical of dense shrubs and trees), NDVI was relatively insensitive to changes in canopy structure. Compared to SR, NDVI was better correlated with indicators of canopy structure and chemical content, but was equivalent to the logarithm of SR. In agreement with theoretical expectations, both NDVI and SR exhibited near-linear correlations with fractional PAR intercepted by green leaves over a wide range of canopy densities. Maximum daily photosynthetic rates were positively correlated with NDVI and SR in annual grassland and semideciduous shrubs where canopy development and photosynthetic activity were in synchrony. The indices were also correlated with peak springtime canopy photosynthetic rates in evergreens. However, over most of the year, these indices were poor predictors of photosynthetic performance in evergreen species due to seasonal reductions in photosynthetic radiation-use efficiency that occurred without substantial declines in canopy greenness. Our results support the use of these vegetation indices as remote indicators of PAR absorption, and thus potential photosynthetic activity, even in

Can a Satellite-Derived Estimate of the Fraction of PAR Absorbed by Chlorophyll (FAPAR(sub chl)) Improve Predictions of Light-Use Efficiency and Ecosystem Photosynthesis for a Boreal Aspen Forest?

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Qingyuan; Middleton, Elizabeth M.; Margolis, Hank A.; Drolet, Guillaume G.; Barr, Alan A.; Black, T. Andrew

2009-01-01

Gross primary production (GPP) is a key terrestrial ecophysiological process that links atmospheric composition and vegetation processes. Study of GPP is important to global carbon cycles and global warming. One of the most important of these processes, plant photosynthesis, requires solar radiation in the 0.4-0.7 micron range (also known as photosynthetically active radiation or PAR), water, carbon dioxide (CO2), and nutrients. A vegetation canopy is composed primarily of photosynthetically active vegetation (PAV) and non-photosynthetic vegetation (NPV; e.g., senescent foliage, branches and stems). A green leaf is composed of chlorophyll and various proportions of nonphotosynthetic components (e.g., other pigments in the leaf, primary/secondary/tertiary veins, and cell walls). The fraction of PAR absorbed by whole vegetation canopy (FAPAR(sub canopy)) has been widely used in satellite-based Production Efficiency Models to estimate GPP (as a product of FAPAR(sub canopy)x PAR x LUE(sub canopy), where LUE(sub canopy) is light use efficiency at canopy level). However, only the PAR absorbed by chlorophyll (a product of FAPAR(sub chl) x PAR) is used for photosynthesis. Therefore, remote sensing driven biogeochemical models that use FAPAR(sub chl) in estimating GPP (as a product of FAPAR(sub chl x PAR x LUE(sub chl) are more likely to be consistent with plant photosynthesis processes.

The Operophtera brumata nucleopolyhedrovirus (OpbuNPV) represents an early, divergent lineage within genus Alphabaculovirus

Science.gov (United States)

Operophtera brumata nucleopolyhedrovirus (OpbuNPV) infects larvae of the winter moth, Operophtera brumata. As part of an effort to explore the pesticidal potential of OpbuNPV, an isolate of this virus from Massachusetts (USA), OpbuNPV-MA, was characterized by electron microscopy of OpbuNPV occlusio...

Remotely Assessing Fraction of Photosynthetically Active Radiation (FPAR for Wheat Canopies Based on Hyperspectral Vegetation Indexes

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Changwei Tan

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Fraction of photosynthetically active radiation (FPAR, as an important index for evaluating yields and biomass production, is key to providing the guidance for crop management. However, the shortage of good hyperspectral data can frequently result in the hindrance of accurate and reliable FPAR assessment, especially for wheat. In the present research, aiming at developing a strategy for accurate FPAR assessment, the relationships between wheat canopy FPAR and vegetation indexes derived from concurrent ground-measured hyperspectral data were explored. FPAR revealed the most strongly correlation with normalized difference index (NDI, and scaled difference index (N*. Both NDI and N* revealed the increase as the increase of FPAR; however, NDI value presented the stagnation as FPAR value beyond 0.70. On the other hand, N* showed a decreasing tendency when FPAR value was higher than 0.70. This special relationship between FPAR and vegetation index could be employed to establish a piecewise FPAR assessment model with NDI as a regression variable during FPAR value lower than 0.70, or N* as the regression variable during FPAR value higher than 0.70. The model revealed higher assessment accuracy up to 16% when compared with FPAR assessment models based on a single vegetation index. In summary, it is feasible to apply NDI and N* for accomplishing wheat canopy FPAR assessment, and establish an FPAR assessment model to overcome the limitations from vegetation index saturation under the condition with high FPAR value.

Colloidal behavior of Np(V) in aqueous systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao Xin; Zhang Yingjie; Wei Liansheng; Lin Zhangji

2004-01-01

The speciation of Np(V) in solutions is measured by means of FT-Raman spectrometer. The formation of colloid of Np(V) in aqueous solutions is studied with the variation of pH(2-12), ionic strength (0.01 mol/L, 0.1 mol/L, 1.0 mol/L), storage time (6h, 30h, 1 week, 6 weeks) and neptunium concentration. The adsorption behavior of Np(V) on granite and its rock-forming minerals (quartz, microcline, albite, biotite and hornblende) is also studied in an aqueous phase of artificial ground water. The experiments are performed at ambient temperature. Experimental results show that a small fraction of Np removed from the solution is adsorbed on the walls of container at the pH above 6 due to the formation of colloid of Np. The formation of colloid of Np depends on its hydrolytic extent, ionic strength, and storage time. The adsorption of Np on granite and the individual mineral depends strongly on the formation of the colloids with the variation of pH in solutions. (author)

Comparison of single questions and brief questionnaire with longer validated food frequency questionnaire to assess adequate fruit and vegetable intake.

Science.gov (United States)

Cook, Amelia; Roberts, Kia; O'Leary, Fiona; Allman-Farinelli, Margaret Anne

2015-01-01

The aim of this study was to determine if a single question (SQ) for fruit and a SQ or five-item questionnaire for vegetable consumption (VFQ) could replace a longer food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) to screen for inadequate versus adequate intakes in populations. Participants (109) completed three test screeners: fruit SQ, vegetable SQ, and a five-item VFQ followed by the reference 74-item FFQ (version 2 of the Dietary Questionnaire for Epidemiological Studies [DQESv2]) including 13 fruit and 25 vegetable items. The five-item VFQ asked about intake of salad vegetables, cooked vegetables, white potatoes, legumes, and vegetable juice. The screeners were compared with the reference (DQESv2 FFQ) for sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive powers (PPV, NPV) to detect intakes of two or more servings of fruit and three or more servings of vegetables. Relative validity was examined using Bland-Altman statistics. The fruit SQ showed a PPV of 56% and an NPV of 83%. The PPV for the vegetable SQ was 30% and the NPV was 89%. For the five-item VFQ, the PPV was 39% and the NPV was 85%. Bland-Altman plots and linear regression equations showed that although the screener showed good agreement for fruit (unstandardized b1 coefficient = 0.04) for vegetable intake the difference between methods increased at higher intake levels (unstandardized b1 coefficients = -0.3 for the SQ, b1 = -0.6 for five-item VFQ). The fruit SQ and the five-item VFQ are suitable replacements for longer FFQs to detect inadequate intake and assess population mean but not individual intakes. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Non-linear direct effects of acid rain on leaf photosynthetic rate of terrestrial plants.

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Dan; Du, Enzai; Sun, Zhengzhong; Zeng, Xuetong; de Vries, Wim

2017-12-01

Anthropogenic emissions of acid precursors have enhanced global occurrence of acid rain, especially in East Asia. Acid rain directly suppresses leaf function by eroding surface waxes and cuticle and leaching base cations from mesophyll cells, while the simultaneous foliar uptake of nitrates in rainwater may directly benefit leaf photosynthesis and plant growth, suggesting a non-linear direct effect of acid rain. By synthesizing data from literature on acid rain exposure experiments, we assessed the direct effects of acid rain on leaf photosynthesis across 49 terrestrial plants in China. Our results show a non-linear direct effect of acid rain on leaf photosynthetic rate, including a neutral to positive effect above pH 5.0 and a negative effect below that pH level. The acid rain sensitivity of leaf photosynthesis showed no significant difference between herbs and woody species below pH 5.0, but the impacts above that pH level were strongly different, resulting in a significant increase in leaf photosynthetic rate of woody species and an insignificant effect on herbs. Our analysis also indicates a positive effect of the molar ratio of nitric versus sulfuric acid in the acid solution on leaf photosynthetic rate. These findings imply that rainwater acidity and the composition of acids both affect the response of leaf photosynthesis and therefore result in a non-linear direct effect. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Resistance to BmNPV via overexpression of an exogenous gene controlled by an inducible promoter and enhancer in transgenic silkworm, Bombyx mori.

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Liang Jiang

Full Text Available The hycu-ep32 gene of Hyphantria cunea NPV can inhibit Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV multiplication in co-infected cells, but it is not known whether the overexpression of the hycu-ep32 gene has an antiviral effect in the silkworm, Bombyx mori. Thus, we constructed four transgenic vectors, which were under the control of the 39 K promoter of BmNPV (39 KP, Bombyx mori A4 promoter (A4P, hr3 enhancer of BmNPV combined with 39 KP, and hr3 combined with A4P. Transgenic lines were created via embryo microinjection using practical diapause silkworm. qPCR revealed that the expression level of hycu-ep32 could be induced effectively after BmNPV infection in transgenic lines where hycu-ep32 was controlled by hr3 combined with 39 KP (i.e., HEKG. After oral inoculation of BmNPV with 3 × 10(5 occlusion bodies per third instar, the mortality with HEKG-B was approximately 30% lower compared with the non-transgenic line. The economic characteristics of the transgenic lines remained unchanged. These results suggest that overexpression of an exogenous antiviral gene controlled by an inducible promoter and enhancer is a feasible method for breeding silkworms with a high antiviral capacity.

Effect of Low pH and Aluminum Toxicity on the Photosynthetic Characteristics of Different Fast-Growing Eucalyptus Vegetatively Propagated Clones.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Mei; Tan, Ling; Xu, Yuanyuan; Zhao, Yihui; Cheng, Fei; Ye, Shaoming; Jiang, Weixin

2015-01-01

Knowing how acid soils and aluminum in soils may limit the growth of Eucalyptus trees in plantations is important because these plantations grow in many tropical and subtropical regions. Seedlings of four vegetatively propagated Eucalyptus clones, E. grandis × E. urophylla 'GLGU9'(G9), E. grandis × E. urophylla 'GLGU12' (G12), E. urophylla × E. camaldulensis 'GLUC3' (G3) and E. urophylla 'GLU4'(G4), were subjected to liquid culture with Hoagland nutrient solution for 40 days, then treated with four different treatments of acid and aluminum for 1 day. The four treatments used either pH 3.0 or 4.0 with or without added aluminum (4.4 mM) in all possible combinations; a control used no added aluminum at pH 4.8. Subsequently, the photosynthetic parameters and morphology of leaves from eucalypt seedlings were determined and observed. The results showed that the tested chlorophyll content, net photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate and water use efficiency were apparently inhibited by aluminum. Under uniform Al concentration (4.4 mM), the Al-induced limitation to photosynthetic parameters increased with pH, indicating acid stimulation to Al toxicity. Among all treatments, the most significant reduction was found in the combination of pH 3.0 and 4.4 mM Al. The photosynthetic and transpiration rates showed similar trends with G9 > G12 > G3 > G4, suggesting that G9 and G12 had higher Al-tolerance than other two clones. Microscopic observation revealed changes in leaf morphology when exposed to Al stress; for example, a reduced thickness of leaf epidermis and palisade tissue, the descendant palisade tissue/spongy tissue ratio and leaf tissue looseness. Overall, the acid and aluminum stress exerted negative effects on the photosynthetic activity of eucalypt seedlings, but the differences in tolerance to Al toxicity between the clones were favorable, offering potential to improve Eucalyptus plantation productivity by selecting Al tolerant clones.

Effect of Low pH and Aluminum Toxicity on the Photosynthetic Characteristics of Different Fast-Growing Eucalyptus Vegetatively Propagated Clones

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Mei; Tan, Ling; Xu, Yuanyuan; Zhao, Yihui; Cheng, Fei; Ye, Shaoming; Jiang, Weixin

2015-01-01

Knowing how acid soils and aluminum in soils may limit the growth of Eucalyptus trees in plantations is important because these plantations grow in many tropical and subtropical regions. Seedlings of four vegetatively propagated Eucalyptus clones, E. grandis × E. urophylla ‘GLGU9’(G9), E. grandis × E. urophylla ‘GLGU12’ (G12), E. urophylla × E. camaldulensis ‘GLUC3’ (G3) and E. urophylla ‘GLU4’(G4), were subjected to liquid culture with Hoagland nutrient solution for 40 days, then treated with four different treatments of acid and aluminum for 1 day. The four treatments used either pH 3.0 or 4.0 with or without added aluminum (4.4 mM) in all possible combinations; a control used no added aluminum at pH 4.8. Subsequently, the photosynthetic parameters and morphology of leaves from eucalypt seedlings were determined and observed. The results showed that the tested chlorophyll content, net photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate and water use efficiency were apparently inhibited by aluminum. Under uniform Al concentration (4.4 mM), the Al-induced limitation to photosynthetic parameters increased with pH, indicating acid stimulation to Al toxicity. Among all treatments, the most significant reduction was found in the combination of pH 3.0 and 4.4 mM Al. The photosynthetic and transpiration rates showed similar trends with G9 > G12 > G3 > G4, suggesting that G9 and G12 had higher Al-tolerance than other two clones. Microscopic observation revealed changes in leaf morphology when exposed to Al stress; for example, a reduced thickness of leaf epidermis and palisade tissue, the descendant palisade tissue/spongy tissue ratio and leaf tissue looseness. Overall, the acid and aluminum stress exerted negative effects on the photosynthetic activity of eucalypt seedlings, but the differences in tolerance to Al toxicity between the clones were favorable, offering potential to improve Eucalyptus plantation productivity by selecting Al tolerant clones. PMID

Effect of Low pH and Aluminum Toxicity on the Photosynthetic Characteristics of Different Fast-Growing Eucalyptus Vegetatively Propagated Clones.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mei Yang

Full Text Available Knowing how acid soils and aluminum in soils may limit the growth of Eucalyptus trees in plantations is important because these plantations grow in many tropical and subtropical regions. Seedlings of four vegetatively propagated Eucalyptus clones, E. grandis × E. urophylla 'GLGU9'(G9, E. grandis × E. urophylla 'GLGU12' (G12, E. urophylla × E. camaldulensis 'GLUC3' (G3 and E. urophylla 'GLU4'(G4, were subjected to liquid culture with Hoagland nutrient solution for 40 days, then treated with four different treatments of acid and aluminum for 1 day. The four treatments used either pH 3.0 or 4.0 with or without added aluminum (4.4 mM in all possible combinations; a control used no added aluminum at pH 4.8. Subsequently, the photosynthetic parameters and morphology of leaves from eucalypt seedlings were determined and observed. The results showed that the tested chlorophyll content, net photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate and water use efficiency were apparently inhibited by aluminum. Under uniform Al concentration (4.4 mM, the Al-induced limitation to photosynthetic parameters increased with pH, indicating acid stimulation to Al toxicity. Among all treatments, the most significant reduction was found in the combination of pH 3.0 and 4.4 mM Al. The photosynthetic and transpiration rates showed similar trends with G9 > G12 > G3 > G4, suggesting that G9 and G12 had higher Al-tolerance than other two clones. Microscopic observation revealed changes in leaf morphology when exposed to Al stress; for example, a reduced thickness of leaf epidermis and palisade tissue, the descendant palisade tissue/spongy tissue ratio and leaf tissue looseness. Overall, the acid and aluminum stress exerted negative effects on the photosynthetic activity of eucalypt seedlings, but the differences in tolerance to Al toxicity between the clones were favorable, offering potential to improve Eucalyptus plantation productivity by selecting Al tolerant clones.

Non-destructive determination of photosynthetic rates of eight varieties of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amadu, A. A.

2015-07-01

Cassava is an important food security crop in Ghana and in the wake of climate change there is the need for plant breeders to develop varieties with high water use efficiency as well as high photosynthetic rate in order to adapt to the changing climate. Thus, the photosynthetic rates of eight cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) varieties were non-destructively evaluated using photosynthesis meter miniPPM300, from June 2014 to May 2015, with the aim of selecting varieties with high photosynthetic rate for future breeding programmes. The mean photosynthetic rate varied depending on the varieties ranging from 40.5 μmol/m 2 s in Bosom nsia to 45.2 μmol/m 2 s in Gbenze. However, the presence of African cassava mosaic disease (ACMD) marginally reduced the photosynthetic rate to below 40 μmol/m 2 s in all the varieties. Similarly, the chlorophyll content index (CCI) as measured by chlorophyll meter and spectrophotometer also varied from one variety to another; it was low in Nandom (17.9 CCI) and high in Gbenze (39.93 CCI) using the chlorophyll meter and was also reduced by the presence of the virus. Although, the stomatal density varied between the varieties it was not influenced by virus infection. Furthermore, ACMD significantly decreased the leaf surface area from 5705.8mm 2 in uninfected plants to 1251.6mm 2 in infected plants, consequently reducing the number and weight of tubers produced 11 month after planting (MAP). Molecular Testing of the viruses using virus specific primers JSP001/JSP002, EAB555F/EAB555R, EACMV1e/EACMV2e at 6 MAP and 11MAP, showed that the mosaic symptoms were caused by African Cassava Mosaic virus disease. Cassava varieties with high photosynthetic efficiency and low virus infection can be used in cassava improvement programmes in Ghana. (au)

Estimation of vegetation photosynthetic capacity from space-based measurements of chlorophyll fluorescence for terrestrial biosphere models.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yongguang; Guanter, Luis; Berry, Joseph A; Joiner, Joanna; van der Tol, Christiaan; Huete, Alfredo; Gitelson, Anatoly; Voigt, Maximilian; Köhler, Philipp

2014-12-01

Photosynthesis simulations by terrestrial biosphere models are usually based on the Farquhar's model, in which the maximum rate of carboxylation (Vcmax ) is a key control parameter of photosynthetic capacity. Even though Vcmax is known to vary substantially in space and time in response to environmental controls, it is typically parameterized in models with tabulated values associated to plant functional types. Remote sensing can be used to produce a spatially continuous and temporally resolved view on photosynthetic efficiency, but traditional vegetation observations based on spectral reflectance lack a direct link to plant photochemical processes. Alternatively, recent space-borne measurements of sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) can offer an observational constraint on photosynthesis simulations. Here, we show that top-of-canopy SIF measurements from space are sensitive to Vcmax at the ecosystem level, and present an approach to invert Vcmax from SIF data. We use the Soil-Canopy Observation of Photosynthesis and Energy (SCOPE) balance model to derive empirical relationships between seasonal Vcmax and SIF which are used to solve the inverse problem. We evaluate our Vcmax estimation method at six agricultural flux tower sites in the midwestern US using spaced-based SIF retrievals. Our Vcmax estimates agree well with literature values for corn and soybean plants (average values of 37 and 101 μmol m(-2)  s(-1) , respectively) and show plausible seasonal patterns. The effect of the updated seasonally varying Vcmax parameterization on simulated gross primary productivity (GPP) is tested by comparing to simulations with fixed Vcmax values. Validation against flux tower observations demonstrate that simulations of GPP and light use efficiency improve significantly when our time-resolved Vcmax estimates from SIF are used, with R(2) for GPP comparisons increasing from 0.85 to 0.93, and for light use efficiency from 0.44 to 0.83. Our results support the use of

Photosynthetic performance of restored and natural mangroves under different environmental constraints.

Science.gov (United States)

Rovai, André Scarlate; Barufi, José Bonomi; Pagliosa, Paulo Roberto; Scherner, Fernando; Torres, Moacir Aluísio; Horta, Paulo Antunes; Simonassi, José Carlos; Quadros, Daiane Paula Cunha; Borges, Daniel Lázaro Gallindo; Soriano-Sierra, Eduardo Juan

2013-10-01

We hypothesized that the photosynthetic performance of mangrove stands restored by the single planting of mangroves species would be lowered due to residual stressors. The photosynthetic parameters of the vegetation of three planted mangrove stands, each with a different disturbance history, were compared to reference sites and correlated with edaphic environmental variables. A permutational analysis of variance showed significant interaction when the factors were compared, indicating that the photosynthetic parameters of the restoration areas differed from the reference sites. A univariate analysis of variance showed that all the photosynthetic parameters differed between sites and treatments, except for photosynthetic efficiency (αETR). The combination of environmental variables that best explained the variations observed in the photosynthetic performance indicators were Cu, Pb and elevation disruptions. Fluorescence techniques proved efficient in revealing important physiological differences, representing a powerful tool for rapid analysis of the effectiveness of initiatives aimed at restoring coastal environments. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Photosynthetic performance of restored and natural mangroves under different environmental constraints

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rovai, André Scarlate; Barufi, José Bonomi; Pagliosa, Paulo Roberto; Scherner, Fernando; Torres, Moacir Aluísio; Horta, Paulo Antunes

2013-01-01

We hypothesized that the photosynthetic performance of mangrove stands restored by the single planting of mangroves species would be lowered due to residual stressors. The photosynthetic parameters of the vegetation of three planted mangrove stands, each with a different disturbance history, were compared to reference sites and correlated with edaphic environmental variables. A permutational analysis of variance showed significant interaction when the factors were compared, indicating that the photosynthetic parameters of the restoration areas differed from the reference sites. A univariate analysis of variance showed that all the photosynthetic parameters differed between sites and treatments, except for photosynthetic efficiency (α ETR ). The combination of environmental variables that best explained the variations observed in the photosynthetic performance indicators were Cu, Pb and elevation disruptions. Fluorescence techniques proved efficient in revealing important physiological differences, representing a powerful tool for rapid analysis of the effectiveness of initiatives aimed at restoring coastal environments. -- Highlights: •Photosynthetic efficiency of natural and restored mangroves are compared. •Natural stands present higher photosynthetic performance. •Photosynthetic performance of mangroves is reduced due to Cu and Pb contamination. •Chlorophyll a fluorescence is a useful indicator to assess short-term restoration. -- Photosynthetic performance of mangroves is reduced due to Cu and Pb contamination

Photosynthetic performance of restored and natural mangroves under different environmental constraints

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rovai, André Scarlate, E-mail: rovaias@hotmail.com [Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Departamento de Ecologia e Zoologia, Campus Universitário, Trindade, 88040-900 Florianópolis, SC (Brazil); Barufi, José Bonomi, E-mail: jose.bonomi@gmail.com [Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Departamento de Botânica, Campus Universitário, Trindade, 88040-900 Florianópolis, SC (Brazil); Pagliosa, Paulo Roberto, E-mail: paulo.pagliosa@ufsc.br [Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Departamento de Geociências, Campus Universitário, Trindade, 88040-900 Florianópolis, SC (Brazil); Scherner, Fernando [Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Laboratório de Ficologia, Campus Universitário, Dois Irmãos, 52171-900 Recife, PE (Brazil); Torres, Moacir Aluísio, E-mail: moatorres@cav.udesc.br [Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina, Departamento de Engenharia Ambiental, Centro de Ciências Agroveterinárias, Av Luiz de Camões 2090, Conta Dinheiro, 88520-000 Lages, SC (Brazil); Horta, Paulo Antunes, E-mail: pahorta@ccb.ufsc.br [Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Departamento de Botânica, Campus Universitário, Trindade, 88040-900 Florianópolis, SC (Brazil); others, and

2013-10-15

We hypothesized that the photosynthetic performance of mangrove stands restored by the single planting of mangroves species would be lowered due to residual stressors. The photosynthetic parameters of the vegetation of three planted mangrove stands, each with a different disturbance history, were compared to reference sites and correlated with edaphic environmental variables. A permutational analysis of variance showed significant interaction when the factors were compared, indicating that the photosynthetic parameters of the restoration areas differed from the reference sites. A univariate analysis of variance showed that all the photosynthetic parameters differed between sites and treatments, except for photosynthetic efficiency (α{sub ETR}). The combination of environmental variables that best explained the variations observed in the photosynthetic performance indicators were Cu, Pb and elevation disruptions. Fluorescence techniques proved efficient in revealing important physiological differences, representing a powerful tool for rapid analysis of the effectiveness of initiatives aimed at restoring coastal environments. -- Highlights: •Photosynthetic efficiency of natural and restored mangroves are compared. •Natural stands present higher photosynthetic performance. •Photosynthetic performance of mangroves is reduced due to Cu and Pb contamination. •Chlorophyll a fluorescence is a useful indicator to assess short-term restoration. -- Photosynthetic performance of mangroves is reduced due to Cu and Pb contamination.

Disaggregating tree and grass phenology in tropical savannas

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Qiang

Savannas are mixed tree-grass systems and as one of the world's largest biomes represent an important component of the Earth system affecting water and energy balances, carbon sequestration and biodiversity as well as supporting large human populations. Savanna vegetation structure and its distribution, however, may change because of major anthropogenic disturbances from climate change, wildfire, agriculture, and livestock production. The overstory and understory may have different water use strategies, different nutrient requirements and have different responses to fire and climate variation. The accurate measurement of the spatial distribution and structure of the overstory and understory are essential for understanding the savanna ecosystem. This project developed a workflow for separating the dynamics of the overstory and understory fractional cover in savannas at the continental scale (Australia, South America, and Africa). Previous studies have successfully separated the phenology of Australian savanna vegetation into persistent and seasonal greenness using time series decomposition, and into fractions of photosynthetic vegetation (PV), non-photosynthetic vegetation (NPV) and bare soil (BS) using linear unmixing. This study combined these methods to separate the understory and overstory signal in both the green and senescent phenological stages using remotely sensed imagery from the MODIS (MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) sensor. The methods and parameters were adjusted based on the vegetation variation. The workflow was first tested at the Australian site. Here the PV estimates for overstory and understory showed best performance, however NPV estimates exhibited spatial variation in validation relationships. At the South American site (Cerrado), an additional method based on frequency unmixing was developed to separate green vegetation components with similar phenology. When the decomposition and frequency methods were compared, the frequency

Photosynthetic fuel for heterologous enzymes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mellor, Silas Busck; Vavitsas, Konstantinos; Nielsen, Agnieszka Janina Zygadlo

2017-01-01

of reducing power. Recent work on the metabolic engineering of photosynthetic organisms has shown that the electron carriers such as ferredoxin and flavodoxin can be used to couple heterologous enzymes to photosynthetic reducing power. Because these proteins have a plethora of interaction partners and rely...... on electrostatically steered complex formation, they form productive electron transfer complexes with non-native enzymes. A handful of examples demonstrate channeling of photosynthetic electrons to drive the activity of heterologous enzymes, and these focus mainly on hydrogenases and cytochrome P450s. However......, competition from native pathways and inefficient electron transfer rates present major obstacles, which limit the productivity of heterologous reactions coupled to photosynthesis. We discuss specific approaches to address these bottlenecks and ensure high productivity of such enzymes in a photosynthetic...

Photoperiodic controls on ecosystem-level photosynthetic capacity

Science.gov (United States)

Stoy, P. C.; Trowbridge, A. M.; Bauerle, W.

2012-12-01

Most models of photosynthesis at the leaf or canopy level assume that temperature is the dominant control on the variability of photosynthetic parameters. Recent studies, however, have found that photoperiod is a better descriptor of the seasonal variability of photosynthetic function at the leaf and plant scale, and that spectral indices of leaf functionality are poor descriptors of this seasonality. We explored the variability of photosynthesic parameters at the ecosystem scale using over 100 site-years of air temperature and gross primary productivity (GPP) data from non-tropical forested sites in the Free/Fair Use LaThuille FLUXNET database (www.fluxdata.org), excluding sites that were classified as dry and/or with savanna vegetation, where we expected GPP to be driven by moisture availability. Both GPP and GPP normalized by daily photosynthetic photon flux density (GPPn) were considered, and photoperiod was calculated from eddy covariance tower coordinates. We performed a Granger causality analysis, a method based on the understanding that causes precede effects, on both the GPP and GPPn. Photoperiod Granger-caused GPP (GPPn) in 95% (87%) of all site-years. While temperature Granger-caused GPP in a mere 23% of site years, it Granger-caused GPPn 73% of the time. Both temperature values are significantly less than the percent of cases in which day length Granger-caused GPP (p<0.05, Student's t-test). An inverse analysis was performed for completeness, and it was found that GPP Granger-caused photoperiod (temperature) in 39% (78%) of all site years. Results demonstrate that incorporating simple photoperiod controls may be a logical step in improving ecosystem and global model output.

Weak leaf photosynthesis and nutrient content relationships from tropical vegetation

Science.gov (United States)

Domingues, T. F.; Ishida, F. Y.; Feldpaush, T.; Saiz, G.; Grace, J.; Meir, P.; Lloyd, J.

2015-12-01

Evergreen rain forests and savannas are the two major vegetations of tropical land ecosystems, in terms of land area, biomass, biodiversity, biogeochemical cycles and rates of land use change. Mechanistically understanding ecosystem functioning on such ecosystems is still far from complete, but important for generation of future vegetation scenarios in response to global changes. Leaf photosynthetic rates is a key processes usually represented on land surface-atmosphere models, although data from tropical ecosystems is scarce, considering the high biodiversity they contain. As a shortcut, models usually recur to relationships between leaf nutrient concentration and photosynthetic rates. Such strategy is convenient, given the possibility of global datasets on leave nutrients derived from hyperspectral remote sensing data. Given the importance of Nitrogen on enzyme composition, this nutrient is usually used to infer photosynthetic capacity of leaves. Our experience, based on individual measurements on 1809 individual leaves from 428 species of trees and shrubs naturally occurring on tropical forests and savannas from South America, Africa and Australia, indicates that the relationship between leaf nitrogen and its assimilation capacity is weak. Therefore, leaf Nitrogen alone is a poor predictor of photosynthetic rates of tropical vegetation. Phosphorus concentrations from tropical soils are usually low and is often implied that this nutrient limits primary productivity of tropical vegetation. Still, phosphorus (or other nutrients) did not exerted large influence over photosynthetic capacity, although potassium influenced vegetation structure and function. Such results draw attention to the risks of applying universal nitrogen-photosynthesis relationships on biogeochemical models. Moreover, our data suggests that affiliation of plant species within phylogenetic hierarchy is an important aspect in understanding leaf trait variation. The lack of a strong single

Tree Species with Photosynthetic Stems Have Greater Nighttime Sap Flux

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xia Chen

2018-01-01

Full Text Available An increasing body of evidence has shown that nighttime sap flux occurs in most plants, but the physiological implications and regulatory mechanism are poorly known. The significance of corticular photosynthesis has received much attention during the last decade, however, the knowledge of the relationship between corticular photosynthesis and nocturnal stem sap flow is limited at present. In this study, we divided seven tree species into two groups according to different photosynthetic capabilities: trees of species with (Castanopsis hystrix, Michelia macclurei, Eucalyptus citriodora, and Eucalyptus grandis × urophylla and without (Castanopsis fissa, Schima superba, and Acacia auriculiformis photosynthetic stems, and the sap flux (Js and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters for these species were measured. One-way ANOVA analysis showed that the Fv/Fm (Maximum photochemical quantum yield of PSII and ΦPSII (effective photochemical quantum yield of PSII values were lower in non-photosynthetic stem species compared to photosynthetic stem species. The linear regression analysis showed that Js,d (daytime sap flux and Js,n (nighttime sap flux of non-photosynthetic stem species was 87.7 and 60.9% of the stem photosynthetic species. Furthermore, for a given daytime transpiration water loss, total nighttime sap flux was higher in species with photosynthetic stems (SlopeSMA = 2.680 than in non-photosynthetic stems species (SlopeSMA = 1.943. These results mean that stem corticular photosynthesis has a possible effect on the nighttime water flow, highlighting the important eco-physiological relationship between nighttime sap flux and corticular photosynthesis.

Tree Species with Photosynthetic Stems Have Greater Nighttime Sap Flux

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Xia; Gao, Jianguo; Zhao, Ping; McCarthy, Heather R.; Zhu, Liwei; Ni, Guangyan; Ouyang, Lei

2018-01-01

An increasing body of evidence has shown that nighttime sap flux occurs in most plants, but the physiological implications and regulatory mechanism are poorly known. The significance of corticular photosynthesis has received much attention during the last decade, however, the knowledge of the relationship between corticular photosynthesis and nocturnal stem sap flow is limited at present. In this study, we divided seven tree species into two groups according to different photosynthetic capabilities: trees of species with (Castanopsis hystrix, Michelia macclurei, Eucalyptus citriodora, and Eucalyptus grandis × urophylla) and without (Castanopsis fissa, Schima superba, and Acacia auriculiformis) photosynthetic stems, and the sap flux (Js) and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters for these species were measured. One-way ANOVA analysis showed that the Fv/Fm (Maximum photochemical quantum yield of PSII) and ΦPSII (effective photochemical quantum yield of PSII) values were lower in non-photosynthetic stem species compared to photosynthetic stem species. The linear regression analysis showed that Js,d (daytime sap flux) and Js,n (nighttime sap flux) of non-photosynthetic stem species was 87.7 and 60.9% of the stem photosynthetic species. Furthermore, for a given daytime transpiration water loss, total nighttime sap flux was higher in species with photosynthetic stems (SlopeSMA = 2.680) than in non-photosynthetic stems species (SlopeSMA = 1.943). These results mean that stem corticular photosynthesis has a possible effect on the nighttime water flow, highlighting the important eco-physiological relationship between nighttime sap flux and corticular photosynthesis. PMID:29416547

Thymosin From Bombyx mori Is Down-Regulated in Expression by BmNPV Exhibiting Antiviral Activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Chen; Wang, Yongdi; Fang, Qiang; Xu, Minlin; Lv, Mengyuan; Liao, Jinxu; Li, Si; Nie, Zuoming; Zhang, Wenping

2016-01-01

Thymosins have been highly conserved during evolution. These hormones exist in many animal species and play an essential role in many biological events. However, little is known regarding the physiological function of silkworm Bombyx mori thymosin (BmTHY). In this study, we investigated the expression pattern of BmTHY in a Bombyx mori larval ovarian cell line (BmN) challenged with Bombyx mori nuclear polyhydrosis virus (BmNPV) and the antiviral effect of recombinant BmTHY (rBmTHY) for Bombyx mori against BmNPV. Western-blot assay and qRT-PCR analysis revealed that the level of BmTHY protein expression and transcription decreased over time when BmN cells were infected by BmNPV. Treatment with endotoxin-free rBmTHY led to a significant reduction in viral titer in the supernatant of BmN cells challenged with BmNPV. The results from antiviral tests performed in vitro and in vivo showed that endotoxin-free rBmTHY improved the survival rate of Bombyx mori infected with BmNPV. These findings suggest that BmTHY exerts immunomodulatory effects on Bombyx mori, rendering them resistant to viral infection. © The Authors 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America.

Effect of ambient levels of ozone on photosynthetic components and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Effect of ambient levels of ozone on photosynthetic components and radical scavenging system in leaves of African cowpea varieties. ... The O3-induced significant reduction in catalase activity was observed in Blackeye at vegetative and reproductive growth stages; and in Asontem at reproductive growth stage. On the other ...

Tree Species with Photosynthetic Stems Have Greater Nighttime Sap Flux.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Xia; Gao, Jianguo; Zhao, Ping; McCarthy, Heather R; Zhu, Liwei; Ni, Guangyan; Ouyang, Lei

2018-01-01

An increasing body of evidence has shown that nighttime sap flux occurs in most plants, but the physiological implications and regulatory mechanism are poorly known. The significance of corticular photosynthesis has received much attention during the last decade, however, the knowledge of the relationship between corticular photosynthesis and nocturnal stem sap flow is limited at present. In this study, we divided seven tree species into two groups according to different photosynthetic capabilities: trees of species with ( Castanopsis hystrix, Michelia macclurei, Eucalyptus citriodora , and Eucalyptus grandis × urophylla ) and without ( Castanopsis fissa, Schima superba , and Acacia auriculiformis ) photosynthetic stems, and the sap flux ( J s ) and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters for these species were measured. One-way ANOVA analysis showed that the F v / F m (Maximum photochemical quantum yield of PSII) and Φ PSII (effective photochemical quantum yield of PSII) values were lower in non-photosynthetic stem species compared to photosynthetic stem species. The linear regression analysis showed that J s,d (daytime sap flux) and J s,n (nighttime sap flux) of non-photosynthetic stem species was 87.7 and 60.9% of the stem photosynthetic species. Furthermore, for a given daytime transpiration water loss, total nighttime sap flux was higher in species with photosynthetic stems (Slope SMA = 2.680) than in non-photosynthetic stems species (Slope SMA = 1.943). These results mean that stem corticular photosynthesis has a possible effect on the nighttime water flow, highlighting the important eco-physiological relationship between nighttime sap flux and corticular photosynthesis.

Photosynthetically supplemental lighting for vegetable crop production with super-bright laser diode

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Yongguang; Li, Pingping; Shi, Jintong

2007-02-01

Although many artificial light sources like high-pressure sodium lamp, metal halide lamp, fluorescent lamp and so on are commonly used in horticulture, they are not widely applied because of the disadvantages of unreasonable spectra, high cost and complex control. Recently new light sources of light-emitting diode (LED) and laser diode (LD) are becoming more and more popular in the field of display and illumination with the improvement of material and manufacturing, long life-span and increasingly low cost. A new type of super-bright red LD (BL650, central wavelength is 650 nm) was selected to make up of the supplemental lighting panel, on which LDs were distributed with regular hexagon array. Drive circuit was designed to power it and adjust light intensity. System performance including temperature rise and light intensity distribution under different vertical/horizontal distances were tested. Photosynthesis of sweet pepper and eggplant leaf under LD was measured with LI-6400 to show the supplemental lighting effects. The results show that LD system can supply the maximum light intensity of 180 μmol/m2 •s at the distance of 50 mm below the panel and the temperature rise is little within 1 °C. Net photosynthetic rate became faster when LD system increased light intensity. Compared with sunlight and LED supplemental lighting system, LD's promotion on photosynthesis is in the middle. Thus it is feasible for LD light source to supplement light for vegetable crops. Further study would focus on the integration of LD and other artificial light sources.

ISLSCP II C4 Vegetation Percentage

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — ABSTRACT: The photosynthetic composition (C3 or C4) of vegetation on the land surface is essential for accurate simulations of biosphere-atmosphere exchanges of...

ISLSCP II C4 Vegetation Percentage

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The photosynthetic composition (C3 or C4) of vegetation on the land surface is essential for accurate simulations of biosphere-atmosphere exchanges of carbon, water,...

Superradiance Transition and Nonphotochemical Quenching in Photosynthetic Complexes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Berman, Gennady Petrovich [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Nesterov, Alexander [Universidad de Guadalajara, Departamento de Fısica, Jalisco (Mexico); Lopez, Gustavo [Universidad de Guadalajara, Departamento de Fısica, Jalisco (Mexico); Sayre, Richard Thomas [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2015-04-23

Photosynthetic organisms have evolved protective strategies to allow them to survive in cases of intense sunlight fluctuation with the development of nonphotochemical quenching (NPQ). This process allows light harvesting complexes to transfer the excess sunlight energy to non-damaging quenching channels. This report compares the NPQ process with the superradiance transition (ST). We demonstrated that the maximum of the NPQ efficiency is caused by the ST to the sink associated with the CTS. However, experimental verifications are required in order to determine whether or not the NPQ regime is associated with the ST transition for real photosynthetic complexes. Indeed, it can happen that, in the photosynthetic apparatus, the NPQ regime occurs in the “non-optimal” region of parameters, and it could be independent of the ST.

Histological study of SlNPV infection on body weight and peritrophic membrane damage of Spodoptera litura larvae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

NANIN DIAH KURNIAWATI

2010-11-01

Full Text Available Sanjaya, Machmudin D, Kurniawati ND. 2010. Histological study of SlNPV infection on body weight and peritrophic membrane damage of Spodoptera litura larvae. Nusantara Bioscience 2: 135-140. The effect of SlNPV infection on body weight and peritrophic membrane damage of Spodoptera litura Fab. larvae has been carried out. The method was used Probit analysis, and based on LD 50 the virus was infected to know body weight and post infection damage.The damage of histological structure caused by SlNPV (0, 315, 390, 465, 540 dan 615 PIB/mL was investigated after 0, 12, 24, 72 and 96 hours post infection. The histological material was prepared by using parafin method after fixation with Bouin Solution, then slice into 7 um and colored with Hematoxilin-Eosin. The result showed that the exposure SlNPV cause decreasing food consumption especially on 540 PIB/mL give average rate as amount of 0.1675 mg. The descriptive obsevation on structural intact of peritrophic membrane histology caused by SlNPV infection shows a tendency to decrease, while in control, there was no damage at all. The longer the exposition of virion in the midgut lumen the more damage on peritrophic membrane occurred. The severest damage occurred 96 hour after infection. The result prove that haNPV virion can destroy hystological structure of midgut.

Biome-specific effects of nitrogen and phosphorus on the photosynthetic characteristics of trees at a forest-savanna boundary in Cameroon.

Science.gov (United States)

Domingues, Tomas Ferreira; Ishida, F Yoko; Feldpausch, Ted R; Grace, John; Meir, Patrick; Saiz, Gustavo; Sene, Olivier; Schrodt, Franziska; Sonké, Bonaventure; Taedoumg, Herman; Veenendaal, Elmar M; Lewis, Simon; Lloyd, Jon

2015-07-01

Photosynthesis/nutrient relationships of proximally growing forest and savanna trees were determined in an ecotonal region of Cameroon (Africa). Although area-based foliar N concentrations were typically lower for savanna trees, there was no difference in photosynthetic rates between the two vegetation formation types. Opposite to N, area-based P concentrations were-on average-slightly lower for forest trees; a dependency of photosynthetic characteristics on foliar P was only evident for savanna trees. Thus savanna trees use N more efficiently than their forest counterparts, but only in the presence of relatively high foliar P. Along with some other recent studies, these results suggest that both N and P are important modulators of woody tropical plant photosynthetic capacities, influencing photosynthetic metabolism in different ways that are also biome specific. Attempts to find simple unifying equations to describe woody tropical vegetation photosynthesis-nutrient relationships are likely to meet with failure, with ecophysiological distinctions between forest and savanna requiring acknowledgement.

Photosynthetic rate, dry matter accumulation and yield inter-relationships jn genotypes of rice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Devendra, R.; Udaya Kumar, M.; Krishna Sastry, K.S.

1980-01-01

The relationship between photosynthetic efficiency, dry matter accumulation and yield in five genotypes of paddy derived from a single cross between Jaya X Halubbalu was studied. Photosynthetic efficiency of younger leaves, on the main tiller was higher than in the older leaves. A significant positive correlation between RuDPcase activity and photosynthetic efficiency was observed in these genotypes. Also a similar positive correlation between dry matter production and photosynthetic efficiency during vegetative period but not during post-anthesis period was observed. Genotypes with high photosynthetic efficiency and also the genotypes with high LAD produced higher dry matter. A reduction in LAD or in photosynthetic efficiency during the post-anthesis period and thus a reduction in source capacity which occurred specially in late types resulted in a lesser ratio between productive and total tillers and also higher percent sterility. Differences in yield amongst the genotypes were not significant, since in the late types MR. 333 and MR. 335, the post-anthesis dry matter production was low due to lesser source capacity. But in the early types, though the total dry matter was less, the post-anthesis source capacity was high. The importance of post-anthesis leaf area of photo-synthetic efficiency in productivity in genotypes of rice is highlighted. (author)

Photosynthetic and nitrogen fixation capability in several soybean mutant lines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gandanegara, S.; Hendratno, K.

1987-01-01

Photosynthetic and nitrogen fixation capability in several soybean mutant lines. A greenhouse experiment has been carried out to study photosynthetic and nitrogen fixation capability of five mutant lines and two soybean varieties. An amount of 330 uCi of 14 CO 2 was fed to the plants including of the non-fixing reference crop (Chippewa non-nodulating isoline). Nitrogen fixation measurements was carried out using 15 N isotope dilution technique according to A-value concept. Results showed that beside variety/mutant lines, plant growth also has important role in photosynthetic and N fixing capability. Better growth and a higher photosynthetic capability in Orba, mutant lines nos. 63 and 65 resulted in a greater amount of N 2 fixed (mg N/plant) than other mutant lines. (author). 12 refs.; 5 figs

Mineral composition of non-conventional leafy vegetables.

Science.gov (United States)

Barminas, J T; Charles, M; Emmanuel, D

1998-01-01

Six non-conventional leafy vegetables consumed largely by the rural populace of Nigeria were analyzed for mineral composition. Mineral contents appeared to be dependent on the type of vegetables. Amaranthus spinosus and Adansonia digitata leaves contained the highest level of iron (38.4 mg/100 g and 30.6 mg/100 g dw, respectively). These values are low compared to those for common Nigerian vegetables but higher than those for other food sources. All the vegetables contained high levels of calcium compared to common vegetables, thus they could be a rich source of this mineral. Microelement content of the leaves varied appreciably. Zinc content was highest in Moringa oleifera, Adansonia digitata and Cassia tora leaves (25.5 mg/100 g, 22.4 mg/100 g and 20.9 mg/100 g dw, respectively) while the manganese content was comparatively higher in Colocasia esculenta. The concentrations of the mineral elements in the vegetables per serving portion are presented and these values indicate that the local vegetables could be valuable and important contributors in the diets of the rural and urban people of Nigeria. The mean daily intake of P, Mg, Ca, Fe, Cu and Zn were lower than their recommended dietary allowances (RDAs). However, the manganese daily intake was found not to differ significantly (p = 0.05) from the RDA value.

Analisis Strategi Bisnis NPV, IRR, PI dan DPB pada Golden Restaurant Jakarta

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kriswanto Kriswanto

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Golden Restaurant is located in Senayan, South Jakarta. Because of intense competition and a lack of good economic growth in Indonesia, the restaurant sales dropped sharply and having some problems in operation. The measures is to do effective business strategies to improve business performance by conducting research, create a budget to analyze and predict the financial performance, and formulate an effective working capital structure. Formulation of the problem discussed is NPV and IRR of restaurant sales for the feasibility of an investment, securities of the PI and IBA restaurant on the return on investment and analysis NPV, IRR, PI and IBA on strategy formulation restaurant. From the analysis of simple direct study expected an increase in sales to 90% per year and provide a significant positive NPV and IRR of almost 20% which is higher than the original expectation of 15% and reach breakeven point within 4 to 7 years. From the results of this analysis also shows the business is sensitive to increased sales, operating expenses and cost of sales. In addition to inflation and economic conditions affect the performance of sensitive business. 

Remotely Sensed Northern Vegetation Response to Changing Climate: Growing Season and Productivity Perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Ganguly, S.; Park, Taejin; Choi, Sungho; Bi, Jian; Knyazikhin, Yuri; Myneni, Ranga

2016-01-01

Vegetation growing season and maximum photosynthetic state determine spatiotemporal variability of seasonal total gross primary productivity of vegetation. Recent warming induced impacts accelerate shifts on growing season and physiological status over Northern vegetated land. Thus, understanding and quantifying these changes are very important. Here, we first investigate how vegetation growing season and maximum photosynthesis state are evolved and how such components contribute on inter-annual variation of seasonal total gross primary productivity. Furthermore, seasonally different response of northern vegetation to changing temperature and water availability is also investigated. We utilized both long-term remotely sensed data to extract larger scale growing season metrics (growing season start, end and duration) and productivity (i.e., growing season summed vegetation index, GSSVI) for answering these questions. We find that regionally diverged growing season shift and maximum photosynthetic state contribute differently characterized productivity inter-annual variability and trend. Also seasonally different response of vegetation gives different view of spatially varying interaction between vegetation and climate. These results highlight spatially and temporally varying vegetation dynamics and are reflective of biome-specific responses of northern vegetation to changing climate.

Bacteriophytochrome controls carotenoid-independent response to photodynamic stress in a non-photosynthetic rhizobacterium, Azospirillum brasilense Sp7.

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Santosh; Kateriya, Suneel; Singh, Vijay Shankar; Tanwar, Meenakshi; Agarwal, Shweta; Singh, Hina; Khurana, Jitendra Paul; Amla, Devinder Vijay; Tripathi, Anil Kumar

2012-01-01

Ever since the discovery of the role of bacteriophytochrome (BphP) in inducing carotenoid synthesis in Deinococcus radiodurans in response to light the role of BphPs in other non-photosynthetic bacteria is not clear yet. Azospirillum brasilense, a non-photosynthetic rhizobacterium, harbours a pair of BphPs out of which AbBphP1 is a homolog of AtBphP1 of Agrobacterium tumefaciens. By overexpression, purification, biochemical and spectral characterization we have shown that AbBphP1 is a photochromic bacteriophytochrome. Phenotypic study of the ΔAbBphP1 mutant showed that it is required for the survival of A. brasilense on minimal medium under red light. The mutant also showed reduced chemotaxis towards dicarboxylates and increased sensitivity to the photooxidative stress. Unlike D. radiodurans, AbBphP1 was not involved in controlling carotenoid synthesis. Proteome analysis of the ΔAbBphP1 indicated that AbBphP1 is involved in inducing a cellular response that enables A. brasilense in regenerating proteins that might be damaged due to photodynamic stress.

Improving Delivery of Photosynthetic Reducing Power to Cytochrome P450s

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mellor, Silas Busck

at sustainable production of high-value and commodity products. Cytochrome P450 enzymes play key roles in the biosynthesis of important natural products. The electron carrier ferredoxin can couple P450s non-natively to photosynthetic electron supply, providing ample reducing power for catalysis. However......, photosynthetic reducing power feeds into both central and specialized metabolism, which leads to a fiercely competitive system from which to siphon reductant. This thesis explores the optimization of light-driven P450 activity, and proposes strategies to overcome the limitations imposed by competition...... for photosynthetic reducing power. Photosynthetic electron carrier proteins interact with widely different partners because they use relatively non-specific interactions. The mechanistic basis of these interactions and its impact on natural electron transfer complexes is discussed. This particular type...

A remotely sensed pigment index reveals photosynthetic phenology in evergreen conifers.

Science.gov (United States)

Gamon, John A; Huemmrich, K Fred; Wong, Christopher Y S; Ensminger, Ingo; Garrity, Steven; Hollinger, David Y; Noormets, Asko; Peñuelas, Josep

2016-11-15

In evergreen conifers, where the foliage amount changes little with season, accurate detection of the underlying "photosynthetic phenology" from satellite remote sensing has been difficult, presenting challenges for global models of ecosystem carbon uptake. Here, we report a close correspondence between seasonally changing foliar pigment levels, expressed as chlorophyll/carotenoid ratios, and evergreen photosynthetic activity, leading to a "chlorophyll/carotenoid index" (CCI) that tracks evergreen photosynthesis at multiple spatial scales. When calculated from NASA's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer satellite sensor, the CCI closely follows the seasonal patterns of daily gross primary productivity of evergreen conifer stands measured by eddy covariance. This discovery provides a way of monitoring evergreen photosynthetic activity from optical remote sensing, and indicates an important regulatory role for carotenoid pigments in evergreen photosynthesis. Improved methods of monitoring photosynthesis from space can improve our understanding of the global carbon budget in a warming world of changing vegetation phenology.

Comparison of Six DNA Extraction Procedures and the Application of Plastid DNA Enrichment Methods in Selected Non-photosynthetic Plants

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shin-Yi Shyu

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Genomic DNA was isolated using three DNA extraction commercial kits and three CTAB-based methods for two non-photosynthetic plants, Balanophora japonica and Mitrastemon kanehirai. The quality of the isolated DNA was evaluated and subjected to following restriction enzyme digestions. All six procedures yielded DNA of sufficient quality for PCR, and the method described by Barnwell et al. (1998 performed well in isolating DNA from both species for restriction enzyme digestion. In addition, we succeeded to enrich plastid DNA content by using the methods depending on a high salt buffer to deplete nuclear material. The ‘high salt’ methods based on protocol presented by Milligan (1989 were able to increase plastid DNA effectively and significantly reduce nuclear DNA from M. kanehirai. The plastid DNA enrichment protocols are inexpensive and not time-consuming, and may be applicable to other non-photosynthetic plants.

Quantum transport in the FMO photosynthetic light-harvesting complex.

Science.gov (United States)

Karafyllidis, Ioannis G

2017-06-01

The very high light-harvesting efficiency of natural photosynthetic systems in conjunction with recent experiments, which showed quantum-coherent energy transfer in photosynthetic complexes, raised questions regarding the presence of non-trivial quantum effects in photosynthesis. Grover quantum search, quantum walks, and entanglement have been investigated as possible effects that lead to this efficiency. Here we explain the near-unit photosynthetic efficiency without invoking non-trivial quantum effects. Instead, we use non-equilibrium Green's functions, a mesoscopic method used to study transport in nano-conductors to compute the transmission function of the Fenna-Matthews-Olson (FMO) complex using an experimentally derived exciton Hamiltonian. The chlorosome antenna and the reaction center play the role of input and output contacts, connected to the FMO complex. We show that there are two channels for which the transmission is almost unity. Our analysis also revealed a dephasing-driven regulation mechanism that maintains the efficiency in the presence of varying dephasing potentials.

Progress in Remote Sensing of Photosynthetic Activity over the Amazon Basin

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Resende de Sousa, Celio Helder; Hilker, Thomas; Waring, Richard; Mendes De Moura, Yhasmin; Lyapustin, Alexei

2017-01-01

Although quantifying the massive exchange of carbon that takes place over the Amazon Basin remains a challenge, progress is being made as the remote sensing community moves from using traditional, reflectance-based vegetation indices, such as the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), to the more functional Photochemical Reflectance Index (PRI). This new index, together with satellite-derived estimates of canopy light interception and Sun-Induced Fluorescence (SIF), provide improved estimates of Gross Primary Production (GPP). This paper traces the development of these new approaches, compares the results of their analyses from multiple years of data acquired across the Amazon Basin and suggests further improvements in instrument design, data acquisition and processing. We demonstrated that our estimates of PRI are in generally good agreement with eddy-flux tower measurements of photosynthetic light use efficiency (epsilon) at four sites in the Amazon Basin: r(exp 2) values ranged from 0.37 to 0.51 for northern flux sites and to 0.78for southern flux sites. This is a significant advance over previous approaches seeking to establish a link between global-scale photosynthetic activity and remotely-sensed data. When combined with measurements of Sun-Induced Fluorescence (SIF), PRI provides realistic estimates of seasonal variation in photosynthesis over the Amazon that relate well to the wet and dry seasons. We anticipate that our findings will steer the development of improved approaches to estimate photosynthetic activity over the tropics.

PHOTOSYNTHETIC EFFICIENCY IN JUVENILE STAGE AND WINTER BARLEY BREEDING FOR IMPROVED GRAIN YIELD AND STABILITY

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Josip Kovačević

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Photosynthetic efficiency parameters (Fv/Fm, ET0/ABS and PIABS were investigated at the end of tillering stage of winter barley grown in stress environment (21.3% vol. water content of soil and control (water content 30.4% vol. in relation to grain yield per vegetative pot. The trial was conducted in vegetative pots according to the RBD method of two-factorial experiment with 10 winter barley cultivars (7 tworowed and 3 six-rowed and 2 treatments in 3 repetitions. The stressed variant was exposed to water reduction three times (end of tillering stage, flag leaf to beginning of heading stage, grain filling stage. From sowing to maturity, the air temperature varied from -3.9°C to 32.9°C and water content from 16.4 % to 39.0 % of soil volume in vegetative pot. Significant differences were found for grain yield among the cultivars. The short-term drought stress caused significant reductions in grain yield per pot. The photosynthetic efficiency parameters were significant between cultivars, but significant effects for treatments and interaction were only detected for the Fv/Fm parameter. Photosynthetic efficiency parameters did not have significant correlation coefficients with grain yield and its stability in both treatments. Stability indexes of the parameters PIABS and Fv/Fm had positive but not significant correlations with grain yield in stressed variant (0.465 and 0.452 and stability index of grain yield (0.337 and 0.481.

Rescuing ethanol photosynthetic production of cyanobacteria in non-sterilized outdoor cultivations with a bicarbonate-based pH-rising strategy.

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Zhu, Zhi; Luan, Guodong; Tan, Xiaoming; Zhang, Haocui; Lu, Xuefeng

2017-01-01

Ethanol photosynthetic production based on cyanobacteria cell factories utilizing CO 2 and solar energy provides an attractive solution for sustainable production of green fuels. However, the scaling up processes of cyanobacteria cell factories were usually threatened or even devastated by biocontaminations, which restricted biomass or products accumulations of cyanobacteria cells. Thus it is of great significance to develop reliable biocontamination-controlling strategies for promoting ethanol photosynthetic production in large scales. The scaling up process of a previously developed Synechocystis strain Syn-HZ24 for ethanol synthesis was severely inhibited and devastated by a specific contaminant, Pannonibacter phragmitetus , which overcame the growths of cyanobacteria cells and completely consumed the ethanol accumulation in the cultivation systems. Physiological analysis revealed that growths and ethanol-consuming activities of the contaminant were sensitive to alkaline conditions, while ethanol-synthesizing cyanobacteria strain Syn-HZ24 could tolerate alkaline pH conditions as high as 11.0, indicating that pH-increasing strategy might be a feasible approach for rescuing ethanol photosynthetic production in outdoor cultivation systems. Thus, we designed and evaluated a Bicarbonate-based Integrated Carbon Capture System (BICCS) derived pH-rising strategy to rescue the ethanol photosynthetic production in non-sterilized conditions. In lab scale artificially simulated systems, pH values of BG11 culture medium were maintained around 11.0 by 180 mM NaHCO 3 and air steam, under which the infection of Pannonibacter phragmitetus was significantly restricted, recovering ethanol production of Syn-HZ24 by about 80%. As for outdoor cultivations, ethanol photosynthetic production of Syn-HZ24 was also successfully rescued by the BICCS-derived pH-rising strategy, obtaining a final ethanol concentration of 0.9 g/L after 10 days cultivation. In this work, a novel product

Toward understanding as photosynthetic biosignatures: light harvesting and energy transfer calculation

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Komatsu, Y.; Umemura, M.; Shoji, M.; Shiraishi, K.; Kayanuma, M.; Yabana, K.

2014-03-01

Among several proposed biosignatures, red edge is a direct evidence of photosynthetic life if it is detected (Kiang et al 2007). Red edge is a sharp change in reflectance spectra of vegetation in NIR region (about 700-750 nm). The sign of red edge is observed by Earthshine or remote sensing (Wolstencroft & Raven 2002, Woolf et al 2002). But, why around 700-750 nm? The photosynthetic organisms on Earth have evolved to optimize the sunlight condition. However, if we consider about photosynthetic organism on extrasolar planets, they should have developed to utilize the spectra of its principal star. Thus, it is not strange even if it shows different vegetation spectra. In this study, we focused on the light absorption mechanism of photosynthetic organisms on Earth and investigated the fundamental properties of the light harvesting mechanisms, which is the first stage for the light absorption. Light harvesting complexes contain photosynthetic pigments like chlorophylls. Effective light absorption and the energy transfer are accomplished by the electronic excitations of collective photosynthetic pigments. In order to investigate this mechanism, we constructed an energy transfer model by using a dipole-dipole approximation for the interactions between electronic excitations. Transition moments and transition energies of each pigment are calculated at the time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) level (Marques & Gross 2004). Quantum dynamics simulation for the excitation energy transfer was calculated by the Liouvelle's equation. We adopted the model to purple bacteria, which has been studied experimentally and known to absorb lower energy. It is meaningful to focus on the mechanism of this bacteria, since in the future mission, M planets will become a important target. We calculated the oscillator strengths in one light harvesting complex and confirmed the validity by comparing to the experimental data. This complex is made of an inner and an outer ring. The

Influence of plant maturity, shoot reproduction and sex on vegetative growth in the dioecious plant Urtica dioica.

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Oñate, Marta; Munné-Bosch, Sergi

2009-10-01

Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) is a herbaceous, dioecious perennial that is widely distributed around the world, reproduces both sexually and asexually, and is characterized by rapid growth. This work was aimed at evaluating the effects of plant maturity, shoot reproduction and sex on the growth of leaves and shoots. Growth rates of apical shoots, together with foliar levels of phytohormones (cytokinins, auxins, absicisic acid, jasmonic acid and salicylic acid) and other indicators of leaf physiology (water contents, photosynthetic pigments, alpha-tocopherol and F(v)/F(m) ratios) were measured in juvenile and mature plants, with a distinction made between reproductive and non-reproductive shoots in both males and females. Vegetative growth rates were not only evaluated in field-grown plants, but also in cuttings obtained from these plants. All measurements were performed during an active vegetative growth phase in autumn, a few months after mature plants reproduced during spring and summer. Vegetative growth rates in mature plants were drastically reduced compared with juvenile ones (48 % and 78 % for number of leaves and leaf biomass produced per day, respectively), which was associated with a loss of photosynthetic pigments (up to 24 % and 48 % for chlorophylls and carotenoids, respectively) and increases of alpha-tocopherol (up to 2.7-fold), while endogenous levels of phytohormones did not differ between mature and juvenile plants. Reductions in vegetative growth were particularly evident in reproductive shoots of mature plants, and occurred similarly in both males and females. It is concluded that (a) plant maturity reduces vegetative growth in U. dioica, (b) effects of plant maturity are evident both in reproductive and non-reproductive shoots, but particularly in the former, and (c) these changes occur similarly in both male and female plants.

Quantification of exchangeable and non-exchangeable organically bound tritium (OBT) in vegetation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, S.B.; Korolevych, V.

2013-01-01

The objective of this study is to quantify the relative amounts of exchangeable organically bound tritium (OBT) and non-exchangeable OBT in various vegetables. A garden plot at Perch Lake, where tritium levels are slightly elevated due to releases of tritium from a nearby nuclear waste management area and Chalk River Laboratories (CRL) operations, was used to cultivate a variety of vegetables. Five different kinds of vegetables (lettuce, cabbage, tomato, radish and beet) were studied. Exchangeable OBT behaves like tritium in tissue free water in living organisms and, based on past measurements, accounts for about 20% of the total tritium in dehydrated organic materials. In this study, the percentage of the exchangeable OBT was determined to range from 20% to 57% and was found to depend on the type of vegetables as well as the sequence of the plants exposure to HTO. -- Highlights: ► This study was to quantify the amount of exchangeable OBT compared to non-exchangeable OBT in vegetables. ► The percentage of exchangeable OBT varied between vegetable types and HTO exposure conditions. ► Exchangeable OBT varied from 20 to 36% in un-treated vegetables and from 30 to 57% in treated vegetables

Carbon and oxygen isotope analysis of leaf biomass reveals contrasting photosynthetic responses to elevated CO2 near geologic vents in Yellowstone National Park

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D. G. Williams

2009-01-01

Full Text Available In this study we explore the use of natural CO2 emissions in Yellowstone National Park (YNP in Wyoming, USA to study responses of natural vegetation to elevated CO2 levels. Radiocarbon (14C analysis of leaf biomass from a conifer (Pinus contortus; lodgepole pine and an invasive, non-native herb (Linaria dalmatica; Dalmation toadflax was used to trace the inputs of vent CO2 and quantify assimilation-weighted CO2 concentrations experienced by individual plants near vents and in comparable locations with no geologic CO2 exposure. The carbon and oxygen isotopic composition and nitrogen percent of leaf biomass from the same plants was used to investigate photosynthetic responses of these plants to naturally elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations. The coupled shifts in carbon and oxygen isotope values suggest that dalmation toadflax responded to elevated CO2 exposure by increasing stomatal conductance with no change in photosynthetic capacity and lodgepole pine apparently responded by decreasing stomatal conductance and photosynthetic capacity. Lodgepole pine saplings exposed to elevated levels of CO2 likewise had reduced leaf nitrogen concentrations compared to plants with no enhanced CO2 exposure, further suggesting widespread and dominant conifer down-regulated photosynthetic capacity under elevated CO2 levels near geologic vents.

Understanding climate impacts on vegetation using a spatiotemporal non-linear Granger causality framework

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Papagiannopoulou, Christina; Decubber, Stijn; Miralles, Diego; Demuzere, Matthias; Dorigo, Wouter; Verhoest, Niko; Waegeman, Willem

2017-04-01

Satellite data provide an abundance of information about crucial climatic and environmental variables. These data - consisting of global records, spanning up to 35 years and having the form of multivariate time series with different spatial and temporal resolutions - enable the study of key climate-vegetation interactions. Although methods which are based on correlations and linear models are typically used for this purpose, their assumptions for linearity about the climate-vegetation relationships are too simplistic. Therefore, we adopt a recently proposed non-linear Granger causality analysis [1], in which we incorporate spatial information, concatenating data from neighboring pixels and training a joint model on the combined data. Experimental results based on global data sets show that considering non-linear relationships leads to a higher explained variance of past vegetation dynamics, compared to simple linear models. Our approach consists of several steps. First, we compile an extensive database [1], which includes multiple data sets for land surface temperature, near-surface air temperature, surface radiation, precipitation, snow water equivalents and surface soil moisture. Based on this database, high-level features are constructed and considered as predictors in our machine-learning framework. These high-level features include (de-trended) seasonal anomalies, lagged variables, past cumulative variables, and extreme indices, all calculated based on the raw climatic data. Second, we apply a spatiotemporal non-linear Granger causality framework - in which the linear predictive model is substituted for a non-linear machine learning algorithm - in order to assess which of these predictor variables Granger-cause vegetation dynamics at each 1° pixel. We use the de-trended anomalies of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) to characterize vegetation, being the target variable of our framework. Experimental results indicate that climate strongly (Granger

Spectroscopic identification of binary and ternary surface complexes of Np(V) on gibbsite.

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Gückel, Katharina; Rossberg, André; Müller, Katharina; Brendler, Vinzenz; Bernhard, Gert; Foerstendorf, Harald

2013-12-17

For the first time, detailed molecular information on the Np(V) sorption species on amorphous Al(OH)3 and crystalline gibbsite was obtained by in situ time-resolved Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier-Transform Infrared (ATR FT-IR) and Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy. The results consistently demonstrate the formation of mononuclear inner sphere complexes of the NpO2(+) ion irrespective of the prevailing atmospheric condition. The impact of the presence of atmospheric equivalent added carbonate on the speciation in solution and on the surfaces becomes evident from vibrational data. While the 1:1 aqueous carbonato species (NpO2CO3(-)) was found to become predominant in the circumneutral pH range, it is most likely that this species is sorbed onto the gibbsite surface as a ternary inner sphere surface complex where the NpO2(+) moiety is directly coordinated to the functional groups of the gibbsite's surface. These findings are corroborated by results obtained from EXAFS spectroscopy providing further evidence for a bidentate coordination of the Np(V) ion on amorphous Al(OH)3. The identification of the Np(V) surface species on gibbsite constitutes a basic finding for a comprehensive description of the dissemination of neptunium in groundwater systems.

Survival, growth, and body residues of hyalella azteca (Saussure) exposed to fipronil contaminated sediments from non-vegetated and vegetated microcosms.

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Kröger, Robert; Lizotte, Richard E; Moore, Matthew T

2009-09-01

We assessed chronic effects of fipronil and metabolite contaminated sediments from non-vegetated and Thallia dealbata vegetated wetland microcosms on Hyalella azteca during wet and dry exposures. Mean sediment concentrations (ng g(-1)) ranged from 0.72-1.26, 0.01-0.69, 0.07-0.23, and 0.49-7.87 for fipronil, fipronil-sulfide, fipronil-sulfone, and fipronil-desulfinyl, respectively. No significant differences in animal survival or growth were observed between non-vegetated and vegetated microcosms during wet or dry exposures. Mean animal body residue concentrations (ng g(-1)) ranged from 28.4-77.6, 0-30.7, and 8.3-43.8 for fipronil, fipronil-sulfide, and fipronil-sulfone. Fipronil-desulfinyl was not detected in any animal samples.

Complexation of Np(V) in aqueous solutions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Askarieh, M.M.; Hansford, M.I.; Staunton, S.; Rees, L.V.C.

1993-01-01

Various parameters affecting the diffusion coefficient of neptunium (V) in clay systems have been studied; e.g. clay mineralogy, the charge compensating cation in the clay, the ionic strength of a background perchlorate solution and the presence of three organic ligands. Several well established techniques have been employed to obtain stability constants for the neptunium systems; Np(V) EDTA and Np(V)/citrate, Np(V)/Aldrich Humic Acid (AHA), Np(V)/Gorleben Hulic Acid (GHA) and for the uranium systems U(VI)/EDTA, U(VI)/citrate and U(VI)/AHA. The experimental techniques employed were UV/visible spectroscopy, polarography, solvent extraction and ion exchange. (author). 50 refs., 24 figs., 9 tabs

High-titer preparation of Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV displaying recombinant protein in silkworm larvae by size exclusion chromatography and its characterization

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Tanaka Shigeyasu

2009-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Budded baculoviruses are utilized for vaccine, the production of antibody and functional analysis of transmembrane proteins. In this study, we tried to produce and purify the recombinant Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (rBmNPV-hPRR that displayed human (prorenin receptor (hPRR connected with FLAG peptide sequence on its own surface. These particles were used for further binding analysis of hPRR to human prorenin. The rBmNPV-hPRR was produced in silkworm larvae and purified from its hemolymph using size exclusion chromatography (SEC. Results A rapid method of BmNPV titer determination in hemolymph was performed using quantitative real-time PCR (Q-PCR. A correlation coefficient of BmNPV determination between end-point dilution and Q-PCR methods was found to be 0.99. rBmNPV-hPRR bacmid-injected silkworm larvae produced recombinant baculovirus of 1.31 × 108 plaque forming unit (pfu in hemolymph, which was 2.8 × 104 times higher than transfection solution in Bm5 cells. Its purification yield by Sephacryl S-1000 SF column chromatography was 264 fold from larval hemolymph at 4 days post-injection (p.i., but 35 or 39 fold at 4.5 or 5 days p.i., respectively. Protein patterns of rBmNPV-hPRR purified at 4 and 5 days were the same and ratio of envelope proteins (76, 45 and 35 kDa to VP39, one of nucleocapsid proteins, increased at 5 days p.i. hPRR was detected in only purified rBmNPV-hPRR at 5 days p.i.. Conclusion The successful purification of rBmNPV-hPRR indicates that baculovirus production using silkworm larvae and its purification from hemolymph by Sephacryl S-1000 SF column chromatography can provide an economical approach in obtaining the purified BmNPV stocks with high titer for large-scale production of hPRR. Also, it can be utilized for further binding analysis and screening of inhibitors of hPRR.

Upscaling from leaf to canopy chlorophyll/carotenoid pigment based vegetation indices reveal phenology of photosynthesis in temperate evergreen and deciduous trees

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Wong, C. Y.; Bhathena, Y.; Arain, M. A.; Ensminger, I.

2017-12-01

Optically derived vegetation indices have been developed to provide information about plant status including photosynthetic activity. They reflect changes in leaf pigments, which vary seasonally in pigment composition, enabling them to be used as a proxy of photosynthetic phenology. Important pigments in photosynthetic activity are carotenoids and chlorophylls, which are associated with light harvesting and energy dissipation. In temperate forests, which consist of deciduous and evergreen trees, there are difficulties resolving evergreen phenology using the most widely used index, the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). NDVI works well in deciduous trees, which exhibit a "visible" phenological process of leaf growth in the spring, and leaf senescence and abscission in the autumn. Evergreen conifers stay green year-round and utilize "invisible" changes of overwintering pigment composition that NDVI cannot resolve, so carotenoid pigment sensitive vegetation indices have been suggested for evergreens. The aim of this study was to evaluate carotenoid based vegetation indices over the chlorophyll sensitive NDVI. For this purpose, we evaluated the greenness index, NDVI, and carotenoid pigment sensitive indices: photochemical reflectance index (PRI) and chlorophyll/carotenoid index (CCI) in red maple, white oak and eastern white pine for two years. We also measured leaf gas exchange and pigment concentrations. We observed that NDVI correlated with photosynthetic activity in deciduous trees, whereas PRI and CCI correlated with photosynthesis across both evergreen and deciduous trees. This pattern was consistent, upscaling from leaf- to canopy-scales indicating that the mechanisms involved in winter acclimation can be resolved at larger spatial scales. PRI and CCI detected seasonal changes in carotenoids and chlorophylls linked to photoprotection and are suitable as a proxy of photosynthetic activity. These findings have implications to improve our use and

The Design and Simulation of Natural Personalised Ventilation (NPV System for Multi-Bed Hospital Wards

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Zulfikar A. Adamu

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Adequate ventilation is necessary for thermal comfort and reducing risks from infectious bio-aerosols in hospital wards, but achieving this with mechanical ventilation has carbon and energy implications. Natural ventilation is often limited to window-based designs whose dilution/mixing effectiveness are subject to constraints of wind speed, cross ventilation, and in the case of hospital wards, proximity of patients to external walls. A buoyancy-driven natural ventilation system capable of achieving dilution/mixing was shown to be feasible in a preceding study of novel system called natural personalised ventilation (NPV. This system combined both architecture and airflow engineering principles of space design and buoyancy and was tested and validated (salt-bath experiment for a single bed ward. This research extends the previous work and is proof-of-concept on the feasibility of NPV system for multi-bed wards. Two different four-bed ward types were investigated of using computational fluid dynamics (CFD simulations under wind-neutral conditions. Results predict that NPV system could deliver fresh air to multiple patients, including those located 10 m away from external wall, with absolute flow rates of between 32 L·s−1 and 54 L·s−1 for each patient/bed. Compared to same wards simulated using window design, ingress of airborne contaminants into patients’ breathing zone and summer overheating potential were minimised, while overall ward dilution was maximised. Findings suggest the NPV has potentials for enabling architects and building service engineers to decouple airflow delivery from the visualisation and illumination responsibilities placed upon windows.

Optimum combinations of visible and near-infrared reflectances for estimating the fraction of photosynthetically available radiation absorbed by plants

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Podaire, Alain; Deschamps, Pierre-Yves; Frouin, R.; Asrar, Ghassem

1991-01-01

A useful parameter to estimate terrestrial primary productivity, that can be sensed from space, is the daily averaged fraction of Photosynthetically Available Radiation (PAR) absorbed by plants. To evaluate this parameter, investigators have relied on the fact that the relative amount of radiation reflected by a vegetated surface in the visible and near infrared depends on the fraction of the surface covered by the vegetation and therefore, correlates with absorbed PAR. They have used vegetation indices, namely normalized difference and simple ratio, to derive absorbed PAR. The problem with normalized difference and simple ratio is first, they are non linear functions of radiance or reflectance and therefore, cannot be readily applied to heterogeneous targets, second, they are used in generally nonlinear relationships, which make time integrals of the indices not proportional to primary productivity, and third, the relationships depend strongly on the type of canopy and background. To remove these limitations, linear combinations of visible and near infrared reflectances at optimum (one or two) viewing zenith angles are proposed.

A cell clone strain from Mythimna separata (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) highly susceptible to Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) and M. separata NPV (MsNPV).

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Meng, Xiang-Qian; Zheng, Gui-Ling; Zhao, Chuan-De; Wan, Fang-Hao; Li, Chang-You

2017-08-01

In this study, we describe a cell line, Ms-10C, cloned from the line QAU-Ms-E-10 (simplified Ms-10), an embryonic line from Mythimna separata. The cloned cell line was significantly more sensitive to nucleopolyhedrovirus (NPV). Ms-10C cells were mainly spherical with a diameter of 14.42 ± 2.23 μm. DNA amplification fingerprinting (DAF) confirmed the profile of PCR-amplified bands of the cloned cell line was consistent with those of the parental cell line, Ms-10. The sequencing result of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (mtCO I) fragment confirmed that the amplified 636-bps mtCOI fragment was 100% identical to that of M. separata. Its chromosomes exhibited the typical characters of lepidopteran cell lines. Its population doubling time was 42.2 h at 27°C. Ms-10C was more sensitive than Ms-10 to both Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) and M. separata nucleopolyhedrovirus (MsNPV). At 4 d post infection, the infection rates of two viruses reached 94.2 and 92.3%, respectively. The availability of this cell clone strain will provide a useful tool for the basic research on nucleopolyhedrovirus and for potential application in expression of recombinant proteins with baculovirus expression vector system.

Sun and Shade leaves, SIF, and Photosynthetic Capacity

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Berry, J. A.; Badgley, G.

2016-12-01

Recent advances in retrieval of solar induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) have opened up new possibilities for remote sensing of canopy physiology and structure. To date most of the emphasis has been placed on SIF as an indicator of stress and photosynthetic capacity. However, it is clear that canopy structure can also have an influence. To this point, simulations of SIF in land surface models tend to under predict observed variation in SIF. Also, large, systematic differences in SIF from different canopy types seem to correlate well with the photosynthetic capacity of these canopies. SIF emissions from pampered crops can be several-fold that from evergreen, needle-leaf forests. Yet, these may have similar vegetation indices and absorb a similar fraction of incident PAR. SIF photons produced in a conifer canopy do have a lower probability of escaping its dense, clumped foliage. However, this does not explain the correlated differences in photosynthetic rate and SIF. It is useful, in this regard, to consider the separate contributions of sun and shade leaves to the SIF emitted by a canopy. Sun leaves tend to be displayed to intercept the direct solar beam, and these highly illuminated leaves are often visible from above the canopy. Sun leaves produce more SIF and a large fraction of it escapes. Therefore, the intensity of SIF may be a sensitive indicator of the partitioning of absorbed PAR to sun and shade leaves. Many models account tor the different photosynthetic capacity of sun and shade leaves in calculating canopy responses. However, the fraction of leaves in each category is usually parameterized by an assumed leaf angle distribution (e.g. spherical). In reality, the sun/shade fraction can vary over a wide range, and it has been difficult to measure. SIF and possibly near-IR reflectance of canopies can be used to specify this key parameter with obvious importance to understanding photosynthetic rate.

Drivers of Global Vegetation Biomass Trends between 1988 and 2008

KAUST Repository

McCabe, Matthew; Liu, Yi; Evans, Jason; De Jeu, Richard; van Dijk, Albert

2013-01-01

Vegetation optical depth (VOD) is an indicator of the vegetation water content of both woody and leaf components in terrestrial biomass as derived from passive microwave observations. VOD is distinctly different from products derived from optical remote sensing: it is less prone to saturation in dense canopy; is sensitive to both photosynthetic and non-photosynthetic biomass; is less affected by atmospheric conditions; and is of coarser spatial resolution. Here, VOD retrievals from a series of sensors are blended to produce a time series from 1988 through to 2008, and a global analysis is undertaken to quantify and attribute global VOD trends over the same period. We conduct Mann-Kendall linear trend tests on annual average VOD to identify regions of significant change. Patterns for these regions were evaluated against independent datasets to diagnose the underlying cause of the observed trends. Results indicate that: (1) over grassland and shrubland, VOD patterns correspond strongly to temporal precipitation patterns; (2) over croplands, annual average VOD shows a general increase that corresponds to reported crop yield patterns and can be attributed to a combination of precipitation patterns and agricultural improvement; (3) over humid tropical forest, the spatial pattern of VOD decline agrees well with deforestation patterns identified in previous studies; and (4) over boreal forests, regional VOD declines can be attributed to a combination of fires and logging. We conclude that VOD can be used to estimate and interpret global changes in total above ground vegetation biomass. We expect that this new observationally based remote sensing data source will be of considerable interest to hydrological, agricultural, climate change and carbon cycle studies, and provide new insights into these and related process investigations.

Drivers of Global Vegetation Biomass Trends between 1988 and 2008

KAUST Repository

McCabe, Matthew

2013-12-01

Vegetation optical depth (VOD) is an indicator of the vegetation water content of both woody and leaf components in terrestrial biomass as derived from passive microwave observations. VOD is distinctly different from products derived from optical remote sensing: it is less prone to saturation in dense canopy; is sensitive to both photosynthetic and non-photosynthetic biomass; is less affected by atmospheric conditions; and is of coarser spatial resolution. Here, VOD retrievals from a series of sensors are blended to produce a time series from 1988 through to 2008, and a global analysis is undertaken to quantify and attribute global VOD trends over the same period. We conduct Mann-Kendall linear trend tests on annual average VOD to identify regions of significant change. Patterns for these regions were evaluated against independent datasets to diagnose the underlying cause of the observed trends. Results indicate that: (1) over grassland and shrubland, VOD patterns correspond strongly to temporal precipitation patterns; (2) over croplands, annual average VOD shows a general increase that corresponds to reported crop yield patterns and can be attributed to a combination of precipitation patterns and agricultural improvement; (3) over humid tropical forest, the spatial pattern of VOD decline agrees well with deforestation patterns identified in previous studies; and (4) over boreal forests, regional VOD declines can be attributed to a combination of fires and logging. We conclude that VOD can be used to estimate and interpret global changes in total above ground vegetation biomass. We expect that this new observationally based remote sensing data source will be of considerable interest to hydrological, agricultural, climate change and carbon cycle studies, and provide new insights into these and related process investigations.

Understanding Seasonal Dynamics of the Photo-Protective Xanthophyll Cycle Improves Remote Detection of Photosynthetic Phenology in Deciduous Trees and Evergreen Conifers

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Ensminger, I.; Wong, C. Y.; Junker, L. V.; Bathena, Y.; Arain, M. A.; D'Odorico, P.

2017-12-01

The ability of plants to sequester carbon is highly variable over the course of the year and reflects seasonal variation in photosynthetic efficiency. This seasonal variation is most prominent during autumn, when leaves of deciduous tree species undergo senescence, which is associated with the downregulation of photosynthesis and a change of leaf color and leaf optical properties. Vegetation indices derived from remote sensing of leaf optical properties using e.g. spectral reflectance measurements are increasingly used to monitor and predict growing season length and seasonal variation in carbon sequestration. Here we compare leaf-level, canopy-level and drone based observations of leaf spectral reflectance measurements. We demonstrate that some of the widely used vegetation indices such as the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and photochemical reflectance index (PRI) vary in their ability to adequately track the seasonal variation in photosynthetic efficiency and chlorophyll content. We further show that monitoring seasonal variation of photosynthesis using NDVI or PRI is particularly challenging in evergreen conifers, due to little seasonal variation in foliage. However, there is remarkable seasonal variation in leaf optical properties associated with changes in pools of xanthophyll cycle pigments and carotenoids that provide a promising way of monitoring photosynthetic phenology in evergreen conifers via leaf reflectance measurements.

An Excel tool for deriving key photosynthetic parameters from combined gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence: theory and practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Bellasio, Chandra; Beerling, David J; Griffiths, Howard

2016-06-01

Combined photosynthetic gas exchange and modulated fluorometres are widely used to evaluate physiological characteristics associated with phenotypic and genotypic variation, whether in response to genetic manipulation or resource limitation in natural vegetation or crops. After describing relatively simple experimental procedures, we present the theoretical background to the derivation of photosynthetic parameters, and provide a freely available Excel-based fitting tool (EFT) that will be of use to specialists and non-specialists alike. We use data acquired in concurrent variable fluorescence-gas exchange experiments, where A/Ci and light-response curves have been measured under ambient and low oxygen. From these data, the EFT derives light respiration, initial PSII (photosystem II) photochemical yield, initial quantum yield for CO2 fixation, fraction of incident light harvested by PSII, initial quantum yield for electron transport, electron transport rate, rate of photorespiration, stomatal limitation, Rubisco (ribulose 1·5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase) rate of carboxylation and oxygenation, Rubisco specificity factor, mesophyll conductance to CO2 diffusion, light and CO2 compensation point, Rubisco apparent Michaelis-Menten constant, and Rubisco CO2 -saturated carboxylation rate. As an example, a complete analysis of gas exchange data on tobacco plants is provided. We also discuss potential measurement problems and pitfalls, and suggest how such empirical data could subsequently be used to parameterize predictive photosynthetic models. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Seasonal variation of photosynthetic model parameters and leaf area index from global Fluxnet eddy covariance data

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Groenendijk, M.; Dolman, A.J.; Ammann, C.; Arneth, A.; Cescatti, A.; Molen, van der M.K.; Moors, E.J.

2011-01-01

Global vegetation models require the photosynthetic parameters, maximum carboxylation capacity (Vcm), and quantum yield (a) to parameterize their plant functional types (PFTs). The purpose of this work is to determine how much the scaling of the parameters from leaf to ecosystem level through a

On the photosynthetic and devlopmental responses of leaves to the spectral composition of light

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hogewoning, S.W.

2010-01-01

Key words: action spectrum, artificial solar spectrum, blue light, Cucumis sativus, gas-exchange, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), light interception, light quality, non-photosynthetic pigments, photo-synthetic capacity, photomorphogenesis, photosystem excitation balance, quantum yield, red light.

Yield estimation using SPOT-VEGETATION products: A case study of wheat in European countries

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kowalik, W.; Dabrowska-Zielinska, K.; Meroni, M.; Raczka, T.U.; Wit, de A.J.W.

2014-01-01

In the period 1999-2009 ten-day SPOT-VEGETATION products of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Fraction of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (FAPAR) at 1 km spatial resolution were used in order to estimate and forecast the wheat yield over Europe. The products were

Rice Photosynthetic Productivity and PSII Photochemistry under Nonflooded Irrigation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Haibing He

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Nonflooded irrigation is an important water-saving rice cultivation technology, but little is known on its photosynthetic mechanism. The aims of this work were to investigate photosynthetic characteristics of rice during grain filling stage under three nonflooded irrigation treatments: furrow irrigation with plastic mulching (FIM, furrow irrigation with nonmulching (FIN, and drip irrigation with plastic mulching (DI. Compared with the conventional flooding (CF treatment, those grown in the nonflooded irrigation treatments showed lower net photosynthetic rate (PN, lower maximum quantum yield (Fv/Fm, and lower effective quantum yield of PSII photochemistry (ΦPSII. And the poor photosynthetic characteristics in the nonflooded irrigation treatments were mainly attributed to the low total nitrogen content (TNC. Under non-flooded irrigation, the PN, Fv/Fm, and ΦPSII significantly decreased with a reduction in the soil water potential, but these parameters were rapidly recovered in the DI and FIM treatments when supplementary irrigation was applied. Moreover, The DI treatment always had higher photosynthetic productivity than the FIM and FIN treatments. Grain yield, matter translocation, and dry matter post-anthesis (DMPA were the highest in the CF treatment, followed by the DI, FIM, and FIN treatments in turn. In conclusion, increasing nitrogen content in leaf of rice plants could be a key factor to improve photosynthetic capacity in nonflooded irrigation.

Diversity and abundance of photosynthetic sponges in temperate Western Australia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brümmer Franz

2009-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Photosynthetic sponges are important components of reef ecosystems around the world, but are poorly understood. It is often assumed that temperate regions have low diversity and abundance of photosynthetic sponges, but to date no studies have investigated this question. The aim of this study was to compare the percentages of photosynthetic sponges in temperate Western Australia (WA with previously published data on tropical regions, and to determine the abundance and diversity of these associations in a range of temperate environments. Results We sampled sponges on 5 m belt transects to determine the percentage of photosynthetic sponges and identified at least one representative of each group of symbionts using 16S rDNA sequencing together with microscopy techniques. Our results demonstrate that photosynthetic sponges are abundant in temperate WA, with an average of 63% of sponge individuals hosting high levels of photosynthetic symbionts and 11% with low to medium levels. These percentages of photosynthetic sponges are comparable to those found on tropical reefs and may have important implications for ecosystem function on temperate reefs in other areas of the world. A diverse range of symbionts sometimes occurred within a small geographic area, including the three "big" cyanobacterial clades, Oscillatoria spongeliae, "Candidatus Synechococcus spongiarum" and Synechocystis species, and it appears that these clades all occur in a wide range of sponges. Additionally, spongin-permeating red algae occurred in at least 7 sponge species. This study provides the first investigation of the molecular phylogeny of rhodophyte symbionts in sponges. Conclusion Photosynthetic sponges are abundant and diverse in temperate WA, with comparable percentages of photosynthetic to non-photosynthetic sponges to tropical zones. It appears that there are three common generalist clades of cyanobacterial symbionts of sponges which occur in a wide

A hyperspectral approach to estimating biomass and plant production in a heterogeneous restored temperate peatland

Science.gov (United States)

Byrd, K. B.; Schile, L. M.; Windham-Myers, L.; Kelly, M.; Hatala, J.; Baldocchi, D. D.

2012-12-01

Restoration of drained peatlands that are managed to reverse subsidence through organic accretion holds significant potential for large-scale carbon storage and sequestration. This potential has been demonstrated in an experimental wetland restoration site established by the U.S. Geological Survey in 1997 on Twitchell Island in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, where soil carbon storage is up to 1 kg C m-2 and root and rhizome production can reach over 7 kg m-2 annually. Remote sensing-based estimation of biomass and productivity over a large spatial extent helps to monitor carbon storage potential of these restored peatlands. Extensive field measurements of plant biophysical characteristics such as biomass, leaf area index, and the fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (fAPAR) [an important variable in light-use efficiency (LUE) models] have been collected for agricultural systems and forests. However the small size and local spatial variability of U.S. Pacific Coast wetlands pose new challenges for measuring these variables in the field and generating estimates through remote sensing. In particular background effects of non-photosynthetic vegetation (NPV), floating aquatic vegetation, and inundation of wetland vegetation influence the relationship between field measurements and multispectral or hyperspectral indices. Working at the USGS experimental wetland site, characterized by variable water depth and substantial NPV, or thatch, we collected field data on hardstem bulrush (Schoenoplectus acutus) and cattail (Typha spp.) coupled with reflectance data from a field spectrometer (350-2500 nm) every two to three weeks during the summers of 2011 and 2012. We calculated aboveground biomass with existing allometric relationships, and fAPAR was measured with line and point quantum sensors. We analyzed reflectance data to develop hyperspectral and multispectral indices that predict biomass and fAPAR and account for background effects of water

Effects of native perennial vegetation buffer strips on dissolved organic carbon in surface runoff from an agricultural landscape

Science.gov (United States)

Tomorra E. Smith; Randall K. Kolka; Xiaobo Zhou; Matthew J. Helmers; Richard M. Cruse; Mark D. Tomer

2014-01-01

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) constitutes a small yet important part of a watershed's carbon budget because it is mobile and biologically active. Agricultural conservation practices such as native perennial vegetation (NPV) strips will influence carbon cycling of an upland agroecosystem, and could affect how much DOC enters streams in runoff, potentially...

Estimation of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation and vegetation net production efficiency using satellite data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hanan, N.P.; Prince, S.D.; Begue, A.

1995-01-01

The amount of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) absorbed by green vegetation is an important determinant of photosynthesis and growth. Methods for the estimation of fractional absorption of PAR (iff PAR ) for areas greater than 1 km 2 using satellite data are discussed, and are applied to sites in the Sahel that have a sparse herb layer and tree cover of less than 5%. Using harvest measurements of seasonal net production, net production efficiencies are calculated. Variation in estimates of seasonal PAR absorption (APAR) caused by the atmospheric correction method and relationship between surface reflectances and iff PAR is considered. The use of maximum value composites of satellite NDVI to reduce the effect of the atmosphere is shown to produce inaccurate APAR estimates. In this data set, however, atmospheric correction using average optical depths was found to give good approximations of the fully corrected data. A simulation of canopy radiative transfer using the SAIL model was used to derive a relationship between canopy NDVI and iff PAR . Seasonal APAR estimates assuming a 1:1 relationship between iff PAR and NDVI overestimated the SAIL modeled results by up to 260%. The use of a modified 1:1 relationship, where iff PAR was assumed to be linearly related to NDVI scaled between minimum (soil) and maximum (infinite canopy) values, underestimated the SAIL modeled results by up to 35%. Estimated net production efficiencies (ϵ n , dry matter per unit APAR) fell in the range 0.12–1.61 g MJ −1 for above ground production, and in the range 0.16–1.88 g MJ −1 for total production. Sites with lower rainfall had reduced efficiencies, probably caused by physiological constraints on photosynthesis during dry conditions. (author)

Aplikasi Npv At Risk dalam Analisis Kelayakan Finansial Budidaya Jamur Tiram Putih di Kabupaten Bogor Jawa Barat

OpenAIRE

Sarianti, Tintin; Sasongko, Hendro; Ratnawati, Anny

2008-01-01

The purpose of this study where to analyze white oyster mushroom farming activity in Sub-Province of Bogor, to analyze financial feasibility of white oyster mushroom farming activity for high and low land in Sub-Province of Bogor by NPV at Risk Method and to analyze the switching value for the changes of cost and benefit in white oyster mushroom farming activity. The data were collected from 6 farmer living in high and low land in Sub-Province of Bogor. The NPV at risk model and switching ...

Non-cooperative immobilization of residual water bound in lyophilized photosynthetic lamellae.

Science.gov (United States)

Harańczyk, Hubert; Baran, Ewelina; Nowak, Piotr; Florek-Wojciechowska, Małgorzata; Leja, Anna; Zalitacz, Dorota; Strzałka, Kazimierz

2015-12-01

This study applied 1H-NMR in time and in frequency domain measurements to monitor the changes that occur in bound water dynamics at decreased temperature and with increased hydration level in lyophilizates of native wheat photosynthetic lamellae and in photosynthetic lamellae reconstituted from lyophilizate. Proton relaxometry (measured as free induction decay = FID) distinguishes a Gaussian component S within the NMR signal (o). This comes from protons of the solid matrix of the lamellae and consists of (i) an exponentially decaying contribution L1 from mobile membrane protons, presumably from lipids, and from water that is tightly bound to the membrane surface and thus restricted in mobility; and (ii) an exponentially decaying component L2 from more mobile, loosely bound water pool. Both proton relaxometry data and proton spectroscopy show that dry lyophilizate incubated in dry air, i.e., at a relative humidity (p/p0) of 0% reveals a relatively high hydration level. The observed liquid signal most likely originates from mobile membrane protons and a tightly bound water fraction that is sealed in pores of dry lyophilizate and thus restricted in mobility. The estimations suggest that the amount of sealed water does not exceed the value characteristic for the main hydration shell of a phospholipid. Proton spectra collected for dry lyophilizate of photosynthetic lamellae show a continuous decrease in the liquid signal component without a distinct freezing transition when it is cooled down to -60ºC, which is significantly lower than the homogeneous ice nucleation temperature [Bronshteyn, V.L. et al. Biophys. J. 65 (1993) 1853].

Biochemistry, proteomics and phosphoproteomics of plant mitochondria from non-photosynthetic cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jesper Foged Havelund

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Mitochondria fulfill some basic roles in all plant cells. They supply the cell with energy in the form of ATP and reducing equivalents (NAD(PH and they provide the cell with intermediates for a range of biosynthetic pathways. In addition to this, mitochondria contribute to a number of specialized functions depending on the tissue and cell type, as well as environmental conditions. We will here review the biochemistry and proteomics of mitochondria from non-green cells and organs, which differ from those of photosynthetic organs in a number of respects. We will briefly cover purification of mitochondria and general biochemical properties such as oxidative phosphorylation. We will then mention a few adaptive properties in response to water stress, seed maturation and germination and the ability to function under hypoxic conditions. The discussion will mainly focus on Arabidopsis cell cultures, etiolated germinating rice seedlings and potato tubers as model plants. It will cover the general proteome as well as the posttranslational modification protein phosphorylation. To date 64 phosphorylated mitochondrial proteins with a total of 103 phosphorylation sites have been identified.

A plastid gene phylogeny of the non-photosynthetic parasitic Orobanche (Orobanchaceae) and related genera.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Jeong-Mi; Manen, Jean-François; Colwell, Alison E; Schneeweiss, Gerald M

2008-07-01

The phylogenetic relationships of the non-photosynthetic Orobanche sensu lato (Orobanchaceae), which includes some of the economically most important parasitic weeds, remain insufficiently understood and controversial. This concerns both the phylogenetic relationships within the genus, in particular its monophyly or lack thereof, and the relationships to other holoparasitic genera such as Cistanche or Conopholis. Here we present the first comprehensive phylogenetic study of this group based on a region from the plastid genome (rps2 gene). Although substitution rates appear to be elevated compared to the photosynthetic members of Orobanchaceae, relationships among the major lineages Cistanche, Conopholis plus Epifagus, Boschniakia rossica (Cham. & Schltdl.) B. Fedtsch., B. himalaica Hook. f. & Thomson, B. hookeri Walp. plus B. strobilacea A. Gray, and Orobanche s. l. remain unresolved. Resolution within Orobanche, however, is much better. In agreement with morphological, cytological and other molecular phylogenetic evidence, five lineages, corresponding to the four traditionally recognised sections (Gymnocaulis, Myzorrhiza, Orobanche, Trionychon) and O. latisquama Reut. ex Boiss. (of sect. Orobanche), can be distinguished. A combined analysis of plastid rps2 and nuclear ITS sequences of the holoparasitic genera results in more resolved and better supported trees, although the relationships among Orobanche s. l., Cistanche, and the clade including the remaining genera is unresolved. Therefore, rps2 is a marker from the plastid genome that is well-suited to be used in combination with other already established nuclear markers for resolving generic relationships of Orobanche and related genera.

Identification and growth conditions of purple non-sulfur photosynthetic bacteria isolated from palm oil mill effluent

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Radziah Ariffin

2004-01-01

An indigenous strain of the purple non-sulphur photosynthetic bacterium, isolated from palm oil mill effluent was presumably identified as species of Rhodopseudomonas palustris. Cultivation in synthetic medium under different conditions indicated that it gave maximum carotenoid and bacteriophyll synthesis under anaerobic conditions in the light with values of 12.6 and 108.1 mg/g dry cell weight respectively. These values were significantly higher than the pigment content obtained from aerobic cultivation. The specific growth rates in anaerobic was twice those in aerobic conditions in the light. Growth was not occurred in anaerobic or aerobic conditions in the dark. (Author)

Isolation of non-sulphur photosynthetic bacterial strains efficient in hydrogen production at elevated temperatures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Singh, S.P.; Srivastava, S.C. (Banaras Hindu Univ., Varanasi (IN). Centre of Advanced Study in Botany)

1991-01-01

Four strains of non-sulphur photosynthetic bacteria were isolated from root zone associations of aquatic plants like Azolla, Salvinia and Eichhornia, as well as the deep-water rice. Based on the gross cell morphology and pigmentation, the isolates resembled Rhodopseudomonas sp. and have been designated as BHU strains 1 to 4, respectively. When subjected to elevated temperature (from 33-45{sup o}C), substantial growth/hydrogen production could be observed only in strains 1 and 4. Strains 2 and 3 on the other hand, showed diminished growth and negligible hydrogen photoproduction. The BHU strains 1 and 4 have been selected as the most active (thermostable) hydrogen producing strains of local origin as far as the Indian tropical climate is concerned. (author).

APLIKASI NPV AT RISK DALAM ANALISIS KELAYAKAN FINANSIAL BUDIDAYA JAMUR TIRAM PUTIH DI KABUPATEN BOGOR JAWA BARAT

OpenAIRE

Tintin Sarianti; Hendro Sasongko; Anny Ratnawati

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study where to analyze white oyster mushroom farming activity in Sub-Province of Bogor, to analyze financial feasibility of  white oyster mushroom farming activity for high and low land in Sub-Province of Bogor by NPV at Risk Method and to analyze the switching value for the changes of cost and benefit in  white oyster mushroom farming activity.  The data were collected from 6 farmer living in high and low land in Sub-Province of Bogor. The NPV at risk model and switching ...

Expression analysis of several antiviral related genes to BmNPV in different resistant strains of silkworm, Bombyx mori.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Yang; Wang, Xue-yang; Du, Chang; Gao, Juan; Xu, Jia-ping

2014-05-30

Bombyx mori L. (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae) nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) is a highly pathogenic virus in the sericultural industry, often causing severe damage leading to large economic losses. The immune mechanisms of B. mori against this virus remain obscure. Previous studies had demonstrated Bmlipase-1, BmNox and Bmserine protease-2 showing antiviral activity in vitro, but data on the transcription levels of these proteins in different resistant strains were not reported. In order to determine the resistance level of the four different strains (P50, A35, A40, A53) and gain a better understanding of the mechanism of resistance to BmNPV in B. mori, the relative expression level of the genes coding the three antiviral proteins in larval haemolymph and midgut of different B. mori strains resistant to BmNPV was determined. The results showed that these genes expressed significantly higher in the resistant strains compared to the susceptible strain, and the differential expression levels were consistent with the LC50 values in different strains. The transcription level of the target genes almost all up-regulated in the larvae midgut and down-regulated in the haemolymph. The results indicate the correlation of these genes to BmNPV resistance in B. mori. This is an open access paper. We use the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license that permits unrestricted use, provided that the paper is properly attributed.

Protonation of D-gluconate and its complexation with Np(V) in acidic to nearly neutral solutions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Z.; Clark, S.B.; Tian, G.; Rao, L.; Zanonato, P.L.

2006-01-01

Thermodynamic properties of the protonation of D-gluconic acid (HGH 4 (aq)) and its complexation with Np(V) have been studied in acidic to nearly neutral solutions at t = 25 C and I = 1 M NaClO 4 by potentiometry, spectrophotometry and calorimetry. The protonation constant (log K H ) and enthalpy (ΔH H ) of the carboxylate group are determined to be (3.30 ± 0.10) and -(4.03 ± 0.07) kJ mol -1 , respectively. Gluconate forms two Np(V) complexes in nearly neutral solutions. The formation constants and enthalpies of complexation are: log β 1 = (1.48 ± 0.03) and ΔH 1 = -(7.42 ± 0.13) kJ mol -1 for NpO 2 (GH 4 )(aq), log β = (2.14 ± 0.09) and ΔH 2 = -(12.08 ± 0.45) kJ mol -1 for NpO 2 (GH 4 ) 2 - . The thermodynamic parameters indicate that gluconic acid, like isosaccharinic acid and other α-hydroxycarboxylic acids, is a slightly stronger acid and forms stronger complexes with Np(V) than simple monocarboxylic acids. (orig.)

Photosynthetic water splitting

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Greenbaum, E.

1981-01-01

The photosynthetic unit of hydrogen evolution, the turnover time of photosynthetic hydrogen production, and hydrogenic photosynthesis are discussed in the section on previous work. Recent results are given on simultaneous photoproduction of hydrogen and oxygen, kinetic studies, microscopic marine algae-seaweeds, and oxygen profiles.

Elk Distributions Relative to Spring Normalized Difference Vegetation Index Values

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smallidge, S.T.; Baker, T.T.; VanLeeuwen, D.; Gould, W.R.; Thompson, B.C.

2010-01-01

Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus) that winter near San Antonio Mountain in northern New Mexico provide important recreational and economic benefits while creating management challenges related to temporospatial variation in their spring movements. Our objective was to examine spring distributions of elk in relation to vegetative emergence as it progresses across the landscape as measured by remote sensing. Spring distributions of elk were closely associated with greater photosynthetic activity of spring vegetation in 2 of 3 years as determined using NDVI values derived from AVHRR datasets. Observed elk locations were up to 271% greater than expected in the category representing the most photosynthetic activity. This association was not observed when analyses at a finer geographic scale were conducted. Managers facing challenges involving human-wildlife interactions and land-use issues should consider environmental conditions that may influence variation in elk association with greener portions of the landscape.

A plastid gene phylogeny of the non-photosynthetic parasitic Orobanche (Orobanchaceae) and related genera

Science.gov (United States)

Park, J.-M.; Manen, J.-F.; Colwell, A.E.; Schneeweiss, G.M.

2008-01-01

The phylogenetic relationships of the non-photosynthetic Orobanche sensu lato (Orobanchaceae), which includes some of the economically most important parasitic weeds, remain insufficiently understood and controversial. This concerns both the phylogenetic relationships within the genus, in particular its monophyly or lack thereof, and the relationships to other holoparasitic genera such as Cistanche or Conopholis. Here we present the first comprehensive phylogenetic study of this group based on a region from the plastid genome (rps2 gene). Although substitution rates appear to be elevated compared to the photosynthetic members of Orobanchaceae, relationships among the major lineages Cistanche, Conopholis plus Epifagus, Boschniakia rossica (Cham. & Schltdl.) B. Fedtsch., B. himalaica Hook. f. & Thomson, B. hookeri Walp. plus B. strobilacea A. Gray, and Orobanche s. l. remain unresolved. Resolution within Orobanche, however, is much better. In agreement with morphological, cytological and other molecular phylogenetic evidence, five lineages, corresponding to the four traditionally recognised sections (Gymnocaulis, Myzorrhiza, Orobanche, Trionychon) and O. latisquama Reut. ex Boiss. (of sect. Orobanche), can be distinguished. A combined analysis of plastid rps2 and nuclear ITS sequences of the holoparasitic genera results in more resolved and better supported trees, although the relationships among Orobanche s. l., Cistanche, and the clade including the remaining genera is unresolved. Therefore, rps2 is a marker from the plastid genome that is well-suited to be used in combination with other already established nuclear markers for resolving generic relationships of Orobanche and related genera. ?? 2008 The Botanical Society of Japan and Springer.

High potential for weathering and climate effects of non-vascular vegetation in the Late Ordovician

Science.gov (United States)

Porada, Philipp; Lenton, Tim; Pohl, Alexandre; Weber, Bettina; Mander, Luke; Donnadieu, Yannick; Beer, Christian; Pöschl, Ulrich; Kleidon, Axel

2017-04-01

Early non-vascular vegetation in the Late Ordovician may have strongly increased chemical weathering rates of surface rocks at the global scale. This could have led to a drawdown of atmospheric CO2 and, consequently, a decrease in global temperature and an interval of glaciations. Under current climatic conditions, usually field or laboratory experiments are used to quantify enhancement of chemical weathering rates by non-vascular vegetation. However, these experiments are constrained to a small spatial scale and a limited number of species. This complicates the extrapolation to the global scale, even more so for the geological past, where physiological properties of non-vascular vegetation may have differed from current species. Here we present a spatially explicit modelling approach to simulate large-scale chemical weathering by non-vascular vegetation in the Late Ordovician. For this purpose, we use a process-based model of lichens and bryophytes, since these organisms are probably the closest living analogue to Late Ordovician vegetation. The model explicitly represents multiple physiological strategies, which enables the simulated vegetation to adapt to Ordovician climatic conditions. We estimate productivity of Ordovician vegetation with the model, and relate it to chemical weathering by assuming that the organisms dissolve rocks to extract phosphorus for the production of new biomass. Thereby we account for limits on weathering due to reduced supply of unweathered rock material in shallow regions, as well as decreased transport capacity of runoff for dissolved weathered material in dry areas. We simulate a potential global weathering flux of 2.8 km3 (rock) per year, which we define as volume of primary minerals affected by chemical transformation. Our estimate is around 3 times larger than today's global chemical weathering flux. Furthermore, chemical weathering rates simulated by our model are highly sensitive to atmospheric CO2 concentration, which implies

A Non-invasive and Real-time Monitoring of the Regulation of Photosynthetic Metabolism Biosensor Based on Measurement of Delayed Fluorescence in Vivo

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Junsheng Wang

2007-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper, a new principle biosensor for non-invasive monitoring of theregulation of photosynthetic metabolism based on quantitative measurement of delayedfluorescence (DF is developed. The biosensor, which uses light-emitting diode lattice asexcitation light source and a compact Single Photon Counting Module to collect DF signal,is portable and can evaluate plant photosynthesis capacity in vivo. Compared with itsprimary version in our previous report, the biosensor can better control environmentalfactors. Moreover, the improved biosensor can automatically complete the measurements oflight and CO2 response curves of DF intensity. In the experimental study, the testing of theimproved biosensor has been made in soybean (Glycine max Zaoshu No. 18 seedlingstreated with NaHSO3 to induce changes in seedlings growth and photosynthetic metabolism.Contrast evaluations of seedlings photosynthesis were made from measurements of netphotosynthesis rate (Pn based on consumption of CO2 in tested plants. Current testingresults have demonstrated that the improved biosensor can accurately determine theregulatory effects of NaHSO3 on photosynthetic metabolism. Therefore, the biosensorpresented here could be potential useful for real-time monitoring the regulatory effects ofplant growth regulators (PGRs and other exogenous chemical factors on plant growth andphotosynthetic metabolism.

Islands in the Sky: Ecophysiological Cloud-Vegetation Linkages in Southern Appalachian Mountain Cloud Forests

Science.gov (United States)

Reinhardt, K.; Emanuel, R. E.; Johnson, D. M.

2013-12-01

Mountain cloud forest (MCF) ecosystems are characterized by a high frequency of cloud fog, with vegetation enshrouded in fog. The altitudinal boundaries of cloud-fog zones co-occur with conspicuous, sharp vegetation ecotones between MCF- and non-MCF-vegetation. This suggests linkages between cloud-fog and vegetation physiology and ecosystem functioning. However, very few studies have provided a mechanistic explanation for the sharp changes in vegetation communities, or how (if) cloud-fog and vegetation are linked. We investigated ecophysiological linkages between clouds and trees in Southern Appalachian spruce-fir MCF. These refugial forests occur in only six mountain-top, sky-island populations, and are immersed in clouds on up to 80% of all growing season days. Our fundamental research questions was: How are cloud-fog and cloud-forest trees linked? We measured microclimate and physiology of canopy tree species across a range of sky conditions (cloud immersed, partly cloudy, sunny). Measurements included: 1) sunlight intensity and spectral quality; 2) carbon gain and photosynthetic capacity at leaf (gas exchange) and ecosystem (eddy covariance) scales; and 3) relative limitations to carbon gain (biochemical, stomatal, hydraulic). RESULTS: 1) Midday sunlight intensity ranged from very dark (2500 μmol m-2 s-1), and was highly variable on minute-to-minute timescales whenever clouds were present in the sky. Clouds and cloud-fog increased the proportion of blue-light wavelengths 5-15% compared to sunny conditions, and altered blue:red and red:far red ratios, both of which have been shown to strongly affect stomatal functioning. 2) Cloud-fog resulted in ~50% decreased carbon gain at leaf and ecosystem scales, due to sunlight levels below photosynthetic light-saturation-points. However, greenhouse studies and light-response-curve analyses demonstrated that MCF tree species have low light-compensation points (can photosynthesize even at low light levels), and maximum

Studies on the Nucleotide Sequence, Transcription and Deletion Analysis of the BmNPV Protein Kinase Gene.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Chuan-Xi; Hu, Cui; Wu, Xiang-Fu

1998-01-01

The coding region of BmvPK-1 gene of Bombyx mori NPV (Strain ZJ8) is 828 nt long and encodes a 276 aa polypeptide with predicted molecular mass of 32 kD. Dot blot analysis showed its mRNA to be gene is first detectable at 18 h p.i. and reaching the highest transcriptional level at 48 h p.i. The result suggested that BmvPK-1 gene is a late or very late gene. The most conserved 365 bp of the BmvPK-1 gene was deleted in a transfer vector (pUCPK-lac), and a report gene (lacZ) was inserted in the deleted position. Cotransfection of BmN cells with pUCPK-lac DNA and BmNPV DNA resulted in the recombinant virus which expressed detectable product of lacZ gene. But the virus with the deleted BmvPK-1 gene could not be isolated from the wild BmNPV by plaque purification method. The result showed that the BmvPK-1 gene deleted virus can multiply only with the help of the product of this gene from the wild type virus, and the gene is necessary for the virus to finish its life cycle in the cultured cells.

Reduction of Pu(V) and Np(V) by leonardite humic acids and their quinonoid-enriched derivatives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shcherbina, N.S.; Kalmykov, St.N.; Perminova, I.V.; Kovalenko, A.N.

2005-01-01

Full text of publication follows: Humic substances (HS) are natural poly-electrolytes ubiquitous in aquatic environment responsible for complexation of metal ions. The presence of phenolic and quinonoid moieties in the structure of HS provide for their ability to take part in redox interactions. Capability of HS to reduce plutonium from higher oxidation states (Pu(V) and Pu(VI)) to tetravalent state was reported in several studies. However, the disparate results were reported for Np(V). The contradicting results on the redox behavior of HS could originate from the structural differences of the humic materials tested, in particular, from varying content of the redox-active quinonoid moieties. To test this hypothesis, the goal of this research was to evaluate reducing performance of leonardite humic acids and of their quinonoid-enriched derivatives with respect to Pu(V) and Np(V). The quinonoid-enriched humic derivatives were obtained using the reaction of formaldehyde co-poly-condensation between parent humic material - leonardite humic acid - and model dihydroxybenzenes - hydroquinone, catechol and 1,4-benzoquinone. The humic material: quinonoid monomer ration of 1 g per 250 mg was used. The reduction of Np(V) was studied at micro- and macro-concentration level: 10 -7 M and 10 -4 M, respectively. In case of Pu(V) the concentration was about 10 -10 M. The HS concentrations varied from 1 to 100 ppm, while ionic strength was zero. All experiments were conducted in anaerobic conditions and in the darkness. The kinetics of Pu(V) reduction was studied using solvent extraction (TTA in toluene); to monitor Np(V) reduction two independent techniques were used: solvent extraction and VIS-NIR spectrophotometry. The latter allows measuring absorbance of NpO 2 + and Np-humate complexes at 981.3 and 987.4 nm, respectively. Fast reduction of Pu(V) by the parent humic material was observed and the reduction rate increased with a decrease in pH. In case of Np(V), there was no

Seasonally asymmetric enhancement of northern vegetation productivity

Science.gov (United States)

Park, T.; Myneni, R.

2017-12-01

Multiple evidences of widespread greening and increasing terrestrial carbon uptake have been documented. In particular, enhanced gross productivity of northern vegetation has been a critical role leading to observed carbon uptake trend. However, seasonal photosynthetic activity and its contribution to observed annual carbon uptake trend and interannual variability are not well understood. Here, we introduce a multiple-source of datasets including ground, atmospheric and satellite observations, and multiple process-based global vegetation models to understand how seasonal variation of land surface vegetation controls a large-scale carbon exchange. Our analysis clearly shows a seasonally asymmetric enhancement of northern vegetation productivity in growing season during last decades. Particularly, increasing gross productivity in late spring and early summer is obvious and dominant driver explaining observed trend and variability. We observe more asymmetric productivity enhancement in warmer region and this spatially varying asymmetricity in northern vegetation are likely explained by canopy development rate, thermal and light availability. These results imply that continued warming may facilitate amplifying asymmetric vegetation activity and cause these trends to become more pervasive, in turn warming induced regime shift in northern land.

NPV risk simulation of an open pit gold mine project under the O'Hara cost model by using GAs

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Franco-Sepulveda Giovanni; Campuzano Carlos; Pineda Cindy

2017-01-01

This paper analyzes an open pit gold mine project based on the O'Hara cost model. Hypothetical data is proposed based on different authors that have studied open pit gold projects, and variations are proposed according to the probability distributions associated to key variables affecting the NPV, like production level, ore grade, price of ore, and others, so as to see what if, in a gold open pit mine project of 3000 metric tons per day of ore. Two case scenarios were analyzed to simulate the NPV, one where there is low certainty data available, and the other where the information available is of high certainty. Results based on genetic algorithm metaheuristic simulations, which combine basically Montecarlo simulations provided by the Palisade Risk software, the O'Hara cost model, net smelter return and financial analysis tools offered by Excel are reported, in order to determine to which variables of the project is more sensitive the NPV.

Acclimation of photosynthetic capacity to irradiance in tree canopies in relation to leaf nitrogen concentration and leaf mass per unit area

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Meir, P.; Kruijt, B.; Broadmeadow, M.; Barbosa, E.; Kull, O.; Carswell, F.; Nobre, A.; Jarvis, P.G.

2002-01-01

The observation of acclimation in leaf photosynthetic capacity to differences in growth irradiance has been widely used as support for a hypothesis that enables a simplification of some soil-vegetation-atmosphere transfer (SVAT) photosynthesis models. The acclimation hypothesis requires that

Microbiological quality of selected ready-to-eat leaf vegetables, sprouts and non-pasteurized fresh fruit-vegetable juices including the presence of Cronobacter spp.

Science.gov (United States)

Berthold-Pluta, Anna; Garbowska, Monika; Stefańska, Ilona; Pluta, Antoni

2017-08-01

Bacteria of the genus Cronobacter are emerging food-borne pathogens. Foods contaminated with Cronobacter spp. may pose a risk to infants or adults with suppressed immunity. This study was aimed at determining the microbiological quality of ready-to-eat (RTE) plant-origin food products available on the Polish market with special emphasis on the prevalence of Cronobacter genus bacteria. Analyses were carried out on 60 samples of commercial RTE type plant-origin food products, including: leaf vegetables (20 samples), sprouts (20 samples) and non-pasteurized vegetable, fruit and fruit-vegetable juices (20 samples). All samples were determined for the total count of aerobic mesophilic bacteria (TAMB) and for the presence of Cronobacter spp. The isolates of Cronobacter spp. were subjected to genetic identification and differentiation by 16S rDNA sequencing, PCR-RFLP analysis and RAPD-PCR and evaluation of antibiotic susceptibility by the disk diffusion assay. The TAMB count in samples of lettuces, sprouts and non-pasteurized fruit, vegetable and fruit-vegetable juices was in the range of 5.6-7.6, 6.7-8.4 and 2.9-7.7 log CFU g -1 , respectively. The presence of Cronobacter spp. was detected in 21 (35%) samples of the products, including in 6 (30%) samples of leaf vegetables (rucola, lamb's lettuce, endive escarola and leaf vegetables mix) and in 15 (75%) samples of sprouts (alfalfa, broccoli, small radish, lentil, sunflower, leek and sprout mix). No presence of Cronobacter spp. was detected in the analyzed samples of non-pasteurized fruit, vegetable and fruit-vegetable juices. The 21 strains of Cronobacter spp. isolated from leaf vegetable and sprouts included: 13 strains of C. sakazakii, 4 strains of C. muytjensii, 2 strains of C. turicensis, one strain of C. malonaticus and one strain of C. condimenti. All isolated C. sakazakii, C. muytjensii, C. turicensis and C. malonaticus strains were sensitive to ampicillin, cefepime, chloramphenicol, gentamycin

Photosynthetic behaviour of Arabidopsis thaliana (Pa-1 accession ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The growth reduction observed in many plants caused by salinity is often associated with a decrease in their photosynthetic capacity. This effect could be associated with the partial stomatal closure and/or the non-stomatal limitation which involves the decrease in ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase oxygenase ...

Non- chemical methods of seed treatment for control of seed- borne pathogens on vegetables

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Amein, T.; Wright, S.A.I.; Wickstrom, M.; Schmitt, A.; Koch, E.; Wolf, van der J.M.; Groot, S.P.C.; Werner, S.; Jahn, M.

2006-01-01

The aim of EU-project "Seed Treatments for Organic Vegetable Production" (STOVE) was to evaluate non-chemical methods for control of seed-borne pathogens in organic vegetable production. Physical (hot air, hot water and electron) and biologi-cal (microorganisms and different agents of natural

[Impact of atmospheric total suspended particulate pollution on photosynthetic parameters of street mango trees in Xiamen City].

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Yu-xian; Chen, Jin-sheng; Ren, Yin; Li, Fang-yi; Cui, Sheng-hui

2010-05-01

With the development of urbanization, total suspended particulate (TSP) pollution is getting serious, and the normal physiological processes of urban vegetation are profoundly affected while adsorbing and purifying the particulates. In this study, four areas were selected, i.e., Tingxi reservoir (clean control area), Xiamen University (cultural and educational area), Xianyue (business area), and Haicang (industrial area), with their atmospheric TSP concentrations and the photosynthetic parameters of street Mango (Mangifera indica) trees monitored in April and May, 2009. The daily average concentration of TSP in Tingxi, Xiamen University, Xianyue, and Haicang was 0.061, 0.113, 0.120 and 0.205 mg x m(-3), respectively, and the impact of TSP stress on M. indica was in the sequence of Haicang > Xianyue > Xiamen University > Tingxi. TSP pollution negatively affected the net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, and transpiration rate of M. indica, and induced intercellular CO2 concentration changed significantly. High TSP concentration could cause the decline of net photosynthetic rate via stomatal limitation.

The Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) ODV-E56 envelope protein is also a per os infectivity factor.

Science.gov (United States)

Xiang, Xingwei; Chen, Lin; Guo, Aiqin; Yu, Shaofang; Yang, Rui; Wu, Xiaofeng

2011-01-01

The Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) odv-e56 gene is a late gene and encodes an occlusion-derived virus (ODV)-specific envelope protein, ODV-E56. To determine its role in the BmNPV life cycle, an odv-e56 null virus, BmE56D, was constructed through homologous recombination. A repaired virus was also constructed, named BmE56DR. The production of budded virion (BV) and polyhedra, the replication of viral DNA, and the morphological of infected BmN cells were analyzed, revealing no significant difference among the BmE56D, the wild-type (WT), and the BmE56DR virus. Larval bioassays demonstrated that injection of BmE56D BV into the hemocoel could kill B. mori larvae as efficiently as repaired and WT viruses, however BmE56D was unable to infect the B. mori larvae when inoculated per os. Thus, these results indicated that ODV-E56 envelope protein of BmNPV is also a per os infectivity factor (PIF), but is not essential for virus replication. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

On the photosynthetic and devlopmental responses of leaves to the spectral composition of light

OpenAIRE

Hogewoning, S.W.

2010-01-01

Key words: action spectrum, artificial solar spectrum, blue light, Cucumis sativus, gas-exchange, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), light interception, light quality, non-photosynthetic pigments, photo-synthetic capacity, photomorphogenesis, photosystem excitation balance, quantum yield, red light. A wide range of plant properties respond to the spectral composition of irradiance, such as photosynthesis, photomorphogenesis, phototropism and photonastic movements. These responses affect plant pr...

Mechanisms of vegetation uprooting by flow in alluvial non-cohesive sediment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. Edmaier

2011-05-01

Full Text Available The establishment of riparian pioneer vegetation is of crucial importance within river restoration projects. After germination or vegetative reproduction on river bars juvenile plants are often exposed to mortality by uprooting caused by floods. At later stages of root development vegetation uprooting by flow is seen to occur as a consequence of a marked erosion gradually exposing the root system and accordingly reducing the mechanical anchoring. How time scales of flow-induced uprooting do depend on vegetation stages growing in alluvial non-cohesive sediment is currently an open question that we conceptually address in this work. After reviewing vegetation root issues in relation to morphodynamic processes, we then propose two modelling mechanisms (Type I and Type II, respectively concerning the uprooting time scales of early germinated and of mature vegetation. Type I is a purely flow-induced drag mechanism, which causes alone a nearly instantaneous uprooting when exceeding root resistance. Type II arises as a combination of substantial sediment erosion exposing the root system and resulting in a decreased anchoring resistance, eventually degenerating into a Type I mechanism. We support our conceptual models with some preliminary experimental data and discuss the importance of better understanding such mechanisms in order to formulate sounding mathematical models that are suitable to plan and to manage river restoration projects.

Perception of non-communicable diseases predicts consumption of fruits and vegetables

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Charles Surjadi

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Background Nutrition has come to the fore as one of the major modifiable determinants of chronic disease. Establishing healthy eating habits during adolescence is important given that fruit and vegetable consumption has long-term health-protective benefits. The objective of this study was to investigate the determinant factors of fruit and vegetable consumption habits among Padang inhabitants Methods We conducted a questionnaire-based rapid assessment of 150 respondents who came from different settings: The questionnaire consisted of items on personal characteristics such as age, working status, gender, and personal knowledge of the subjects about the cause of non-communicable diseases (NCDs and their activities to prevent NCDs. Bivariate analysis was applied to look for variables significantly related to healthy eating (vegetable and fruit consumption. We applied multiple logistic regression to look for the best model to explain factors related to regular fruit and vegetable consumption. Results The age range of the subjects was 14 to 76 years, 60% of subjects were women, and 40% were men. The study indicated that 64.7% of the respondents perceived that eating habits relate to NCD, while 67.3% consumed fruits and vegetables regularly. Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that gender (O.R.=2.74; 95% C.I. 1.54-5.27 and perception of NCD as being related to healthy eating (O.R.=5.62;95% C.I. 2.93-10.76 were significantly related to regular fruit and vegetable consumption. Conclusion This study demonstrated that perception of NCD was the most determinant factor of regular fruit and vegetable consumption. Activities to improve practice of regular fruit and vegetable consumption are part of control of NCD risk factors.

Detection of vegetation stress from laser-induced fluorescence signatures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Subhash, N.

1995-01-01

The in vivo laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) signatures of UV irradiated Salvia splendens plants were measured using an Optical Multichannel Analyser (OMA) system with Nitrogen laser excitation. The LIF spectra which consisted of the blue-green and the red chlorophyll bands were analysed with a non-linear interactive procedure using Gaussian spectral functions. The fluorescence intensity ratios of the various bands obtained from curve fitted parameters were found to be more sensitive to changes in the photosynthetic activity of the plant. The variation in the intensity ratio for the chlorophyll bands for nutrient stressed sunflower, cotton and groundnut plants as well as the nutrient and water stressed rice plants are also presented. It is observed that vegetation stress not only changes the fluorescence intensity ratios and the vitality index of the plant but also changes the peak position of the emission bands, in some cases. It is also seen that analysis of the fluorescence spectra in vegetation remote sensing applications would require a deconvolution procedure to evaluate the exact contribution of each band in the total spectra. (author). 23 refs, 8 figs, 5 tabs

Spectral analysis of amazon canopy phenology during the dry season using a tower hyperspectral camera and modis observations

Science.gov (United States)

de Moura, Yhasmin Mendes; Galvão, Lênio Soares; Hilker, Thomas; Wu, Jin; Saleska, Scott; do Amaral, Cibele Hummel; Nelson, Bruce Walker; Lopes, Aline Pontes; Wiedeman, Kenia K.; Prohaska, Neill; de Oliveira, Raimundo Cosme; Machado, Carolyne Bueno; Aragão, Luiz E. O. C.

2017-09-01

The association between spectral reflectance and canopy processes remains challenging for quantifying large-scale canopy phenological cycles in tropical forests. In this study, we used a tower-mounted hyperspectral camera in an eastern Amazon forest to assess how canopy spectral signals of three species are linked with phenological processes in the 2012 dry season. We explored different approaches to disentangle the spectral components of canopy phenology processes and analyze their variations over time using 17 images acquired by the camera. The methods included linear spectral mixture analysis (SMA); principal component analysis (PCA); continuum removal (CR); and first-order derivative analysis. In addition, three vegetation indices potentially sensitive to leaf flushing, leaf loss and leaf area index (LAI) were calculated: the Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and the entitled Green-Red Normalized Difference (GRND) index. We inspected also the consistency of the camera observations using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and available phenological data on new leaf production and LAI of young, mature and old leaves simulated by a leaf demography-ontogeny model. The results showed a diversity of phenological responses during the 2012 dry season with related changes in canopy structure and greenness values. Because of the differences in timing and intensity of leaf flushing and leaf shedding, Erisma uncinatum, Manilkara huberi and Chamaecrista xinguensis presented different green vegetation (GV) and non-photosynthetic vegetation (NPV) SMA fractions; distinct PCA scores; changes in depth, width and area of the 681-nm chlorophyll absorption band; and variations over time in the EVI, GRND and NDVI. At the end of dry season, GV increased for Erisma uncinatum, while NPV increased for Chamaecrista xinguensis. For Manilkara huberi, the NPV first increased in the beginning of August and then decreased toward

Non supervised classification of vegetable covers on digital images of remote sensors: Landsat - ETM+

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arango Gutierrez, Mauricio; Branch Bedoya, John William; Botero Fernandez, Veronica

2005-01-01

The plant species diversity in Colombia and the lack of inventory of them suggests the need for a process that facilitates the work of investigators in these disciplines. Remote satellite sensors such as landsat ETM+ and non-supervised artificial intelligence techniques, such as self-organizing maps - SOM, could provide viable alternatives for advancing in the rapid obtaining of information related to zones with different vegetative covers in the national geography. The zone proposed for the study case was classified in a supervised form by the method of maximum likelihood by another investigation in forest sciences and eight types of vegetative covers were discriminated. This information served as a base line to evaluate the performance of the non-supervised sort keys isodata and SOM. However, the information that the images provided had to first be purified according to the criteria of use and data quality, so that adequate information for these non-supervised methods were used. For this, several concepts were used; such as, image statistics, spectral behavior of the vegetative communities, sensor characteristics and the average divergence that allowed to define the best bands and their combinations. Principal component analysis was applied to these to reduce to the number of data while conserving a large percentage of the information. The non-supervised techniques were applied to these purified data, modifying some parameters that could yield a better convergence of the methods. The results obtained were compared with the supervised classification via confusion matrices and it was concluded that there was not a good convergence of non-supervised classification methods with this process for the case of vegetative covers

NPV-LDE-225 (Erismodegib) inhibits epithelial mesenchymal transition and self-renewal of glioblastoma initiating cells by regulating miR-21, miR-128, and miR-200.

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, Junsheng; Rodova, Mariana; Nanta, Rajesh; Meeker, Daniel; Van Veldhuizen, Peter J; Srivastava, Rakesh K; Shankar, Sharmila

2013-06-01

Glioblastoma multiforme is the most common form of primary brain tumor, often characterized by poor survival. Glioblastoma initiating cells (GICs) regulate self-renewal, differentiation, and tumor initiation properties and are involved in tumor growth, recurrence, and resistance to conventional treatments. The sonic hedgehog (SHH) signaling pathway is essential for normal development and embryonic morphogenesis. The objectives of this study were to examine the molecular mechanisms by which GIC characteristics are regulated by NPV-LDE-225 (Smoothened inhibitor; (2,2'-[[dihydro-2-(4-pyridinyl)-1,3(2H,4H)-pyrimidinediyl]bis(methylene)]bis[N,N-dimethylbenzenamine). Cell viability and apoptosis were measured by XTT and annexin V-propidium iodide assay, respectively. Gli translocation and transcriptional activities were measured by immunofluorescence and luciferase assay, respectively. Gene and protein expressions were measured by quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot analyses, respectively. NPV-LDE-225 inhibited cell viability, neurosphere formation, and Gli transcriptional activity and induced apoptosis by activation of caspase-3 and cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase. NPV-LDE-225 increased the expression of tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL)-R1/DR4, TRAIL-R2/DR5, and Fas and decreased the expression of platelet derived growth factor receptor-α and Bcl2, and these effects were abrogated by Gli1 plus Gli2 short hairpin RNAs. NPV-LDE-225 enhanced the therapeutic potential of FasL and TRAIL by upregulating Fas and DR4/5, respectively. Interestingly, NPV-LDE-225 induced expression of programmed cell death 4 and apoptosis and inhibited cell viability by suppressing micro RNA (miR)-21. Furthermore, NPV-LDE-225 inhibited pluripotency-maintaining factors Nanog, Oct4, Sox2, and cMyc. The inhibition of Bmi1 by NPV-LDE-225 was regulated by induction of miR-128. Finally, NPV-LDE-225 suppressed epithelial-mesenchymal transition by

The role of energy losses in photosynthetic light harvesting

Science.gov (United States)

Krüger, T. P. J.; van Grondelle, R.

2017-07-01

Photosynthesis operates at the bottom of the food chain to convert the energy of light into carbohydrates at a remarkable global rate of about 130 TW. Nonetheless, the overall photosynthetic process has a conversion efficiency of a few percent at best, significantly less than bottom-up photovoltaic cells. The primary photosynthetic steps, consisting of light harvesting and charge separation, are often presented as having near-unity quantum efficiency but this holds only true under ideal conditions. In this review, we discuss the importance of energy loss mechanisms to establish robustness in photosynthetic light harvesting. Thermal energy dissipation of light-harvesting complexes (LHCs) in different environments is investigated and the relationships and contrasts between concentration quenching of high pigment concentrations, photoprotection (non-photochemical quenching), quenching due to protein aggregation, and fluorescence blinking are discussed. The role of charge-transfer states in light harvesting and energy dissipation is highlighted and the importance of controlled protein structural disorder to switch the light-harvesting antennae between effective light harvesters and efficient energy quenchers is underscored. The main LHC of plants, LHCII, is used as a prime example.

An NPV and AC Analysis of a Stochastic Inventory System with Joint Manufacturing and Remanufacturing

NARCIS (Netherlands)

E.A. van der Laan (Erwin)

2000-01-01

textabstractWhile the net present value (NPV) approach is widely accepted as the right framework for studying production and inventory control systems, average cost (AC) models are more widely used. For the well known EOQ model it can be veri_ed that (under certain conditions) the AC approach gives

Horizontal gene transfer of a plastid gene in the non-photosynthetic flowering plants Orobanche and Phelipanche (Orobanchaceae).

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Jeong-Mi; Manen, Jean-François; Schneeweiss, Gerald M

2007-06-01

Plastid sequences are among the most widely used in phylogenetic and phylogeographic studies in flowering plants, where they are usually assumed to evolve like non-recombining, uniparentally transmitted, single-copy genes. Among others, this assumption can be violated by intracellular gene transfer (IGT) within cells or by the exchange of genes across mating barriers (horizontal gene transfer, HGT). We report on HGT of a plastid region including rps2, trnL-F, and rbcL in a group of non-photosynthetic flowering plants. Species of the parasitic broomrape genus Phelipanche harbor two copies of rps2, a plastid ribosomal gene, one corresponding to the phylogenetic position of the respective species, the other being horizontally acquired from the related broomrape genus Orobanche. While the vertically transmitted copies probably reside within the plastid genome, the localization of the horizontally acquired copies is not known. With both donor and recipient being parasitic plants, a possible pathway for the exchange of genetic material is via a commonly attacked host.

Quantification of exchangeable and non-exchangeable organically bound tritium (OBT) in vegetation.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, S B; Korolevych, V

2013-04-01

The objective of this study is to quantify the relative amounts of exchangeable organically bound tritium (OBT) and non-exchangeable OBT in various vegetables. A garden plot at Perch Lake, where tritium levels are slightly elevated due to releases of tritium from a nearby nuclear waste management area and Chalk River Laboratories (CRL) operations, was used to cultivate a variety of vegetables. Five different kinds of vegetables (lettuce, cabbage, tomato, radish and beet) were studied. Exchangeable OBT behaves like tritium in tissue free water in living organisms and, based on past measurements, accounts for about 20% of the total tritium in dehydrated organic materials. In this study, the percentage of the exchangeable OBT was determined to range from 20% to 57% and was found to depend on the type of vegetables as well as the sequence of the plants exposure to HTO. Crown Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Relationship Between Remotely-sensed Vegetation Indices, Canopy Attributes and Plant Physiological Processes: What Vegetation Indices Can and Cannot Tell Us About the Landscape

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stephen G. Nelson

2008-03-01

Full Text Available Vegetation indices (VIs are among the oldest tools in remote sensing studies. Although many variations exist, most of them ratio the reflection of light in the red and NIR sections of the spectrum to separate the landscape into water, soil, and vegetation. Theoretical analyses and field studies have shown that VIs are near-linearly related to photosynthetically active radiation absorbed by a plant canopy, and therefore to light-dependent physiological processes, such as photosynthesis, occurring in the upper canopy. Practical studies have used time-series VIs to measure primary production and evapotranspiration, but these are limited in accuracy to that of the data used in ground truthing or calibrating the models used. VIs are also used to estimate a wide variety of other canopy attributes that are used in Soil-Vegetation-Atmosphere Transfer (SVAT, Surface Energy Balance (SEB, and Global Climate Models (GCM. These attributes include fractional vegetation cover, leaf area index, roughness lengths for turbulent transfer, emissivity and albedo. However, VIs often exhibit only moderate, non-linear relationships to these canopy attributes, compromising the accuracy of the models. We use case studies to illustrate the use and misuse of VIs, and argue for using VIs most simply as a measurement of canopy light absorption rather than as a surrogate for detailed features of canopy architecture. Used this way, VIs are compatible with "Big Leaf" SVAT and GCMs that assume that canopy carbon and moisture fluxes have the same relative response to the environment as any single leaf, simplifying the task of modeling complex landscapes.

Relationship Between Remotely-sensed Vegetation Indices, Canopy Attributes and Plant Physiological Processes: What Vegetation Indices Can and Cannot Tell Us About the Landscape

Science.gov (United States)

Glenn, Edward P.; Huete, Alfredo R.; Nagler, Pamela L.; Nelson, Stephen G.

2008-01-01

Vegetation indices (VIs) are among the oldest tools in remote sensing studies. Although many variations exist, most of them ratio the reflection of light in the red and NIR sections of the spectrum to separate the landscape into water, soil, and vegetation. Theoretical analyses and field studies have shown that VIs are near-linearly related to photosynthetically active radiation absorbed by a plant canopy, and therefore to light-dependent physiological processes, such as photosynthesis, occurring in the upper canopy. Practical studies have used time-series VIs to measure primary production and evapotranspiration, but these are limited in accuracy to that of the data used in ground truthing or calibrating the models used. VIs are also used to estimate a wide variety of other canopy attributes that are used in Soil-Vegetation-Atmosphere Transfer (SVAT), Surface Energy Balance (SEB), and Global Climate Models (GCM). These attributes include fractional vegetation cover, leaf area index, roughness lengths for turbulent transfer, emissivity and albedo. However, VIs often exhibit only moderate, non-linear relationships to these canopy attributes, compromising the accuracy of the models. We use case studies to illustrate the use and misuse of VIs, and argue for using VIs most simply as a measurement of canopy light absorption rather than as a surrogate for detailed features of canopy architecture. Used this way, VIs are compatible with “Big Leaf” SVAT and GCMs that assume that canopy carbon and moisture fluxes have the same relative response to the environment as any single leaf, simplifying the task of modeling complex landscapes. PMID:27879814

Primary photosynthetic processes: from supercomplex to leaf

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Broess, K.

2009-01-01

This thesis describes fluorescence spectroscopy experiments on photosynthetic complexes that cover the primary photosynthetic processes, from the absorption of light by photosynthetic pigments to a charge separation (CS) in the reaction center (RC). Fluorescence spectroscopy is a useful tool in

Photosynthetic characteristics of Lycoris aurea and monthly ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The leaf photosynthetic characteristics of Lycoris aurea, the monthly dynamics in lycorine and galantamine contents in its bulb and the correlation among the photosynthetic characteristics and the lycorine and galantamine during the annual growth period were studied by using LI-6400 portable photosynthetic measurement ...

Benthos of Adjacent Mangrove, Seagrass and Non-vegetated Habitats in Rookery Bay, Florida, U.S.A.

Science.gov (United States)

Sheridan, P.

1997-04-01

Benthic faunal abundances and biomasses in adjacent mangrove, seagrass and non-vegetated mud habitats were compared in Rookery Bay, Florida, U.S.A. Although all habitats were intertidal, mangroves received the shortest duration of flooding, and non-vegetated mud received the longest. Replicate cores were taken at high tide in each habitat in July, September and December 1988, and in April 1989. Seagrass substrates were low organic content sands, whereas mangrove and non-vegetated substrates were high organic content sandy clays. Over 300 taxa were recorded, most of them relatively rare, and only 32 taxa were considered dominant (averaging ≥636 individuals m -2or five core -1in any habitat at a given time). Seagrass and non-vegetated mud faunas were more diverse than those of mangrove substrates. Total densities were always higher in red mangrove ( Rhizophora mangle) peat than elsewhere, averaging 22 591 to 52 914 individuals m -2. Densities in mixed seagrasses ranged between 6347 and 23 545 individuals m -2, while those in non-vegetated mud ranged between 3611 and 22 465 individuals m -2. Biomasses, however, were always higher in either seagrasses (15·7-87·4 g wet weight m -2) or non-vegetated mud (11·9-26·2 g m -2) than in mangroves (3·6-8·2 g m -2). Tanaids and annelids were the numerical dominants, reaching maximum densities of 35 127 and 31 388 m -2, respectively, in mangroves. Annelids were also the dominant biomass in most habitats each month. Variation in densities of most of the 32 dominant taxa were related to habitat not time. Each habitat harboured four to eight taxa that were significantly more abundant there than in alternate habitats. Feeding guild analysis indicated few differences among habitats, as surface deposit feeders and carnivores were predominant. Red mangrove appear capable of functioning in a manner similar to intertidal marsh habitats by providing high densities of small prey items for mobile consumers able to exploit the

How well do growing season dynamics of photosynthetic capacity correlate with leaf biochemistry and climate fluctuations?

Science.gov (United States)

Way, Danielle A; Stinziano, Joseph R; Berghoff, Henry; Oren, Ram

2017-07-01

Accurate values of photosynthetic capacity are needed in Earth System Models to predict gross primary productivity. Seasonal changes in photosynthetic capacity in these models are primarily driven by temperature, but recent work has suggested that photoperiod may be a better predictor of seasonal photosynthetic capacity. Using field-grown kudzu (Pueraria lobata (Willd.) Ohwi), a nitrogen-fixing vine species, we took weekly measurements of photosynthetic capacity, leaf nitrogen, and pigment and photosynthetic protein concentrations and correlated these with temperature, irradiance and photoperiod over the growing season. Photosynthetic capacity was more strongly correlated with photoperiod than with temperature or daily irradiance, while the growing season pattern in photosynthetic capacity was uncoupled from changes in leaf nitrogen, chlorophyll and Rubisco. Daily estimates of the maximum carboxylation rate of Rubisco (Vcmax) based on either photoperiod or temperature were correlated in a non-linear manner, but Vcmax estimates from both approaches that also accounted for diurnal temperature fluctuations were similar, indicating that differences between these models depend on the relevant time step. We advocate for considering photoperiod, and not just temperature, when estimating photosynthetic capacity across the year, particularly as climate change alters temperatures but not photoperiod. We also caution that the use of leaf biochemical traits as proxies for estimating photosynthetic capacity may be unreliable when the underlying relationships between proxy leaf traits and photosynthetic capacity are established outside of a seasonal framework. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Lithofacies modeling by multipoint statistics and economic evaluation by NPV volume for the early Cretaceous Wabiskaw Member in Athabasca oilsands area, Canada

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Kwang Hyun Kim

2018-03-01

As Wabiskaw Member is frontier oilsands lease, it is impossible to evaluate the economics from production data or dynamic simulation. In this study, a dynamic steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD performance indicator (SPIDER on the basis of reservoir characteristics is calculated to build 3D reservoir model for the evaluation of the SAGD feasibility in Wabiskaw Member. SPIDER depends on reservoir properties, economic limit of steam-oil ratio, and bitumen price. Reservoir properties like porosity, permeability, and water saturation are measured from 13 cores and calculated from 201 well-logs. Three dimensional volumes of reservoir properties are constructed mostly based on relationships among properties. Finally, net present value (NPV volume can be built by equation relating NPV and SPIDER. The economic area exceeding criterion of US$ 10,000 is identified, and the ranges of reservoir properties are estimated. NPV-volume-generation workflow from reservoir parameter to static model provides cost- and time- effective method to evaluate the oilsands SAGD project.

The role of energy losses in photosynthetic light harvesting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krüger, T P J; Van Grondelle, R

2017-01-01

Photosynthesis operates at the bottom of the food chain to convert the energy of light into carbohydrates at a remarkable global rate of about 130 TW. Nonetheless, the overall photosynthetic process has a conversion efficiency of a few percent at best, significantly less than bottom-up photovoltaic cells. The primary photosynthetic steps, consisting of light harvesting and charge separation, are often presented as having near-unity quantum efficiency but this holds only true under ideal conditions. In this review, we discuss the importance of energy loss mechanisms to establish robustness in photosynthetic light harvesting. Thermal energy dissipation of light-harvesting complexes (LHCs) in different environments is investigated and the relationships and contrasts between concentration quenching of high pigment concentrations, photoprotection (non-photochemical quenching), quenching due to protein aggregation, and fluorescence blinking are discussed. The role of charge-transfer states in light harvesting and energy dissipation is highlighted and the importance of controlled protein structural disorder to switch the light-harvesting antennae between effective light harvesters and efficient energy quenchers is underscored. The main LHC of plants, LHCII, is used as a prime example. (topical review)

Factors Controlling Vegetation Fires in Protected and Non-Protected Areas of Myanmar

Science.gov (United States)

Biswas, Sumalika; Vadrevu, Krishna Prasad; Lwin, Zin Mar; Lasko, Kristofer; Justice, Christopher O.

2015-01-01

Fire is an important disturbance agent in Myanmar impacting several ecosystems. In this study, we quantify the factors impacting vegetation fires in protected and non-protected areas of Myanmar. Satellite datasets in conjunction with biophysical and anthropogenic factors were used in a spatial framework to map the causative factors of fires. Specifically, we used the frequency ratio method to assess the contribution of each causative factor to overall fire susceptibility at a 1km scale. Results suggested the mean fire density in non-protected areas was two times higher than the protected areas. Fire-land cover partition analysis suggested dominant fire occurrences in the savannas (protected areas) and woody savannas (non-protected areas). The five major fire causative factors in protected areas in descending order include population density, land cover, tree cover percent, travel time from nearest city and temperature. In contrast, the causative factors in non-protected areas were population density, tree cover percent, travel time from nearest city, temperature and elevation. The fire susceptibility analysis showed distinct spatial patterns with central Myanmar as a hot spot of vegetation fires. Results from propensity score matching suggested that forests within protected areas have 11% less fires than non-protected areas. Overall, our results identify important causative factors of fire useful to address broad scale fire risk concerns at a landscape scale in Myanmar. PMID:25909632

Factors controlling vegetation fires in protected and non-protected areas of myanmar.

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Sumalika Biswas

Full Text Available Fire is an important disturbance agent in Myanmar impacting several ecosystems. In this study, we quantify the factors impacting vegetation fires in protected and non-protected areas of Myanmar. Satellite datasets in conjunction with biophysical and anthropogenic factors were used in a spatial framework to map the causative factors of fires. Specifically, we used the frequency ratio method to assess the contribution of each causative factor to overall fire susceptibility at a 1km scale. Results suggested the mean fire density in non-protected areas was two times higher than the protected areas. Fire-land cover partition analysis suggested dominant fire occurrences in the savannas (protected areas and woody savannas (non-protected areas. The five major fire causative factors in protected areas in descending order include population density, land cover, tree cover percent, travel time from nearest city and temperature. In contrast, the causative factors in non-protected areas were population density, tree cover percent, travel time from nearest city, temperature and elevation. The fire susceptibility analysis showed distinct spatial patterns with central Myanmar as a hot spot of vegetation fires. Results from propensity score matching suggested that forests within protected areas have 11% less fires than non-protected areas. Overall, our results identify important causative factors of fire useful to address broad scale fire risk concerns at a landscape scale in Myanmar.

Factors controlling vegetation fires in protected and non-protected areas of myanmar.

Science.gov (United States)

Biswas, Sumalika; Vadrevu, Krishna Prasad; Lwin, Zin Mar; Lasko, Kristofer; Justice, Christopher O

2015-01-01

Fire is an important disturbance agent in Myanmar impacting several ecosystems. In this study, we quantify the factors impacting vegetation fires in protected and non-protected areas of Myanmar. Satellite datasets in conjunction with biophysical and anthropogenic factors were used in a spatial framework to map the causative factors of fires. Specifically, we used the frequency ratio method to assess the contribution of each causative factor to overall fire susceptibility at a 1km scale. Results suggested the mean fire density in non-protected areas was two times higher than the protected areas. Fire-land cover partition analysis suggested dominant fire occurrences in the savannas (protected areas) and woody savannas (non-protected areas). The five major fire causative factors in protected areas in descending order include population density, land cover, tree cover percent, travel time from nearest city and temperature. In contrast, the causative factors in non-protected areas were population density, tree cover percent, travel time from nearest city, temperature and elevation. The fire susceptibility analysis showed distinct spatial patterns with central Myanmar as a hot spot of vegetation fires. Results from propensity score matching suggested that forests within protected areas have 11% less fires than non-protected areas. Overall, our results identify important causative factors of fire useful to address broad scale fire risk concerns at a landscape scale in Myanmar.

Large sensitivity in land carbon storage due to geographical and temporal variation in the thermal response of photosynthetic capacity.

Science.gov (United States)

Mercado, Lina M; Medlyn, Belinda E; Huntingford, Chris; Oliver, Rebecca J; Clark, Douglas B; Sitch, Stephen; Zelazowski, Przemyslaw; Kattge, Jens; Harper, Anna B; Cox, Peter M

2018-06-01

Plant temperature responses vary geographically, reflecting thermally contrasting habitats and long-term species adaptations to their climate of origin. Plants also can acclimate to fast temporal changes in temperature regime to mitigate stress. Although plant photosynthetic responses are known to acclimate to temperature, many global models used to predict future vegetation and climate-carbon interactions do not include this process. We quantify the global and regional impacts of biogeographical variability and thermal acclimation of temperature response of photosynthetic capacity on the terrestrial carbon (C) cycle between 1860 and 2100 within a coupled climate-carbon cycle model, that emulates 22 global climate models. Results indicate that inclusion of biogeographical variation in photosynthetic temperature response is most important for present-day and future C uptake, with increasing importance of thermal acclimation under future warming. Accounting for both effects narrows the range of predictions of the simulated global land C storage in 2100 across climate projections (29% and 43% globally and in the tropics, respectively). Contrary to earlier studies, our results suggest that thermal acclimation of photosynthetic capacity makes tropical and temperate C less vulnerable to warming, but reduces the warming-induced C uptake in the boreal region under elevated CO 2 . © 2018 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2018 New Phytologist Trust.

Diel tuning of photosynthetic systems in ice algae at Saroma-ko Lagoon, Hokkaido, Japan

Science.gov (United States)

Aikawa, Shimpei; Hattori, Hiroshi; Gomi, Yasushi; Watanabe, Kentaro; Kudoh, Sakae; Kashino, Yasuhiro; Satoh, Kazuhiko

Ice algae are the major primary producers in seasonally ice-covered oceans during the cold season. Diurnal change in solar radiation is inevitable for ice algae, even beneath seasonal sea ice in lower-latitude regions. In this work, we focused on the photosynthetic response of ice algae under diurnally changing irradiance in Saroma-ko Lagoon, Japan. Photosynthetic properties were assessed by pulse-amplitude modulation (PAM) fluorometry. The species composition remained almost the same throughout the investigation. The maximum electron transport rate ( rETRmax), which indicates the capacity of photosynthetic electron transport, increased from sunrise until around noon and decreased toward sunset, with no sign of the afternoon depression commonly observed in other photosynthetic organisms. The level of non-photochemical quenching, which indicates photoprotection activity by dissipating excess light energy via thermal processes, changed with diurnal variations in irradiance. The pigment composition appeared constant, except for xanthophyll cycle pigments, which changed irrespective of irradiance. These results indicate that ice algae tune their photosynthetic system harmonically to achieve efficient photosynthesis under diurnally changing irradiance, while avoiding damage to photosystems. This regulation system may be essential for productive photosynthesis in ice algae.

Effects of gibberellic acid on growth and photosynthetic pigments of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The aim of this study was to improve growth performance by enhancing the photosynthetic pigments and enzyme carbonic anhydrase (CA) activity of Hibiscus sabdariffa L. (cv. Sabahia 17) under NaCl stress. Under non-saline condition, application of GA3 enhanced growth parameters (shoot length, shoot fresh weight (FW) ...

Vegetative and reproductive plasticity of broccoli at three levels of incident photosynthetically active radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Francescangeli, N.; Martí, H.R.; Sangiacomo, M.A.

2007-01-01

To study the effects of shading on the growth, development, dry matter partitioning, and plant architecture of broccoli, ‘Legacy’ hybrid plants were grown in pots in a greenhouse under black shading meshes to generate different levels of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR). The average incident PAR was 23 mol PPF m –2 d –1 under control conditions, 15.2 under a 35% mesh, and 6.7 under a 70% mesh. The air temperature was within the range 15-22°C. As shading increased so did the duration of the growth cycle and the leaf area (LA). Shading did not affect the number of leaves, although the upper ones were more erect. The stem length and the accumulated intercepted PAR (IPAR) were negatively related. Inflorescence diameter and commercial fresh weight decreased only with the 70% mesh. Shading did not affect stem dry weight (DW) but altered dry matter allocation in the root and spear. The DW of the leaves maintained an average 45.7% of the total DW despite the greater LA developed under shade. The net assimilation rate diminished with the reduction of IPAR, and the LA increased; the plant relative growth rate was therefore practically constant. With increased shading, the leaves and the stem became the dominant photosynthate sinks. The commercial fresh weight achieved with 15.2 mol photosynthetic photon flux (PPF) m –2 d –1 was equivalent to that obtained with 23 mol PPF m –2 d –1 , but the cycle was extended for 4.5 days. With 6.7 mol PPF m –2 d –1 , yield diminished because of the lower DW produced in a cycle extended by 15 days, and because more dry matter was allocated to the stem than to the spear. Based on these results, broccoli could be considered a shade-tolerant plant. (author) [es

Effect of sodium chloride on photosynthetic 14CO2 assimilation in Portulaca oleracea Linn

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Joshi, G.V.; Karadge, B.A.

1979-01-01

Effect of NaCl on ion uptake, photosynthetic rate and photosynthetic products in a C 4 non-CAM succulent, P. oleracea has been investigated. NaCl causes accumulation of Na as well as Cl ions with decrease in K and Ca contents. Chlorophylls and photosynthetic 14 CO 2 fixation rates are adversely affected due to sodium chloride salinity. Plants grown in the presence of NaCl show increase in C 4 acid percentage with increase in labelling of organic acids in light. Labelling of amino acids (particularly alanine) and sugars (sucrose) is affected by NaCl. Enzyme studies reveal that PEP-carboxylase is stimulated at all concentrations of NaCl but higher concentrations affected the activity of RuBP-Carboxylase. (author)

Seasonal dynamics of the photosynthetic pigments content in Populus tremula L. leaves at the adaptation on an open-pit coal mine revegetating dump

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu. V. Zagurskaya

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Seasonal dynamics of the basic photosynthetic pigments (a and b chlorophylls, carotenoids content in the samples of aspen Populus tremula during natural regeneration on a revegetating pit dump of a worked-out coal pit has been studied. The studies were conducted every ten days during the vegetation period in 2015 (June–September on the territory of «Yuzhniy» dump of «Kedrovskiy» open-pit coal mine (Kemerovo region. The pigment content was identified by the means of spectrophotometric detection. The content of photosynthetic pigments in aspen leaves was calculated on oven-dry weight of the leaves, as moisture aspen leaves can greatly vary, and the determination of accuracy of dry matter content higher than the for specific gravity of the sheet. No changes in visible absorption spectrum of acetone extracts indicating pheophytin formation in chlorophylls have been identified. For all variants the larger amount of b chlorophyll was contained in control samples. The largest differences in a/b chlorophylls and chlorophylls/carotenoids ratio were observed in the end of vegetation period. The ratio between a and b chlorophylls of aspen leaves in both cases by the end of the season was considerably lower. The adaptation of aspen photosynthetic system to the revegetating dump conditions was performed due to decrease in the total pigment content and the percent of b chlorophyll in their composition.

Photosynthetic recovery and acclimation to excess light intensity in the rehydrated lichen soil crusts.

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Li Wu

Full Text Available As an important successional stage and main type of biological soil crusts (BSCs in Shapotou region of China (southeastern edge of Tengger Desert, lichen soil crusts (LSCs often suffer from many stresses, such as desiccation and excess light intensity. In this study, the chlorophyll fluorescence and CO2 exchange in the rehydrated LSCs were detected under a series of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR gradients to study the photosynthetic acclimation of LSCs. The results showed that although desiccation leaded to the loss of photosynthetic activity in LSCs, the fluorescence parameters including Fo, Fv and Fv/Fm of LSCs could be well recovered after rehydration. After the recovery of photosynthetic activity, the effective photosynthetic efficiency ΦPSII detected by Imaging PAM had declined to nearly 0 within both the lichen thallus upper and lower layers when the PAR increased to 200 μE m-2 s-1, however the net photosynthesis detected by the CO2 gas analyzer in the LSCs still appeared when the PAR increased to 1000 μE m-2 s-1. Our results indicate that LSCs acclimating to high PAR, on the one hand is ascribed to the special structure in crust lichens, making the incident light into the lichen thallus be weakened; on the other hand the massive accumulation of photosynthetic pigments in LSCs also provides a protective barrier for the photosynthetic organisms against radiation damage. Furthermore, the excessive light energy absorbed by crust lichens is also possibly dissipated by the increasing non-photochemical quenching, therefore to some extent providing some protection for LSCs.

Np(V) carbonates in solid state and aqueous solution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meinrath, G.

1994-01-01

The solubility of NaNpO 2 CO 3 (s) in 0.1M perchlorate solution at 25 deg C in equilibrium with 1.0% CO 2 /N 2 atmosphere has been investigated as a function of pH/lg [CO 3 2- ]. The solid phase was found hexagonal with a=1008.1±0.3 pm and c=991.1±0.2 pm. A solubility product of lg Ksp(NaNpO 2 CO 3 ) = -10.22±0.02 and a formation constant of the first Np(V) carbonato species of lg β 01 = 4.52±0.02 was evaluated. For the dicarbonato species an upper limit of lg lg β 02 2 partial pressure gave evidence that carbonato species are prevailing in solutions at both 1% and 0.03% CO 2 partial pressures. (author) 26 refs.; 4 figs.; 3 tabs

RpoH2 sigma factor controls the photooxidative stress response in a non-photosynthetic rhizobacterium, Azospirillum brasilense Sp7.

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Santosh; Rai, Ashutosh Kumar; Mishra, Mukti Nath; Shukla, Mansi; Singh, Pradhyumna Kumar; Tripathi, Anil Kumar

2012-12-01

Bacteria belonging to the Alphaproteobacteria normally harbour multiple copies of the heat shock sigma factor (known as σ(32), σ(H) or RpoH). Azospirillum brasilense, a non-photosynthetic rhizobacterium, harbours five copies of rpoH genes, one of which is an rpoH2 homologue. The genes around the rpoH2 locus in A. brasilense show synteny with that found in rhizobia. The rpoH2 of A. brasilense was able to complement the temperature-sensitive phenotype of the Escherichia coli rpoH mutant. Inactivation of rpoH2 in A. brasilense results in increased sensitivity to methylene blue and to triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC). Exposure of A. brasilense to TTC and the singlet oxygen-generating agent methylene blue induced several-fold higher expression of rpoH2. Comparison of the proteome of A. brasilense with its rpoH2 deletion mutant and with an A. brasilense strain overexpressing rpoH2 revealed chaperone GroEL, elongation factors (Ef-Tu and EF-G), peptidyl prolyl isomerase, and peptide methionine sulfoxide reductase as the major proteins whose expression was controlled by RpoH2. Here, we show that the RpoH2 sigma factor-controlled photooxidative stress response in A. brasilense is similar to that in the photosynthetic bacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides, but that RpoH2 is not involved in the detoxification of methylglyoxal in A. brasilense.

Using MODIS-NDVI for the Modeling of Post-Wildfire Vegetation Response as a Function of Environmental Conditions and Pre-Fire Restoration Treatments

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Grant M. Casady

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Post-fire vegetation response is influenced by the interaction of natural and anthropogenic factors such as topography, climate, vegetation type and restoration practices. Previous research has analyzed the relationship of some of these factors to vegetation response, but few have taken into account the effects of pre-fire restoration practices. We selected three wildfires that occurred in Bandelier National Monument (New Mexico, USA between 1999 and 2007 and three adjacent unburned control areas. We used interannual trends in the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI time series data derived from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS to assess vegetation response, which we define as the average potential photosynthetic activity through the summer monsoon. Topography, fire severity and restoration treatment were obtained and used to explain post-fire vegetation response. We applied parametric (Multiple Linear Regressions-MLR and non-parametric tests (Classification and Regression Trees-CART to analyze effects of fire severity, terrain and pre-fire restoration treatments (variable used in CART on post-fire vegetation response. MLR results showed strong relationships between vegetation response and environmental factors (p < 0.1, however the explanatory factors changed among treatments. CART results showed that beside fire severity and topography, pre-fire treatments strongly impact post-fire vegetation response. Results for these three fires show that pre-fire restoration conditions along with local environmental factors constitute key processes that modify post-fire vegetation response.

Participation of intracellular and extracellular pH changes in photosynthetic response development induced by variation potential in pumpkin seedlings.

Science.gov (United States)

Sherstneva, O N; Vodeneev, V A; Katicheva, L A; Surova, L M; Sukhov, V S

2015-06-01

Electrical signals presented in plants by action potential and by variation potential (VP) can induce a reversible inactivation of photosynthesis. Changes in the intracellular and extracellular pH during VP generation are a potential mechanism of photosynthetic response induction; however, this hypothesis requires additional experimental investigation. The purpose of the present work was to analyze the influence of pH changes on induction of the photosynthetic response in pumpkin. It was shown that a burning of the cotyledon induced VP propagation into true leaves of pumpkin seedlings inducing a decrease in the photosynthetic CO2 assimilation and an increase in non-photochemical quenching of fluorescence, whereas respiration was activated insignificantly. The photosynthetic response magnitude depended linearly on the VP amplitude. The intracellular and extracellular concentrations of protons were analyzed using pH-sensitive fluorescent probes, and the VP generation was shown to be accompanied by apoplast alkalization (0.4 pH unit) and cytoplasm acidification (0.3 pH unit). The influence of changes in the incubation medium pH on the non-photochemical quenching of fluorescence of isolated chloroplasts was also investigated. It was found that acidification of the medium stimulated the non-photochemical quenching, and the magnitude of this increase depended on the decrease in pH. Our results confirm the contribution of changes in intracellular and extracellular pH to induction of the photosynthetic response caused by VP. Possible mechanisms of the influence of pH changes on photosynthesis are discussed.

Bioaccessibility and risk assessment of essential and non-essential elements in vegetables commonly consumed in Swaziland.

Science.gov (United States)

Mnisi, Robert Londi; Ndibewu, Peter P; Mafu, Lihle D; Bwembya, Gabriel C

2017-10-01

The green leafy vegetables (Mormodica involucrate, Bidens pilosa and Amaranthus spinosus) are economic; seasonal; locally grown and easily available; easy to propagate and store; highly nutritious food substances that form an important component of diets. This study applies a physiology based extraction technique (PBET) to mimic digestion of these vegetables to determine the fraction of essential (Fe and Zn) and non-essential elements (Cd, Cr and Pb) that are made available for absorption after ingestion. Prior to the application of the PBET, the vegetables were cooked adopting indigenous Swazi cooking methods. Cooking mobilized most of the metals out of the vegetable mass, and the final substrate concentrations are: raw > cooked > supernatant for all the metals, and the order of average metal leaching was: Pb (82.2%) >Cr (70.6%) >Zn (67.5%) >Fe (60.2%) >Cd (53.6%). This meant that the bioavailable concentrations are significantly lower than in the original vegetable mass, if only the solid mass is consumed. Bioaccessibility was higher in the gastric tract than in the intestinal phases of the PBET for all the metals in all the vegetables. Risk assessment protocols employed on the non-essential elements (Cr, Cd and Pb) showed that the associated risks of ingesting metal contaminated vegetables are higher for children, than they are for adults, based on the target hazard quotient (THQ) index. However, the overall health risk associated with ingestion of these metals is low, for both children and adults, based on the HR index. Conclusively, this study expounds on the nutritional and risk benefits associated with ingesting naturally grown vegetables. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Chrysodeixis chalcites nucleopolyhedrovirus (ChchNPV): Natural occurrence and efficacy as a biological insecticide on young banana plants in greenhouse and open-field conditions on the Canary Islands.

Science.gov (United States)

Fuentes, Ernesto Gabriel; Hernández-Suárez, Estrella; Simón, Oihane; Williams, Trevor; Caballero, Primitivo

2017-01-01

Chrysodeixis chalcites, an important pest of banana crops on the Canary Islands, is usually controlled by chemical insecticides. The present study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the most prevalent isolate of the Chrysodeixis chalcites nucleopolyhedrovirus (ChchNPV, Baculoviridae) as a biological insecticide. Overall the prevalence of ChchNPV infection in C. chalcites populations was 2.3% (103 infected larvae out of 4,438 sampled), but varied from 0-4.8% on Tenerife and was usually low (0-2%) on the other islands. On Tenerife, infected larvae were present at 11 out of 17 plantations sampled. The prevalence of infection in larvae on bananas grown under greenhouse structures was significantly higher (3%) than in open-field sites (1.4%). The ChchNPV-TF1 isolate was the most abundant and widespread of four genetic variants of the virus. Application of 1.0x109 viral occlusion bodies (OBs)/l of ChchNPV-TF1 significantly reduced C. chalcites foliar damage in young banana plants as did commonly used pesticides, both in greenhouse and open-field sites. The insecticidal efficacy of ChchNPV-TF1 was similar to that of indoxacarb and a Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)-based insecticide in one year of trials and similar to Bt in the following year of trails in greenhouse and field crops. However, larvae collected at different time intervals following virus treatments and reared in the laboratory experienced 2-7 fold more mortality than insects from conventional insecticide treatments. This suggests that the acquisition of lethal dose occurred over an extended period (up to 7 days) compared to a brief peak in larvae on plants treated with conventional insecticides. These results should prove useful for the registration of a ChchNPV-based insecticide for integrated management of this pest in banana crops on the Canary Islands.

Chrysodeixis chalcites nucleopolyhedrovirus (ChchNPV: Natural occurrence and efficacy as a biological insecticide on young banana plants in greenhouse and open-field conditions on the Canary Islands.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ernesto Gabriel Fuentes

Full Text Available Chrysodeixis chalcites, an important pest of banana crops on the Canary Islands, is usually controlled by chemical insecticides. The present study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the most prevalent isolate of the Chrysodeixis chalcites nucleopolyhedrovirus (ChchNPV, Baculoviridae as a biological insecticide. Overall the prevalence of ChchNPV infection in C. chalcites populations was 2.3% (103 infected larvae out of 4,438 sampled, but varied from 0-4.8% on Tenerife and was usually low (0-2% on the other islands. On Tenerife, infected larvae were present at 11 out of 17 plantations sampled. The prevalence of infection in larvae on bananas grown under greenhouse structures was significantly higher (3% than in open-field sites (1.4%. The ChchNPV-TF1 isolate was the most abundant and widespread of four genetic variants of the virus. Application of 1.0x109 viral occlusion bodies (OBs/l of ChchNPV-TF1 significantly reduced C. chalcites foliar damage in young banana plants as did commonly used pesticides, both in greenhouse and open-field sites. The insecticidal efficacy of ChchNPV-TF1 was similar to that of indoxacarb and a Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt-based insecticide in one year of trials and similar to Bt in the following year of trails in greenhouse and field crops. However, larvae collected at different time intervals following virus treatments and reared in the laboratory experienced 2-7 fold more mortality than insects from conventional insecticide treatments. This suggests that the acquisition of lethal dose occurred over an extended period (up to 7 days compared to a brief peak in larvae on plants treated with conventional insecticides. These results should prove useful for the registration of a ChchNPV-based insecticide for integrated management of this pest in banana crops on the Canary Islands.

Toward a Mechanistic Modeling of Nitrogen Limitation on Vegetation Dynamics

OpenAIRE

Xu, Chonggang; Fisher, Rosie; Wullschleger, Stan D.; Wilson, Cathy J.; Cai, Michael; McDowell, Nate G.

2012-01-01

Nitrogen is a dominant regulator of vegetation dynamics, net primary production, and terrestrial carbon cycles; however, most ecosystem models use a rather simplistic relationship between leaf nitrogen content and photosynthetic capacity. Such an approach does not consider how patterns of nitrogen allocation may change with differences in light intensity, growing-season temperature and CO(2) concentration. To account for this known variability in nitrogen-photosynthesis relationships, we deve...

Late pliocene-pleistocene expansion of C4 vegetation in semiarid East Asia linked to increased burning : Geology

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zhou, B.; Shen, C.; Sun, W.; Bird, M.; Ma, W.; Taylor, D.; Liu, W.; Peterse, F.; Yi, W.; Zheng, H.

2014-01-01

Plants using the C4 photosynthetic pathway, commonly tropical and subtropical grasses, increased in abundance in East Asia during the late Cenozoic. Determining the exact timing and likely factors leading to this major vegetation change requires region-specific studies. Here variations in pyrogenic

Hybrid system of semiconductor and photosynthetic protein

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Younghye; Shin, Seon Ae; Lee, Jaehun; Yang, Ki Dong; Nam, Ki Tae

2014-01-01

Photosynthetic protein has the potential to be a new attractive material for solar energy absorption and conversion. The development of semiconductor/photosynthetic protein hybrids is an example of recent progress toward efficient, clean and nanostructured photoelectric systems. In the review, two biohybrid systems interacting through different communicating methods are addressed: (1) a photosynthetic protein immobilized semiconductor electrode operating via electron transfer and (2) a hybrid of semiconductor quantum dots and photosynthetic protein operating via energy transfer. The proper selection of materials and functional and structural modification of the components and optimal conjugation between them are the main issues discussed in the review. In conclusion, we propose the direction of future biohybrid systems for solar energy conversion systems, optical biosensors and photoelectric devices. (topical reviews)

Kinetic of the reduction of neptunium by hydrazine. Pt. 5. Reduction of Np(V) to Np(IV) in nitric acid media

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Koltunov, V S; Tikhonov, M F; Shapovalov, M P

1976-01-01

The kinetics of the reaction between Np(V) and N/sub 2/H/sub 4/ in solutions of HNO/sub 3/+NaNO/sub 3/ was studied by a spectrophotometric method and an ionic strength ..mu..=4 in a broad range of N/sub 2/H/sub 4/ concentrations (0.01-1 M) at the temperatures 80 and 96/sup 0/C. It was shown that the order of the reaction with respect to Np(V) depends on the concentration of N/sub 2/H/sub 4/. At a low concentration (0.01-0.02 M), the reaction is second order with respect to Np(V), and its mechanism includes a slow step of disproportionation of NpO/sub 2//sup +/ ions. At a high concentration of N/sub 2/H/sub 4/ (1 M) the reaction is zero order with respect to Np(V), and its mechanism consists of the slow step of oxidation of N/sub 2/H/sub 4/ by nitric acid (by NO/sub 2//sup +/ ions) and the rapid steps of oxidation of the N/sub 2/H/sub 2/ radicals formed by NpO/sub 2//sup +/ ions and dimerization of radicals. A general kinetic equation was obtained for the reaction. Its parameters were determined with an electronic computer according to the results of experiments at ..mu..=4 and 90/sup 0/C: k/sub 2/=0.158+-0.017 M/sup -3/.min/sup -1/; k=(6.26+-1.79).10/sup -5/ M/sup -2/.min/sup -1/; K=(8.9+-39).10/sup -8/ M/sup -1/, and n=1.8+-0.4. The equation corresponds to the mechanism of the reaction.

Spectral Bio-indicator Simulations for Tracking Photosynthetic Activities in a Corn Field

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Yen-Ben; Middleton, Elizabeth M.; Huemmrich, K. Fred; Zhang, Qingyuan; Corp, Lawrence; Campbell, Petya; Kustas, William

2011-01-01

Accurate assessment of vegetation canopy optical properties plays a critical role in monitoring natural and managed ecosystems under environmental changes. In this context, radiative transfer (RT) models simulating vegetation canopy reflectance have been demonstrated to be a powerful tool for understanding and estimating spectral bio-indicators. In this study, two narrow band spectroradiometers were utilized to acquire observations over corn canopies for two summers. These in situ spectral data were then used to validate a two-layer Markov chain-based canopy reflectance model for simulating the Photochemical Reflectance Index (PRI), which has been widely used in recent vegetation photosynthetic light use efficiency (LUE) studies. The in situ PRI derived from narrow band hyperspectral reflectance exhibited clear responses to: 1) viewing geometry which affects the asset of light environment; and 2) seasonal variation corresponding to the growth stage. The RT model (ACRM) successfully simulated the responses to the variable viewing geometry. The best simulations were obtained when the model was set to run in the two layer mode using the sunlit leaves as the upper layer and shaded leaves as the lower layer. Simulated PRI values yielded much better correlations to in situ observations when the cornfield was dominated by green foliage during the early growth, vegetative and reproductive stages (r = 0.78 to 0.86) than in the later senescent stage (r = 0.65). Further sensitivity analyses were conducted to show the important influences of leaf area index (LAI) and the sunlit/shaded ratio on PRI observations.

Quantification of the impact of macrophytes on oxygen dynamics and nitrogen retention in a vegetated lowland river

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Desmet, N.J.S.; Van Belleghem, S.; Seuntjens, P.; Bouma, T.J.; Buis, K.; Meire, P.

2011-01-01

When macrophytes are growing in the river, the vegetation induces substantial changes to the water quality. Some effects are the result of direct interactions, such as photosynthetic activity or nutrient uptake, whereas others may be attributed to indirect effects of the water plants on

Redox regulation of photosynthetic gene expression.

Science.gov (United States)

Queval, Guillaume; Foyer, Christine H

2012-12-19

Redox chemistry and redox regulation are central to the operation of photosynthesis and respiration. However, the roles of different oxidants and antioxidants in the regulation of photosynthetic or respiratory gene expression remain poorly understood. Leaf transcriptome profiles of a range of Arabidopsis thaliana genotypes that are deficient in either hydrogen peroxide processing enzymes or in low molecular weight antioxidant were therefore compared to determine how different antioxidant systems that process hydrogen peroxide influence transcripts encoding proteins targeted to the chloroplasts or mitochondria. Less than 10 per cent overlap was observed in the transcriptome patterns of leaves that are deficient in either photorespiratory (catalase (cat)2) or chloroplastic (thylakoid ascorbate peroxidase (tapx)) hydrogen peroxide processing. Transcripts encoding photosystem II (PSII) repair cycle components were lower in glutathione-deficient leaves, as were the thylakoid NAD(P)H (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (phosphate)) dehydrogenases (NDH) mRNAs. Some thylakoid NDH mRNAs were also less abundant in tAPX-deficient and ascorbate-deficient leaves. Transcripts encoding the external and internal respiratory NDHs were increased by low glutathione and low ascorbate. Regulation of transcripts encoding specific components of the photosynthetic and respiratory electron transport chains by hydrogen peroxide, ascorbate and glutathione may serve to balance non-cyclic and cyclic electron flow pathways in relation to oxidant production and reductant availability.

Sorption of environmentally relevant radionuclides (U(VI), Np(V)) and lanthanides (Nd(III)) on feldspar and mica

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Richter, Constanze

2015-11-05

A safe storage of radioactive waste in repositories is an important task to protect humans and the environment from radio- and chemotoxicity. Long-term safety assessments predict the behavior of potential environmental contaminants like the actinides plutonium, uranium, or neptunium, in the near and far field of repositories. For such safety assessments, it is necessary to know the migration behavior of the contaminants in the environment, which is mainly dependent on the aquatic speciation, the solubility product of relevant solid phases, and the retardation due to sorption on surrounding minerals. Thus, an investigation of sorption processes of contaminants onto different minerals as well as the derivation of mineral specific surface complexation model (SCM) parameters is of great importance. Feldspar and mica are widely distributed in nature. They occur as components of granite, which is considered as a potential host rock for a repository in Germany, and in numerous other rocks, and thus also in the far field of nearly all repositories. However, their sorption behavior with actinides has only been scarcely investigated until now. In order to better characterize these systems and subsequently to integrate these minerals into the long-term safety assessments, this work focuses on the investigation of the sorption behavior of U(VI), Np(V), and Nd(III) as analogue for An(III) onto the minerals orthoclase and muscovite, representing feldspars and mica, respectively. All investigations were performed under conditions relevant to the far field of a repository. In addition to the extensive characterization of the minerals, batch sorption experiments, spectroscopic investigations, and surface complexation modeling were performed to elucidate the uptake and speciation of actinides on the mineral surfaces. In addition, the influence of microorganisms naturally occurring on the mineral surfaces and the effect of Ca{sup 2+} on U(VI) uptake on the minerals was studied. The

Sorption of environmentally relevant radionuclides (U(VI), Np(V)) and lanthanides (Nd(III)) on feldspar and mica

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Richter, Constanze

2015-01-01

A safe storage of radioactive waste in repositories is an important task to protect humans and the environment from radio- and chemotoxicity. Long-term safety assessments predict the behavior of potential environmental contaminants like the actinides plutonium, uranium, or neptunium, in the near and far field of repositories. For such safety assessments, it is necessary to know the migration behavior of the contaminants in the environment, which is mainly dependent on the aquatic speciation, the solubility product of relevant solid phases, and the retardation due to sorption on surrounding minerals. Thus, an investigation of sorption processes of contaminants onto different minerals as well as the derivation of mineral specific surface complexation model (SCM) parameters is of great importance. Feldspar and mica are widely distributed in nature. They occur as components of granite, which is considered as a potential host rock for a repository in Germany, and in numerous other rocks, and thus also in the far field of nearly all repositories. However, their sorption behavior with actinides has only been scarcely investigated until now. In order to better characterize these systems and subsequently to integrate these minerals into the long-term safety assessments, this work focuses on the investigation of the sorption behavior of U(VI), Np(V), and Nd(III) as analogue for An(III) onto the minerals orthoclase and muscovite, representing feldspars and mica, respectively. All investigations were performed under conditions relevant to the far field of a repository. In addition to the extensive characterization of the minerals, batch sorption experiments, spectroscopic investigations, and surface complexation modeling were performed to elucidate the uptake and speciation of actinides on the mineral surfaces. In addition, the influence of microorganisms naturally occurring on the mineral surfaces and the effect of Ca 2+ on U(VI) uptake on the minerals was studied. The

Comparison of Manual Mapping and Automated Object-Based Image Analysis of Non-Submerged Aquatic Vegetation from Very-High-Resolution UAS Images

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eva Husson

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Aquatic vegetation has important ecological and regulatory functions and should be monitored in order to detect ecosystem changes. Field data collection is often costly and time-consuming; remote sensing with unmanned aircraft systems (UASs provides aerial images with sub-decimetre resolution and offers a potential data source for vegetation mapping. In a manual mapping approach, UAS true-colour images with 5-cm-resolution pixels allowed for the identification of non-submerged aquatic vegetation at the species level. However, manual mapping is labour-intensive, and while automated classification methods are available, they have rarely been evaluated for aquatic vegetation, particularly at the scale of individual vegetation stands. We evaluated classification accuracy and time-efficiency for mapping non-submerged aquatic vegetation at three levels of detail at five test sites (100 m × 100 m differing in vegetation complexity. We used object-based image analysis and tested two classification methods (threshold classification and Random Forest using eCognition®. The automated classification results were compared to results from manual mapping. Using threshold classification, overall accuracy at the five test sites ranged from 93% to 99% for the water-versus-vegetation level and from 62% to 90% for the growth-form level. Using Random Forest classification, overall accuracy ranged from 56% to 94% for the growth-form level and from 52% to 75% for the dominant-taxon level. Overall classification accuracy decreased with increasing vegetation complexity. In test sites with more complex vegetation, automated classification was more time-efficient than manual mapping. This study demonstrated that automated classification of non-submerged aquatic vegetation from true-colour UAS images was feasible, indicating good potential for operative mapping of aquatic vegetation. When choosing the preferred mapping method (manual versus automated the desired level of

Porphyrin and fullerene-based artificial photosynthetic materials for photovoltaics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Imahori, Hiroshi; Kashiwagi, Yukiyasu; Hasobe, Taku; Kimura, Makoto; Hanada, Takeshi; Nishimura, Yoshinobu; Yamazaki, Iwao; Araki, Yasuyuki; Ito, Osamu; Fukuzumi, Shunichi

2004-01-01

We have developed artificial photosynthetic systems in which porphyrins and fullerenes are self-assembled as building blocks into nanostructured molecular light-harvesting materials and photovoltaic devices. Multistep electron transfer strategy has been combined with our finding that porphyrin and fullerene systems have small reorganization energies, which are suitable for the construction of light energy conversion systems as well as artificial photosynthetic models. Highly efficient photosynthetic electron transfer reactions have been realized at ITO electrodes modified with self-assembled monolayers of porphyrin oligomers as well as porphyrin-fullerene linked systems. Porphyrin-modified gold nanoclusters have been found to have potential as artificial photosynthetic materials. These results provide basic information for the development of nanostructured artificial photosynthetic systems

Seasonal variability of foliar photosynthetic and morphological traits and drought impacts in a Mediterranean mixed forest.

Science.gov (United States)

Sperlich, D; Chang, C T; Peñuelas, J; Gracia, C; Sabaté, S

2015-05-01

The Mediterranean region is a hot spot of climate change vulnerable to increased droughts and heat waves. Scaling carbon fluxes from leaf to landscape levels is particularly challenging under drought conditions. We aimed to improve the mechanistic understanding of the seasonal acclimation of photosynthesis and morphology in sunlit and shaded leaves of four Mediterranean trees (Quercus ilex L., Pinus halepensis Mill., Arbutus unedo L. and Quercus pubescens Willd.) under natural conditions. Vc,max and Jmax were not constant, and mesophyll conductance was not infinite, as assumed in most terrestrial biosphere models, but varied significantly between seasons, tree species and leaf position. Favourable conditions in winter led to photosynthetic recovery and growth in the evergreens. Under moderate drought, adjustments in the photo/biochemistry and stomatal/mesophyllic diffusion behaviour effectively protected the photosynthetic machineries. Severe drought, however, induced early leaf senescence mostly in A. unedo and Q. pubescens, and significantly increased leaf mass per area in Q. ilex and P. halepensis. Shaded leaves had lower photosynthetic potentials but cushioned negative effects during stress periods. Species-specificity, seasonal variations and leaf position are key factors to explain vegetation responses to abiotic stress and hold great potential to reduce uncertainties in terrestrial biosphere models especially under drought conditions. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Effect of carbon limitation on photosynthetic electron transport in Nannochloropsis oculata.

Science.gov (United States)

Zavřel, Tomáš; Szabó, Milán; Tamburic, Bojan; Evenhuis, Christian; Kuzhiumparambil, Unnikrishnan; Literáková, Petra; Larkum, Anthony W D; Raven, John A; Červený, Jan; Ralph, Peter J

2018-04-01

This study describes the impacts of inorganic carbon limitation on the photosynthetic efficiency and operation of photosynthetic electron transport pathways in the biofuel-candidate microalga Nannochloropsis oculata. Using a combination of highly-controlled cultivation setup (photobioreactor), variable chlorophyll a fluorescence and transient spectroscopy methods (electrochromic shift (ECS) and P 700 redox kinetics), we showed that net photosynthesis and effective quantum yield of Photosystem II (PSII) decreased in N. oculata under carbon limitation. This was accompanied by a transient increase in total proton motive force and energy-dependent non-photochemical quenching as well as slightly elevated respiration. On the other hand, under carbon limitation the rapid increase in proton motive force (PMF, estimated from the total ECS signal) was also accompanied by reduced conductivity of ATP synthase to protons (estimated from the rate of ECS decay in dark after actinic illumination). This indicates that the slow operation of ATP synthase results in the transient build-up of PMF, which leads to the activation of fast energy dissipation mechanisms such as energy-dependent non-photochemical quenching. N. oculata also increased content of lipids under carbon limitation, which compensated for reduced NAPDH consumption during decreased CO 2 fixation. The integrated knowledge of the underlying energetic regulation of photosynthetic processes attained with a combination of biophysical methods may be used to identify photo-physiological signatures of the onset of carbon limitation in microalgal cultivation systems, as well as to potentially identify microalgal strains that can better acclimate to carbon limitation. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Morning reduction of photosynthetic capacity before midday depression.

Science.gov (United States)

Koyama, Kohei; Takemoto, Shuhei

2014-03-17

Midday depression of photosynthesis has important consequences for ecosystem carbon exchange. Recent studies of forest trees have demonstrated that latent reduction of photosynthetic capacity can begin in the early morning, preceding the midday depression. We investigated whether such early morning reduction also occurs in an herbaceous species, Oenothera biennis. Diurnal changes of the photosynthetic light response curve (measured using a light-emitting diode) and incident sunlight intensity were measured under field conditions. The following results were obtained: (1) the light-saturated photosynthetic rate decreased beginning at sunrise; (2) the incident sunlight intensity on the leaves increased from sunrise; and (3) combining (1) and (2), the net photosynthetic rate under natural sunlight intensity increased from sunrise, reached a maximum at mid-morning, and then showed midday depression. Our results demonstrate that the latent morning reduction of photosynthetic capacity begins at sunrise, preceding the apparent midday depression, in agreement with previous studies of forest trees.

Biological optimization systems for enhancing photosynthetic efficiency and methods of use

Science.gov (United States)

Hunt, Ryan W.; Chinnasamy, Senthil; Das, Keshav C.; de Mattos, Erico Rolim

2012-11-06

Biological optimization systems for enhancing photosynthetic efficiency and methods of use. Specifically, methods for enhancing photosynthetic efficiency including applying pulsed light to a photosynthetic organism, using a chlorophyll fluorescence feedback control system to determine one or more photosynthetic efficiency parameters, and adjusting one or more of the photosynthetic efficiency parameters to drive the photosynthesis by the delivery of an amount of light to optimize light absorption of the photosynthetic organism while providing enough dark time between light pulses to prevent oversaturation of the chlorophyll reaction centers are disclosed.

Effects of ultraviolet radiation (UVA+UVB) on young gametophytes of Gelidium floridanum: growth rate, photosynthetic pigments, carotenoids, photosynthetic performance, and ultrastructure.

Science.gov (United States)

Simioni, Carmen; Schmidt, Eder C; Felix, Marthiellen R de L; Polo, Luz Karime; Rover, Ticiane; Kreusch, Marianne; Pereira, Debora T; Chow, Fungyi; Ramlov, Fernanda; Maraschin, Marcelo; Bouzon, Zenilda L

2014-01-01

This study investigated the effects of radiation (PAR+UVA+UVB) on the development and growth rates (GRs) of young gametophytes of Gelidium floridanum. In addition, photosynthetic pigments were quantified, carotenoids identified, and photosynthetic performance assessed. Over a period of 3 days, young gametophytes were cultivated under laboratory conditions and exposed to photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) at 80 μmol photons m(-2) s(-1) and PAR+UVA (0.70 W m(-2))+UVB (0.35 W m(-2)) for 3 h per day. The samples were processed for light and electron microscopy to analyze the ultrastructure features, as well as carry out metabolic studies of GRs, quantify the content of photosynthetic pigments, identify carotenoids and assess photosynthetic performance. PAR+UVA+UVB promoted increase in cell wall thickness, accumulation of floridean starch grains in the cytoplasm and disruption of chloroplast internal organization. Algae exposed to PAR+UVA+UVB also showed a reduction in GR of 97%. Photosynthetic pigments, in particular, phycoerythrin and allophycocyanin contents, decreased significantly from UV radiation exposure. This result agrees with the decrease in photosynthetic performance observed after exposure to ultraviolet radiation, as measured by a decrease in the electron transport rate (ETR), where values of ETRmax declined approximately 44.71%. It can be concluded that radiation is a factor that affects the young gametophytes of G. floridanum at this stage of development. © 2014 The American Society of Photobiology.

Jatropha curcasand Ricinus communisdisplay contrasting photosynthetic mechanisms in response to environmental conditions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Milton Costa Lima Neto

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Higher plants display different adaptive strategies in photosynthesis to cope with abiotic stress. In this study, photosynthetic mechanisms and water relationships displayed byJatropha curcasL. (physic nuts andRicinus communisL. (castor bean, in response to variations in environmental conditions, were assessed.R. communis showed higher CO2 assimilation, stomatal and mesophyll conductance thanJ. curcas as light intensity and intercellular CO2 pressure increased. On the other hand,R. communis was less effective in stomatal control in response to adverse environmental factors such as high temperature, water deficit and vapor pressure deficit, indicating lower water use efficiency. Conversely,J. curcas exhibited higher photosynthetic efficiency (gas exchange and photochemistry and water use efficiency under these adverse environmental conditions.R. communisdisplayed higher potential photosynthesis, but exhibited a lowerin vivo Rubisco carboxylation rate (Vcmax and maximum electron transport rate (Jmax. During the course of a typical day, in a semiarid environment, with high irradiation, high temperature and high vapor pressure deficit, but exposed to well-watered conditions, the two studied species presented similar photosynthesis. Losing potential photosynthesis, but maintaining favorable water status and increasing non-photochemical quenching to avoid photoinhibition, are important acclimation mechanisms developed byJ. curcas to cope with dry and hot conditions. We suggest thatJ. curcas is more tolerant to hot and dry environments thanR. communis but the latter species displays higher photosynthetic efficiency under well-watered and non-stressful conditions.

Research on spatial distribution of photosynthetic characteristics of Winter Wheat

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Q. Q.; Zhou, Q. Y.; Zhang, B. Z.; Han, X.; Han, N. N.; Li, S. M.

2018-03-01

In order to explore the spatial distribution of photosynthetic characteristics of winter wheat leaf, the photosynthetic rate on different parts of leaf (leaf base-leaf middle-leaf apex) and that on each canopy (top layer-middle layer-bottom layer) leaf during the whole growth period of winter wheat were measured. The variation of photosynthetic rate with PAR and the spatial distribution of winter wheat leaf during the whole growth periods were analysed. The results showed that the photosynthetic rate of different parts of winter wheat increased with the increase of PAR, which was showed as leaf base>leaf middle>leaf apex. In the same growth period, photosynthetic rate in different parts of the tablet was showed as leaf middle>leaf base>leaf apex. For the different canopy layer of winter wheat, the photosynthetic rate of the top layer leaf was significantly greater than that of the middle layer and lower layer leaf. The photosynthetic rate of the top layer leaf was the largest in the leaf base position. The photosynthetic rate of leaf of the same canopy layer at different growth stages were showed as tasseling stage >grain filling stage > maturation stage.

The StreamCat Dataset: Accumulated Attributes for NHDPlusV2 Catchments (Version 2.1) for the Conterminous United States: Non-agricultural Introduced Managed Vegetation

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — This dataset represents the percent of non-agriculatural, non-native vegetation based on LANDFIRE existing vegetation type (EVT) for a 30-m grid cell within...

A Study on Photosynthetic Physiological Characteristics of Six Rare and Endangered Species

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Tailin ZHONG; Guangwu ZHAO; Jiamiao CHU; Xiaomin GUO; Genyou LI

2014-01-01

The parameters of gas exchange and chlorophyl fluorescence in leaves of six rare and endangered species Neolitsea sericea, Cinnamomum japonicum var. cheni , Sinojackia microcarpa, Discocleidion glabrum var. trichocarpum, Parrotia sub-aequalis, Cercidiphyl um japonicum were measured in fields. The results showed that there were significant differences in photosynthetic capacity, intrinsic water use effi-ciency (WUEi ), the efficiency of primary conversion of light energy of PSⅡ and its potential activity, the quantum yield of PSⅡ electron transport, and the potential ca-pacity of heat dissipation among the six species. However, there was no significant difference in WUE. The highest values of net photosynthetic rate (Pn), transpiration rate (Tr) and stomatal conductance (gs) occurred in D. glabrum var. trichocarpum and the lowest in S. microcarpa. On the contrary, D. glabrum var. trichocarpum had the lowest WUE, intrinsic water use efficiency (WUEi ) and S. microcarpa had the highest. The results indicated that D. glabrum var. trichocarpum had higher photo-synthetic capacity and poorer WUE, while S. microcarpa had lower photosynthetic capacity and greater WUE. Furthermore, the mean values of maximal fluorescence (Fm), potential efficiency of primary conversion of light energy of PSⅡ (Fv/Fm),ΦPSⅡ, actual efficiency of primary conversion of light energy of PSⅡ (F′v/F′m) and non-photochemical quenching coefficient (NPQ) were the highest in S. micro-carpa, indicating that its PSⅡ had higher capacity of heat dissipation and could prevent photosynthetic apparatus from damage by excessive light energy. Correlation analysis showed that there were significant correlations among photosynthetic physi-ological parameters. However, the initial fluorescence (Fo) was not significantly cor-related with any other parameters. This study also revealed the extremely significant positive correlations between Pn and Tr, gs, apparent quantum yield (AQY), be-tween Tr and

Seasonal evolution of diffusional limitations and photosynthetic capacity in olive under drought.

Science.gov (United States)

Diaz-Espejo, Antonio; Nicolás, Emilio; Fernández, José Enrique

2007-08-01

This study tests the hypothesis that diffusional limitation of photosynthesis, rather than light, determines the distribution of photosynthetic capacity in olive leaves under drought conditions. The crowns of four olive trees growing in an orchard were divided into two sectors: one sector absorbed most of the radiation early in the morning (MS) while the other absorbed most in the afternoon (AS). When the peak of radiation absorption was higher in MS, air vapour pressure deficit (VPD) was not high enough to provoke stomatal closure. In contrast, peak radiation absorption in AS coincided with the daily peak in VPD. In addition, two soil water treatments were evaluated: irrigated trees (I) and non-irrigated trees (nI). The seasonal evolution of leaf water potential, leaf gas exchange and photosynthetic capacity were measured throughout the tree crowns in spring and summer. Results showed that stomatal conductance was reduced in nI trees in summer as a consequence of soil water stress, which limited their net assimilation rate. Olive leaves displayed isohydric behaviour and no important differences in the diurnal course of leaf water potentials among treatments and sectors were found. Seasonal diffusional limitation of photosynthesis was mainly increased in nI trees, especially as a result of stomatal limitation, although mesophyll conductance (g(m)) was found to decrease in summer in both treatments and sectors. A positive relationship between leaf nitrogen content with both leaf photosynthetic capacity and the daily integrated quantum flux density was found in spring, but not in summer. The relationship between photosynthetic capacity and g(m) was curvilinear. Leaf temperature also affected to g(m) with an optimum temperature at 29 degrees C. AS showed larger biochemical limitation than MS in August in both treatments. All these suggest that both diffusional limitation and the effect of leaf temperature could be involved in the seasonal reduction of photosynthetic

Comparative Effects of Salt Stress and Extreme pH Stress Combined on Glycinebetaine Accumulation, Photosynthetic Abilities and Growth Characters of Two Rice Genotypes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Suriyan CHA-UM

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Glycinebetaine (Glybet accumulation, photosynthetic efficiency and growth performance in indica rice cultivated under salt stress and extreme pH stress were investigated. Betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase (BADH activity and Glybet accumulation in the seedlings of salt-tolerant and salt-sensitive rice varieties grown under saline and acidic conditions peaked after treatment for 72 h and 96 h, respectively, and were higher than those grown under neutral pH and alkaline salt stress. A positive correlation was found between BADH activity and Glybet content in both salt-tolerant (r2 = 0.71 and salt-sensitive (r2 = 0.86 genotypes. The chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll and total carotenoids contents in the stressed seedlings significantly decreased under both acidic and alkaline stresses, especially in the salt-sensitive genotype. Similarly, the maximum quantum yield of PSII (Fv/Fm, photon yield of PSII (ΦPSII, non-photochemical quenching (NPQ and net photosynthetic rate (Pn in the stressed seedlings were inhibited, leading to overall growth reduction. The positive correlations between chlorophyll a content and Fv/Fm, total chlorophyll content and ΦPSII, ΦPSII and Pn as well as Pn and leaf area in both salt-tolerant and salt-sensitive genotypes were found. Saline acidic and saline alkaline soils may play a key role affecting vegetative growth prior to the reproductive stage in rice plants.

Enhanced vegetation growth peak and its key mechanisms

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, K.; Xia, J.; Wang, Y.; Ahlström, A.; Schwalm, C.; Huntzinger, D. N.; Chen, J.; Cook, R. B.; Fang, Y.; Fisher, J. B.; Jacobson, A. R.; Michalak, A.; Schaefer, K. M.; Wei, Y.; Yan, L.; Luo, Y.

2017-12-01

It remains unclear that whether and how the vegetation growth peak has been shifted globally during the past three decades. Here we used two global datasets of gross primary productivity (GPP) and a satellite-derived Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) to characterize recent changes in seasonal peak vegetation growth. The attribution of changes in peak growth to their driving factors was examined with several datasets. We demonstrated that the growth peak of global vegetation has been linearly increasing during the past three decades. About 65% of this trend is evenly explained by the expanding croplands (21%), rising atmospheric [CO2] (22%), and intensifying nitrogen deposition (22%). The contribution of expanding croplands to the peak growth trend was substantiated by measurements from eddy-flux towers, sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence and a global database of plant traits, all of which demonstrated that croplands have a higher photosynthetic capacity than other vegetation types. The contribution of rising atmospheric [CO2] and nitrogen deposition are consistent with the positive response of leaf growth to elevated [CO2] (25%) and nitrogen addition (8%) from 346 manipulated experiments. The positive effect of rising atmospheric [CO2] was also well captured by 15 terrestrial biosphere models. However, most models underestimated the contributions of land-cover change and nitrogen deposition, but overestimated the positive effect of climate change.

Photosynthetic light reactions at the gold interface

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kamran, Muhammad

2014-01-01

In the project described in this thesis we studied a simple bio-electronic device for solar energy conversion by surface-assembly of photosynthetic pigment-protein complexes on a bare gold-electrode. Optical excitation of the photosynthetic pigments gives rise to charge separation in the so-called

Analysis of BmNPV orf101 disruption: orf101 is essential for mediating budded virus production.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Huiqing; Li, Mei; Mai, Weijun; Tang, Qi; Li, Guohui; Chen, Keping; Zhou, Yajing

2014-12-01

In our previous study, Orf101 (Bm101) of Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) was identified as a component of the budded virions important for viral late gene expression. In this study we demonstrate that Bm101 is actually a previously unrecognized core gene and that it is essential for mediating budded virus production. To determine the role of Bm101 in the baculovirus life cycle, a Bm101 knockout bacmid containing the BmNPV genome was generated through homologous recombination in Escherichia coli. Furthermore, a Bm101 repair bacmid was constructed by transposing the Bm101 open reading frame with its native promoter region into the polyhedrin locus of the Bm101 knockout bacmid. Bacmid DNA transfection assay revealed that the Bm101 knockout bacmid was unable to produce the infectious budded virus, while the Bm101 repair bacmid rescued this defect, allowing budded-virus titers to reach wild-type levels. Real time PCR analysis indicated that the viral DNA genome in the absence of Bm101 was unaffected in the first 24 h p.t. Thus, studies of a Bm101-null BACmid indicate that Bm101 is required for viral DNA replication during the infection cycle.

Vegetation Earth System Data Record from DSCOVR EPIC Observations

Science.gov (United States)

Knyazikhin, Y.; Song, W.; Yang, B.; Mottus, M.; Rautiainen, M.; Stenberg, P.

2017-12-01

The NASA's Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC) onboard NOAA's Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) mission was launched on February 11, 2015 to the Sun-Earth Lagrangian L1 point where it began to collect radiance data of the entire sunlit Earth every 65 to 110 min in June 2015. It provides imageries in near backscattering directions with the scattering angle between 168° and 176° at ten ultraviolet to near infrared (NIR) narrow spectral bands centered at 317.5 (band width 1.0) nm, 325.0 (2.0) nm, 340.0 (3.0) nm, 388.0 (3.0) nm, 433.0 (3.0) nm, 551.0 (3.0) nm, 680.0 (3.0) nm, 687.8 (0.8) nm, 764.0 (1.0) nm and 779.5 (2.0) nm. This poster presents current status of the Vegetation Earth System Data Record of global Leaf Area Index (LAI), solar zenith angle dependent Sunlit Leaf Area Index (SLAI), Fraction vegetation absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (FPAR) and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) derived from the DSCOVR EPIC observations. Whereas LAI is a standard product of many satellite missions, the SLAI is a new satellite-derived parameter. Sunlit and shaded leaves exhibit different radiative response to incident Photosynthetically Active Radiation (400-700 nm), which in turn triggers various physiological and physical processes required for the functioning of plants. FPAR, LAI and SLAI are key state parameters in most ecosystem productivity models and carbon/nitrogen cycle. The product at 10 km sinusoidal grid and 65 to 110 min temporal frequency as well as accompanying Quality Assessment (QA) variables will be publicly available from the NASA Langley Atmospheric Science Data Center. The Algorithm Theoretical Basis (ATBD) and product validation strategy are also discussed in this poster.

Analytical Diagnostics of Non-Optimal Use of Pesticides and Health Hazards for Vegetable Pickers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zafar, M.; Mehmood, T.; Baig, I. A.; Saboor, A.; Sadiq, S.; Mahmood, K.

2016-01-01

Economically pesticides are meant to control pests in the fields. Up to certain optimal use of a typical pesticide, it enhances the yield of crops and vegetables. But, eventually amplified use of pesticides results in contamination of environment (water, soil, and air) and increase the health cost of vegetable pickers. The purpose of this study is to estimate the excessive use of pesticides and economic cost of health hazards for the vegetable pickers in district Vehari. Data from 90 respondents were collected and analyzed. The most common health problems identified during the survey were headache, eye irritation, skin infection, cough and shortness of breath. Health cost consists of costs related to precautionary measure, medication, traveling, the opportunity cost of attended persons and productivity loss. The mean health cost of vegetable pickers in the study area was about Rs. 385 per picker per year. Health cost model was used to measure the health cost of vegetable pickers. The regression results showed that pesticides were being applied non-optimally in the study area i.e., number of pesticide applications for vegetables (7-31) were substantially higher than the recommended dose. Health cost function was significantly different from zero as indicated by F-stat (32.18) and it is also supported by R/sup 2/ that about 70 percent variation in health cost is explained by medication accompanied by productivity loss (Rs. 223), precautionary measure (Rs. 134), attended person cost (Rs. 14) and traveling expenditures (Rs. 16). Hence, strict legislation is required to overcome the availability of hazardous pesticides and to keep the vegetable pickers aware of the optimal use of pesticides through appropriate extension services. (author)

Combining Spectral Data and a DSM from UAS-Images for Improved Classification of Non-Submerged Aquatic Vegetation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eva Husson

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Monitoring of aquatic vegetation is an important component in the assessment of freshwater ecosystems. Remote sensing with unmanned aircraft systems (UASs can provide sub-decimetre-resolution aerial images and is a useful tool for detailed vegetation mapping. In a previous study, non-submerged aquatic vegetation was successfully mapped using automated classification of spectral and textural features from a true-colour UAS-orthoimage with 5-cm pixels. In the present study, height data from a digital surface model (DSM created from overlapping UAS-images has been incorporated together with the spectral and textural features from the UAS-orthoimage to test if classification accuracy can be improved further. We studied two levels of thematic detail: (a Growth forms including the classes of water, nymphaeid, and helophyte; and (b dominant taxa including seven vegetation classes. We hypothesized that the incorporation of height data together with spectral and textural features would increase classification accuracy as compared to using spectral and textural features alone, at both levels of thematic detail. We tested our hypothesis at five test sites (100 m × 100 m each with varying vegetation complexity and image quality using automated object-based image analysis in combination with Random Forest classification. Overall accuracy at each of the five test sites ranged from 78% to 87% at the growth-form level and from 66% to 85% at the dominant-taxon level. In comparison to using spectral and textural features alone, the inclusion of height data increased the overall accuracy significantly by 4%–21% for growth-forms and 3%–30% for dominant taxa. The biggest improvement gained by adding height data was observed at the test site with the most complex vegetation. Height data derived from UAS-images has a large potential to efficiently increase the accuracy of automated classification of non-submerged aquatic vegetation, indicating good possibilities

Effects of gold nanoparticles on the photophysical and photosynthetic parameters of leaves and chloroplasts.

Science.gov (United States)

Torres, Rocio; Diz, Virginia E; Lagorio, M Gabriela

2018-04-18

Effects of gold nanoparticles (average diameter: 10-14 nm) on leaves and chloroplasts have been studied. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) quenched significantly chlorophyll fluorescence when introduced both in intact leaves and isolated chloroplasts. Additionally, the fluorescence spectra corrected for light re-absorption processes showed a net decrease in the fluorescence ratio calculated as the quotient between the maximum fluorescence at 680 and 735 nm. This fact gave evidence for a reduction in the fluorescence emission of the PSII relative to that of the PSI. Strikingly, the photosynthetic parameters derived from the analysis of the slow phase of Kautsky's kinetics, the rate of oxygen evolution and the rate of photo-reduction of 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol were increased in the presence of AuNPs indicating an apparent greater photosynthetic capacity. The observed results were consistent with an electron transfer process from the excited PSII, which was thermodynamically possible, and which competed with both the electron transport process that initiated photosynthesis and the deactivation of the excited PSII by fluorescence emission. Additionally, it is here explained, in terms of a completely rational kinetic scheme and their corresponding algebraic expressions, why the photosynthetic parameters and the variable and non-variable fluorescence of chlorophyll are modified in a photosynthetic tissue containing gold nanoparticles.

Chance-constrained programming models for capital budgeting with NPV as fuzzy parameters

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Xiaoxia

2007-01-01

In an uncertain economic environment, experts' knowledge about outlays and cash inflows of available projects consists of much vagueness instead of randomness. Investment outlays and annual net cash flows of a project are usually predicted by using experts' knowledge. Fuzzy variables can overcome the difficulties in predicting these parameters. In this paper, capital budgeting problem with fuzzy investment outlays and fuzzy annual net cash flows is studied based on credibility measure. Net present value (NPV) method is employed, and two fuzzy chance-constrained programming models for capital budgeting problem are provided. A fuzzy simulation-based genetic algorithm is provided for solving the proposed model problems. Two numerical examples are also presented to illustrate the modelling idea and the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.

Evolving a photosynthetic organelle

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Nakayama Takuro

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract The evolution of plastids from cyanobacteria is believed to represent a singularity in the history of life. The enigmatic amoeba Paulinella and its 'recently' acquired photosynthetic inclusions provide a fascinating system through which to gain fresh insight into how endosymbionts become organelles. The plastids, or chloroplasts, of algae and plants evolved from cyanobacteria by endosymbiosis. This landmark event conferred on eukaryotes the benefits of photosynthesis - the conversion of solar energy into chemical energy - and in so doing had a huge impact on the course of evolution and the climate of Earth 1. From the present state of plastids, however, it is difficult to trace the evolutionary steps involved in this momentous development, because all modern-day plastids have fully integrated into their hosts. Paulinella chromatophora is a unicellular eukaryote that bears photosynthetic entities called chromatophores that are derived from cyanobacteria and has thus received much attention as a possible example of an organism in the early stages of organellogenesis. Recent studies have unlocked the genomic secrets of its chromatophore 23 and provided concrete evidence that the Paulinella chromatophore is a bona fide photosynthetic organelle 4. The question is how Paulinella can help us to understand the process by which an endosymbiont is converted into an organelle.

Evolving a photosynthetic organelle.

Science.gov (United States)

Nakayama, Takuro; Archibald, John M

2012-04-24

The evolution of plastids from cyanobacteria is believed to represent a singularity in the history of life. The enigmatic amoeba Paulinella and its 'recently' acquired photosynthetic inclusions provide a fascinating system through which to gain fresh insight into how endosymbionts become organelles.The plastids, or chloroplasts, of algae and plants evolved from cyanobacteria by endosymbiosis. This landmark event conferred on eukaryotes the benefits of photosynthesis--the conversion of solar energy into chemical energy--and in so doing had a huge impact on the course of evolution and the climate of Earth 1. From the present state of plastids, however, it is difficult to trace the evolutionary steps involved in this momentous development, because all modern-day plastids have fully integrated into their hosts. Paulinella chromatophora is a unicellular eukaryote that bears photosynthetic entities called chromatophores that are derived from cyanobacteria and has thus received much attention as a possible example of an organism in the early stages of organellogenesis. Recent studies have unlocked the genomic secrets of its chromatophore 23 and provided concrete evidence that the Paulinella chromatophore is a bona fide photosynthetic organelle 4. The question is how Paulinella can help us to understand the process by which an endosymbiont is converted into an organelle.

Adverse effects of automobiles related PB/sup 2+/ pollution on photosynthetic attributes and water relations of roadside vegetation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahmad, I.; Hussain, M.; Hameed, M.; Ahmad, R.

2018-01-01

This research was designed for the phyto-monitoring of Pb2+ pollution emitted from automobiles running along Motorway (M-2) and G.T. road and its effects on photosynthetic attributes and water relations of selected plant species growing along these roads. The data were collected from specified sites at different time intervals during all four seasons of the year. The results revealed significantly (p<0.05) higher Pb2+ content plant leaves growing in the vicinity of roadside (0 m distance) as compared to plant leaves collected from 50 m distance (Control) along both roads (M-2 and G.T. road). The leaves of Nerium oleander (2.45 mg kg-1 dry wt.) collected from M-2 trapped the higher amount of Pb2+ (p<0.001) at Kalar Kahar in Summer and Calotropis procera (2.78 mg kg-1 dry wt.) had the highest (p<0.05) Pb2+ deposition at Bahyria Town during summer. Photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate and stomatal conductance decreased significantly (p<0.01) in plants along roadsides; whereas, inconsistent results in water use efficiency were perceived in plants at 0 m distance as compared to those collected from 50 m distance. These outcomes are important to identify the existence of roadside vehicular pollutants on plants and to its ecological hazards. (author)

Nutritional Evaluation of Non-Conventional Vegetables in Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

Silva, Luis Felipe Lima E; Souza, Douglas C DE; Resende, Luciane V; Nassur, Rita DE Cássia M R; Samartini, Carolina Q; Gonçalves, Wilson M

2018-01-01

The objective of this study was to characterize the nutritional compounds of interest present in vegetables known as non-conventional, in Brazil. The following evaluations were carried out: antioxidant activity, phenolic compounds, vitamin C, calories, carbohydrates, humidity, lipids, proteins, fiber, acidity and quantification of minerals (P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn and B). The species studied were Amaranthus hybridus L., Amaranthus viridis L., Basella alba L., Eryngium campestre L., Hibiscus sabdariffa L., Lactuca canadensis L., Rumex acetosa L., Stachys byzantina K. Koch, Tropaeolum majus L. and Xanthosoma sagittifolium L. Representative samples of plant structures of interest were harvested from each species suitable for human consumption such as leaves, flowers and flower buds. The results were submitted to multivariate analysis - principal components analysis (PCA). All the species present nutritional compounds of interest in different levels among the evaluated structures.

Sorption properties of bentonite clays towards Pu(IV), U(VI), Np(V) and Cs: experimental and surface complexation study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sabodina, M.N. [Institute of Physical Chemistry of Russian Academy of Science, Moscow 119192 (Russian Federation); Kalmykov, St.N.; Sapozhnikov, Yu.A. [Radiochemistry div., Chemistry dept., Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119992, (Russian Federation); Gupalo, T.A.; Beigul, V.P. [VNIPI Promtechnology, Moscow (Russian Federation)

2005-07-01

Full text of publication follows: Sorption of radionuclides, their diffusion in bentonite as well as its solubility are the major factors that define bentonite as a geochemical barrier. Sorption of cations by bentonite could be governed by two mechanisms including ion exchange with interlayer cations and formation of surface complexes with either silanol or aluminol groups. The aim of this work was to study mechanisms of {sup 137}Cs, Pu(IV), Np(V) and U(VI) sorption by bentonite and their solubility in bentonite pore waters. Bentonite (Khakassiya deposit) used in the experiments was taken in Na-form and characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, potentiometric titration. The cation exchange capacities of bentonite at pH=6 were measured by isotopic exchange with {sup 22}Na{sup +} and Cs{sup +} saturation. Sorption experiments were performed in N{sub 2} atmosphere in plastic vials. Bentonite samples were left in the working solutions to swell for few days before sorption experiments were performed. After the desired concentration of radionuclide ({sup 137}Cs, {sup 238}Pu, {sup 239}Pu, {sup 237}Np, {sup 239}Np, {sup 238}U) was added to the suspension, the required pH values are established and samples were left until the equilibrium was reached. Separation of solution after the sorption was performed using micro- and ultrafiltration techniques. The sorption of Pu(IV), U(VI) and Np(V) was highly pH dependent that indicates predominant surface complexation mechanism of sorption. For {sup 137}Cs the pH dependence of sorption was less pronounced and significant decrease of sorption occurs at pH<1.7 that indicate the ion exchange as the major mechanism. The equilibrium constant of Na{sup +}/Cs{sup +} exchange was calculated form sorption isotherms and pH dependence of sorption. It is established using micro- and ultra-filtrations, that sorption of radionuclides onto bentonite nano colloids is essential. Surface complexation modeling exercises

Photosynthetic carbon metabolism in freshwater phytoplankton

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Groeger, A.W.

1986-01-01

Photosynthetic carbon metabolism of natural assemblages of freshwater phytoplankton was measured by following the flow of inorganic 14 C into the photosynthetic end products polysaccharide protein, lipid, and soluble metabolites. Data were collected from a wide range of physical, chemical, and trophic conditions in six southern United States reservoirs, with the primary environmental variables of interest being light intensity and nutrient supply. Polysaccharide and protein were consistently the primary products of photosynthetic carbon metabolism, comprising an average of 70% of the total carbon fixation over a wide range of light intensities. Polysaccharide was quantitatively more important at higher light intensities, and protein at lower light intensities, as light intensity varied both with depth within the water column and over diurnal cycles. Polysaccharide synthesis was more variable over the diurnal period than was protein synthesis. Phytoplankton in the downlake epilimnion of Normandy Lake, a central Tennessee reservoir, responded to summer nitrogen (N) deficiency by increasing relative rates of lipid synthesis from 10-15% to 20-25% of the total photosynthetic carbon fixation. Phytoplankton in more nitrogen-sufficient areas of the reservoir maintained lower rates of lipid synthesis throughout the summer. These results document the occurrence in nature of a relationship between N-deficiency and increased lipid synthesis previously observed only in laboratory algal culture studies

Electrochemical investigations on cation-cation interaction between Np(V) and U(VI) in nitric acid medium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Verma, P.K.; Murali, M.S.; Pathak, P.N.; Mohapatra, P.K.

2014-01-01

Ever since the first report on cation-cation interactions (CCIs) in 1961 by Sullivan et al., many researchers have worked on this using different techniques like optical spectroscopy and potentiometry. However, there is almost no report, in recent times, on this interesting subject using an electrochemical technique. In the present work, we set out to use simple cyclic voltammetry (CV) as a probe to study this phenomenon in the case of Np(V)-U(VI) in nitric acid medium. Accordingly, cyclic voltammograms were recorded individually for Np(V) , U(VI) in 4M HNO 3 and for solutions resulting from a titration of Np(V) with incremental additions of U(VI) in the same medium. These experiments were carried out using AutoLab 30 with three solid electrode system. Ag/AgCl was the reference electrode while Pt wires were used as working and counter electrode. The paper gives the part of CVs for successive additions of only U(VI) (1.4M) at fixed scan rate and room temperature. It can be seen that that the reduction peak shifts only slightly towards left with increased aliquots of U(VI). In contrast, the paper also gives the part of CVs for only U(VI) and for a titration mixture of fixed concentration of Np(V) and successive volume aliquot-additions of U(VI). It can be seen that there was no appreciable shift in the cathodic peak (∼ -0.15V) for additions of 1225μL of only U(VI) and 3225 μL of U(VI) in presence of Np. This showed that no change occurred till this composition. But with the addition of next aliquot of 4225μL of U(VI), there was an appreciable shift in the peak. This signified the formation of a new complex which can be attributed to the cation-cation interaction envisaged for Np(V)-U(VI). With further addition of an aliquot of 4725 μL of U(VI), it can be seen that again there was no appreciable shift in the cathodic peak position which probably underlined that the formation of the complex was complete

Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) Bm64 is required for BV production and per os infection.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Lin; Shen, Yunwang; Yang, Rui; Wu, Xiaofeng; Hu, Wenjun; Shen, Guoxin

2015-10-24

Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) orf64 (Bm64, a homologue of ac78) is a core baculovirus gene. Recently, Li et al. reported that Ac78 was not essential for budded viruses (BVs) production and occlusion-derived viruses (ODVs) formation (Virus Res 191:70-82, 2014). Conversely, Tao et al. demonstrated that Ac78 was localized to the BV and ODV envelopes and was required for BV production and ODV formation (J Virol 87:8441-50, 2013). In this study, the function of Bm64 was characterized to determine the role of Bm64 in the BmNPV infection cycle. The temporal expression of Bm64 was examined using total RNA extracted from BmNPV-infected BmN cells at different time points by reverse-transcription PCR (RT-PCR) and 5' RACE analysis. To determine the functions of Bm64 in viral replication and the viral phenotype throughout the viral life cycle, a deletion virus (vBm(64KO)) was generated via homologous recombination in Escherichia coli. Viral replication and BV production were determined by real-time PCR. Electron microscopy was used to detect virion morphogenesis. The subcellular localization of Bm64 was determined by microscopy, and per os infectivity was used to determine its role in the baculovirus oral infection cycle. Viral plaque and titer assay results showed that a few infectious BVs were produced by vBm(64KO), suggesting that deletion of Bm64 affected BV production. Viral DNA replication was detected and polyhedra were observed in vBm(64KO)-transfected cells. Microscopy analysis revealed that Bm64 was predominantly localized to the ring zone of the nuclei during the infection cycle. Electron microscopy showed that Bm64 was not essential for the formation of ODVs or the subsequent occlusion of ODV into polyhedra. The per os infectivity results showed that the polyhedra of vBm(64KO) were unable to infect silkworm larvae. In conclusion, our results suggest that Bm64 plays an important role in BV production and per os infection, but is not required for viral DNA

Production of bioplastics and hydrogen gas by photosynthetic microorganisms

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Yasuo, Asada; Masato, Miyake; Jun, Miyake

1998-03-01

Our efforts have been aimed at the technological basis of photosynthetic-microbial production of materials and an energy carrier. We report here accumulation of poly-(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB), a raw material of biodegradable plastics and for production of hydrogen gas, and a renewable energy carrier by photosynthetic microorganisms (tentatively defined as cyanobacteria plus photosynthetic bateria, in this report). A thermophilic cyanobacterium, Synechococcus sp. MA19 that accumulates PHB at more than 20% of cell dry wt under nitrogen-starved conditions was isolated and microbiologically identified. The mechanism of PHB accumulation was studied. A mesophilic Synechococcus PCC7942 was transformed with the genes encoding PHB-synthesizing enzymes from Alcaligenes eutrophus. The transformant accumulated PHB under nitrogen-starved conditions. The optimal conditions for PHB accumulation by a photosynthetic bacterium grown on acetate were studied. Hydrogen production by photosynthetic microorganisms was studied. Cyanobacteria can produce hydrogen gas by nitrogenase or hydrogenase. Hydrogen production mediated by native hydrogenase in cyanobacteria was revealed to be in the dark anaerobic degradation of intracellular glycogen. A new system for light-dependent hydrogen production was targeted. In vitro and in vivo coupling of cyanobacterial ferredoxin with a heterologous hydrogenase was shown to produce hydrogen under light conditions. A trial for genetic trasformation of Synechococcus PCC7942 with the hydrogenase gene from Clostridium pasteurianum is going on. The strong hydrogen producers among photosynthetic bacteria were isolated and characterized. Co-culture of Rhodobacter and Clostriumdium was applied to produce hydrogen from glucose. Conversely in the case of cyanobacteria, genetic regulation of photosynthetic proteins was intended to improve conversion efficiency in hydrogen production by the photosynthetic bacterium, Rhodobacter sphaeroides RV. A mutant acquired by

Genotypic variation in transpiration efficiency due to differences in photosynthetic capacity among sugarcane-related clones.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Chunjia; Jackson, Phillip; Lu, Xin; Xu, Chaohua; Cai, Qing; Basnayake, Jayapathi; Lakshmanan, Prakash; Ghannoum, Oula; Fan, Yuanhong

2017-04-01

Sugarcane, derived from the hybridization of Saccharum officinarum×Saccharum spontaneum, is a vegetative crop in which the final yield is highly driven by culm biomass production. Cane yield under irrigated or rain-fed conditions could be improved by developing genotypes with leaves that have high intrinsic transpiration efficiency, TEi (CO2 assimilation/stomatal conductance), provided this is not offset by negative impacts from reduced conductance and growth rates. This study was conducted to partition genotypic variation in TEi among a sample of diverse clones from the Chinese collection of sugarcane-related germplasm into that due to variation in stomatal conductance versus that due to variation in photosynthetic capacity. A secondary goal was to define protocols for optimized larger-scale screening of germplasm collections. Genotypic variation in TEi was attributed to significant variation in both stomatal and photosynthetic components. A number of genotypes were found to possess high TEi as a result of high photosynthetic capacity. This trait combination is expected to be of significant breeding value. It was determined that a small number of observations (16) is sufficient for efficiently screening TEi in larger populations of sugarcane genotypes The research methodology and results reported are encouraging in supporting a larger-scale screening and introgression of high transpiration efficiency in sugarcane breeding. However, further research is required to quantify narrow sense heritability as well as the leaf-to-field translational potential of genotypic variation in transpiration efficiency-related traits observed in this study. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology.

Non-Conventional Tools to Preserve and Prolong the Quality of Minimally-Processed Fruits and Vegetables

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Rosaria Corbo

2015-11-01

Full Text Available The main topic of this paper is a focus on some non-conventional tools to preserve the microbiological and physico-chemical quality of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables. The quality of fresh-cut foods is the result of a complex equilibrium involving surface microbiota, storage temperature, gas in the headspace and the use of antimicrobials. This paper proposes a short overview of some non-conventional approaches able to preserve the quality of this kind of product, with a special focus on some new ways, as follows: (1 use of edible or antimicrobial-containing coatings (e.g., chitosan-based coatings on fruits or vegetables; (2 alternative modified atmospheres (e.g., high O2-modified atmosphere packaging (MAP or the use of essential oils in the headspace; (3 conditioning solutions with antimicrobials or natural compounds for fruit salad; and (4 biopreservation and use of a probiotic coating.

Protection of the photosynthetic apparatus from extreme dehydration and oxidative stress in seedlings of transgenic tobacco.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Concepción Almoguera

Full Text Available A genetic program that in sunflower seeds is activated by Heat Shock transcription Factor A9 (HaHSFA9 has been analyzed in transgenic tobacco seedlings. The ectopic overexpression of the HSFA9 program protected photosynthetic membranes, which resisted extreme dehydration and oxidative stress conditions. In contrast, heat acclimation of seedlings induced thermotolerance but not resistance to the harsh stress conditions employed. The HSFA9 program was found to include the expression of plastidial small Heat Shock Proteins that accumulate only at lower abundance in heat-stressed vegetative organs. Photosystem II (PSII maximum quantum yield was higher for transgenic seedlings than for non-transgenic seedlings, after either stress treatment. Furthermore, protection of both PSII and Photosystem I (PSI membrane protein complexes was observed in the transgenic seedlings, leading to their survival after the stress treatments. It was also shown that the plastidial D1 protein, a labile component of the PSII reaction center, and the PSI core protein PsaB were shielded from oxidative damage and degradation. We infer that natural expression of the HSFA9 program during embryogenesis may protect seed pro-plastids from developmental desiccation.

The human gut and groundwater harbor non-photosynthetic bacteria belonging to a new candidate phylum sibling to Cyanobacteria

Science.gov (United States)

Di Rienzi, Sara C; Sharon, Itai; Wrighton, Kelly C; Koren, Omry; Hug, Laura A; Thomas, Brian C; Goodrich, Julia K; Bell, Jordana T; Spector, Timothy D; Banfield, Jillian F; Ley, Ruth E

2013-01-01

Cyanobacteria were responsible for the oxygenation of the ancient atmosphere; however, the evolution of this phylum is enigmatic, as relatives have not been characterized. Here we use whole genome reconstruction of human fecal and subsurface aquifer metagenomic samples to obtain complete genomes for members of a new candidate phylum sibling to Cyanobacteria, for which we propose the designation ‘Melainabacteria’. Metabolic analysis suggests that the ancestors to both lineages were non-photosynthetic, anaerobic, motile, and obligately fermentative. Cyanobacterial light sensing may have been facilitated by regulators present in the ancestor of these lineages. The subsurface organism has the capacity for nitrogen fixation using a nitrogenase distinct from that in Cyanobacteria, suggesting nitrogen fixation evolved separately in the two lineages. We hypothesize that Cyanobacteria split from Melainabacteria prior or due to the acquisition of oxygenic photosynthesis. Melainabacteria remained in anoxic zones and differentiated by niche adaptation, including for symbiosis in the mammalian gut. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.01102.001 PMID:24137540

Oxygen concentration inside a functioning photosynthetic cell.

Science.gov (United States)

Kihara, Shigeharu; Hartzler, Daniel A; Savikhin, Sergei

2014-05-06

The excess oxygen concentration in the photosynthetic membranes of functioning oxygenic photosynthetic cells was estimated using classical diffusion theory combined with experimental data on oxygen production rates of cyanobacterial cells. The excess oxygen concentration within the plesiomorphic cyanobacterium Gloeobactor violaceus is only 0.025 μM, or four orders of magnitude lower than the oxygen concentration in air-saturated water. Such a low concentration suggests that the first oxygenic photosynthetic bacteria in solitary form could have evolved ∼2.8 billion years ago without special mechanisms to protect them against reactive oxygen species. These mechanisms instead could have been developed during the following ∼500 million years while the oxygen level in the Earth's atmosphere was slowly rising. Excess oxygen concentrations within individual cells of the apomorphic cyanobacteria Synechocystis and Synechococcus are 0.064 and 0.25 μM, respectively. These numbers suggest that intramembrane and intracellular proteins in isolated oxygenic photosynthetic cells are not subjected to excessively high oxygen levels. The situation is different for closely packed colonies of photosynthetic cells. Calculations show that the excess concentration within colonies that are ∼40 μm or larger in diameter can be comparable to the oxygen concentration in air-saturated water, suggesting that species forming colonies require protection against reactive oxygen species even in the absence of oxygen in the surrounding atmosphere. Copyright © 2014 Biophysical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Nutritional Evaluation of Non-Conventional Vegetables in Brazil

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LUIS FELIPE LIMA E SILVA

2018-04-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to characterize the nutritional compounds of interest present in vegetables known as non-conventional, in Brazil. The following evaluations were carried out: antioxidant activity, phenolic compounds, vitamin C, calories, carbohydrates, humidity, lipids, proteins, fiber, acidity and quantification of minerals (P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn and B. The species studied were Amaranthus hybridus L., Amaranthus viridis L., Basella alba L., Eryngium campestre L., Hibiscus sabdariffa L., Lactuca canadensis L., Rumex acetosa L., Stachys byzantina K. Koch, Tropaeolum majus L. and Xanthosoma sagittifolium L. Representative samples of plant structures of interest were harvested from each species suitable for human consumption such as leaves, flowers and flower buds. The results were submitted to multivariate analysis - principal components analysis (PCA. All the species present nutritional compounds of interest in different levels among the evaluated structures.

The StreamCat Dataset: Accumulated Attributes for NHDPlusV2 Catchments Riparian Buffer (Version 2.1) for the Conterminous United States: Non-agricultural Introduced Managed Vegetation

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — This dataset represents the percent of non-agriculatural, non-native vegetation based on LANDFIRE existing vegetation type (EVT) for a 30-m grid cell within...

Exposure to foods' non-taste sensory properties. A nursery intervention to increase children's willingness to try fruit and vegetables.

Science.gov (United States)

Dazeley, Paul; Houston-Price, Carmel

2015-01-01

Activities that engage young children with the sensory properties of foods are popular with nursery schools, despite the lack of evidence for their efficacy in increasing children's consumption of healthy foods. This study provides the first empirical exploration of the effectiveness of a non-taste sensory activity program in a nursery school setting. Ninety-two children aged between 12 and 36 months were allocated either to an intervention group, who took part in looking, listening, feeling and smelling activities with unusual fruits and vegetables every day for 4 weeks, or to a non-intervention control group. In a subsequent mealtime taste test, children touched and tasted more of the vegetables to which they had been familiarized in their playtime activities than of a matched set of non-exposed foods. The results demonstrate that hands-on activities with unfamiliar fruits and vegetables can enhance children's willingness to taste these foods, and confirm the potential for such activities to support healthy eating initiatives. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Tufted hairgrass (Deschampsia caespitosa) exhibits a lower photosynthetic plasticity than Antarctic hairgrass (D. antarctica).

Science.gov (United States)

Bystrzejewska-Piotrowska, Grazyna; Urban, Pawel L

2009-06-01

The aim of our work was to assess photosynthetic plasticity of two hairgrass species with different ecological origins (a temperate zone species, Deschampsia caespitosa (L.) Beauv. and an Antarctic species, D. antarctica) and to consider how the anticipated climate change may affect vitality of these plants. Measurements of chlorophyll fluorescence showed that the photosystem II (PSII) quantum efficiency of D. caespitosa decreased during 4 d of incubation at 4 degrees C but it remained stable in D. antarctica. The fluorescence half-rise times were almost always lower in D. caespitosa than in D. antarctica, irrespective of the incubation temperature. These results indicate that the photosynthetic apparatus of D. caespitosa has poorer performance in these conditions. D. caespitosa reached the maximum photosynthesis rate at a higher temperature than D. antarctica although the values obtained at 8 degrees C were similar in both species. The photosynthetic water-use efficiency (photosynthesis-to-transpiration ratio, P/E) emerges as an important factor demonstrating presence of mechanisms which facilitate functioning of a plant in non-optimal conditions. Comparison of the P/E values, which were higher in D. antarctica than in D. caespitosa at low and medium temperatures, confirms a high degree of adjustability of the photosynthetic apparatus in D. antarctica and unveils the lack of such a feature in D. caespitosa.

Non-linear mixed-effects modeling for photosynthetic response of Rosa hybrida L. under elevated CO₂ in greenhouses - Short communication

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Öztürk, I.; Ottosen, C.O.; Ritz, C.

2011-01-01

Photosynthetic response to light was measured on the leaves of two cultivars of Rosa hybrida L. (Escimo and Mercedes) in the greenhouse to obtain light-response curves and their parameters. Th e aim was to use a model to simulate leaf photosynthetic carbon gain with respect to environmental condi...

Assessing Riparian Vegetation Condition and Function in Disturbed Sites of the Arid Northwestern Mexico

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Lara Cornejo-Denman

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Transformation or modification of vegetation distribution and structure in arid riparian ecosystems can lead to the loss of ecological function. Mexico has 101,500,000 ha of arid lands, however there is a general lack of information regarding how arid riparian ecosystems are being modified. To assess these modifications, we use eight sites in the San Miguel River (central Sonora to analyze (1 riparian vegetation composition, structure and distribution using field sampling and remote sensing data from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV; (2 productivity (proxies, using vegetation indices derived from satellite data; and (3 variability posed by riparian vegetation and vegetation adjacent to riparian habitats. The development of a simple yet informative Anthropogenic-disturbance Index (ADI allowed us to classify and describe each study site. We found sharp differences in vegetation composition and structure between sites due to the absence/presence of obligate-riparian species. We also report significant difference between EVI (Enhanced Vegetation Index values for the dry season among vegetation types that develop near the edges of the river but differ in composition, suggesting that land cover changes form obligate-riparian to facultative-riparian species can lead to a loss in potential productivity. Finally, our tests suggest that sites with higher disturbance present lower photosynthetic activity.

Nekton density patterns and hurricane recovery in submerged aquatic vegetation, and along non-vegetated natural and created edge habitats

Science.gov (United States)

La Peyre, M.K.; Gordon, J.

2012-01-01

We compared nekton habitat value of submerged aquatic vegetation, flooded non-vegetated natural and man-made edge habitats in mesohaline interior marsh areas in southwest Louisiana using a 1-m 2 throw trap and 3-mm bag seine. When present, SAV habitats supported close to 4 times greater densities and higher species richness of nekton as compared to either natural or man-made edge habitats, which supported similar densities to one another. Three species of concern (bayou killifish, diamond killifish, chain pipefish) were targeted in the analysis, and two of the three were collected almost entirely in SAV habitat. During the course of the study, Hurricanes Ike and Gustav passed directly over the study sites in September 2008. Subsequent analyses indicated significant reductions in resident nekton density 1-mo post hurricanes, and only limited recovery 13-mo post-hurricane. Possible alteration of environmental characteristics such as scouring of SAV habitat, deposition of sediment over SAV, edge erosion and marsh loss, and extended high salinities may explain these lasting impacts. ?? 2011.

Hyperspectral estimation of corn fraction of photosynthetically active radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang Fei; Zhang Bai; Song Kaishan

2008-01-01

Fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (FPAR) is one of the important variables in many productivity and biomass estimation models, this analyzed the effect of FPAR estimation with hyperspectral information, which could provide the scientific support on the improvement of FPAR estimation, remote sensing data validation, and the other ecological models. Based on the field experiment of corn, this paper analyzed the correlations between FPAR and spectral reflectance or the differential coefficient, and discussed the mechanism of FPAR estimation, studied corn FPAR estimation with reflectance, first differential coefficient, NDVI and RVI. The reflectance of visible bands showed much better correlations with FPAR than near-infrared bands. The correlation curve between FPAR and differential coefficient varied more frequently and greatly than the curve of FPAR and reflectance. Reflectance and differential coefficient both had good regressions with FPAR of the typical single band, with the maximum R2 of 0.791 and 0.882. In a word, differential coefficient and vegetation index were much effective than reflectance for corn FPAR estimating, and the stepwised regression of multibands differential coefficient showed the best regression with R2 of 0.944. 375 nm purpled band and 950 nm near-infraed band absorbed by water showed prodigious potential for FPAR estimating precision. On the whole, vegetation index and differential coefficient have good relationships with FPAR, and could be used for FAPR estimation. It would be effective of choosing right bands and excavating the hyperspectral data to improve FPAR estimating precision

Excitons in intact cells of photosynthetic bacteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Freiberg, Arvi; Pajusalu, Mihkel; Rätsep, Margus

2013-09-26

Live cells and regular crystals seem fundamentally incompatible. Still, effects characteristic to ideal crystals, such as coherent sharing of excitation, have been recently used in many studies to explain the behavior of several photosynthetic complexes, especially the inner workings of the light-harvesting apparatus of the oldest known photosynthetic organisms, the purple bacteria. To this date, there has been no concrete evidence that the same effects are instrumental in real living cells, leaving a possibility that this is an artifact of unnatural study conditions, not a real effect relevant to the biological operation of bacteria. Hereby, we demonstrate survival of collective coherent excitations (excitons) in intact cells of photosynthetic purple bacteria. This is done by using excitation anisotropy spectroscopy for tracking the temperature-dependent evolution of exciton bands in light-harvesting systems of increasing structural complexity. The temperature was gradually raised from 4.5 K to ambient temperature, and the complexity of the systems ranged from detergent-isolated complexes to complete bacterial cells. The results provide conclusive evidence that excitons are indeed one of the key elements contributing to the energetic and dynamic properties of photosynthetic organisms.

Variability of pesticide exposure in a stream mesocosm system: Macrophyte-dominated vs. non-vegetated sections

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Beketov, Mikhail A. [UFZ - Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Department of System Ecotoxicology, Permoserstrasse 15, D-04318 Leipzig (Germany)], E-mail: mikhail.beketov@ufz.de; Liess, Matthias [UFZ - Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Department of System Ecotoxicology, Permoserstrasse 15, D-04318 Leipzig (Germany)

2008-12-15

For flowing water bodies no information is available about patterns of contaminant distribution in flowing water compared to macrophyte-dominated structures. The aim of the study was to examine temporal dynamic and spatial cross-channel variability of pulse exposure of the insecticide thiacloprid in outdoor stream mesocosms. Two distinct cross-channel sections have been considered: macrophyte-dominated littoral and non-vegetated midstream. Median disappearance time ranged from 17 to 43 h (water phase, midstream). We showed that during the exposure pulse (10 h) thiacloprid concentrations in the macrophyte-dominated section were 20-60% lower than those in the non-vegetated section. This suggests that spatial variability in contaminant concentrations, particularly in streams containing macrophytes, should be taken into account to enable a more realistic assessment of (i) exposure and associated effects and (ii) mass transport of pesticides and other chemicals into river systems (e.g. losses with surface runoff). - Spatial cross-channel variability of contaminant concentrations is noteworthy and important.

Variability of pesticide exposure in a stream mesocosm system: Macrophyte-dominated vs. non-vegetated sections

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beketov, Mikhail A.; Liess, Matthias

2008-01-01

For flowing water bodies no information is available about patterns of contaminant distribution in flowing water compared to macrophyte-dominated structures. The aim of the study was to examine temporal dynamic and spatial cross-channel variability of pulse exposure of the insecticide thiacloprid in outdoor stream mesocosms. Two distinct cross-channel sections have been considered: macrophyte-dominated littoral and non-vegetated midstream. Median disappearance time ranged from 17 to 43 h (water phase, midstream). We showed that during the exposure pulse (10 h) thiacloprid concentrations in the macrophyte-dominated section were 20-60% lower than those in the non-vegetated section. This suggests that spatial variability in contaminant concentrations, particularly in streams containing macrophytes, should be taken into account to enable a more realistic assessment of (i) exposure and associated effects and (ii) mass transport of pesticides and other chemicals into river systems (e.g. losses with surface runoff). - Spatial cross-channel variability of contaminant concentrations is noteworthy and important

The reduction of Np(VI) and Np(V) by tit dihydroxyurea and its application to the U/Np separation in the PUREX process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yan, T.H.; Zheng, W.F.; Zuo, C.; Xian, L.; Zhang, Y.; Bian, X.Y.; Li, R.X.; Di, Y. [Dept. of Radiochemistry, China Inst. of Atomic Energy, BJ (China)

2010-07-01

The reduction of Np(VI) and Np(V) by Dihydroxyurea (DHU) was studied by spectrophotometry. The results show that the reduction of Np(VI) to Np(V) by DHU is particularly fast. The apparent rate constant is 1.86s{sup -1} at 4 C as [HNO{sub 3}] = 0.44 M and [DHU] = 7.5 x 10{sup -2} M. While further reduction of Np(V) to Np(IV) is so slow that no Np(IV) is observed in 2 h. The reduction back-extraction behavior of Np(VI) in 30% tri-butyl phosphate/kerosene was firstly investigated under conditions of different temperature, different concentrations of DHU and HNO{sub 3} and various phase contact time, respectively. The results show that 98% of Np(VI) in the organic phase can be stripped rapidly to the aqueous phase by DHU under the given experimental conditions. As the concentration of HNO{sub 3} in the aqueous phase increases, the stripping efficiency decreases. While the stripping efficiency increases with the increase of the concentration of DHU. Simulating the 1B contactor of the PUREX process using DHU as the stripping agent, the SF{sub U}/Np equals to 183 under the given experimental conditions. It indicates that Np will follow with Pu in the U/Pu separation stage in the reprocessing of spent fuels. (orig.)

Seasonal photosynthetic activity in evergreen conifer leaves monitored with spectral reflectance

Science.gov (United States)

Wong, C. Y.; Gamon, J. A.

2013-12-01

Boreal evergreen conifers must maintain photosynthetic systems in environments where temperatures vary greatly across seasons from high temperatures in the summer to freezing levels in the winter. This involves seasonal downregulation and photoprotection during periods of extreme temperatures. To better understand this downregulation, seasonal dynamics of photosynthesis of lodgepole (Pinus contorta D.) and ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa D.) were monitored in Edmonton, Canada over two years. Spectral reflectance at the leaf and stand scales was measured weekly and the Photochemical Reflectance Index (PRI), often used as a proxy for chlorophyll and carotenoid pigment levels and photosynthetic light-use efficiency (LUE), was used to track the seasonal dynamics of photosynthetic activity. Additional physiological measurements included leaf pigment content, chlorophyll fluorescence, and gas exchange. All the metrics indicate large seasonal changes in photosynthetic activity, with a sharp transition from winter downregulation to active photosynthesis in the spring and a more gradual fall transition into winter. The PRI was a good indicator of several other variables including seasonally changing photosynthetic activity, chlorophyll fluorescence, photosynthetic LUE, and pigment pool sizes. Over the two-year cycle, PRI was primarily driven by changes in constitutive (chlorophyll:carotenoid) pigment levels correlated with seasonal photosynthetic activity, with a much smaller variation caused by diurnal changes in xanthophyll cycle activity (conversion between violaxanthin & zeaxanthin). Leaf and canopy scale PRI measurements exhibited parallel responses during the winter-spring transition. Together, our findings indicate that evergreen conifers photosynthetic system possesses a remarkable degree of resilience in response to large temperature changes across seasons, and that optical remote sensing can be used to observe the seasonal effects on photosynthesis and

Photoprotection by carotenoids of Plantago media photosynthetic apparatus in natural conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Golovko, Tamara; Dymova, Olga; Zakhozhiy, Ilya; Dalke, Igor; Tabalenkova, Galina

2012-01-01

The study of daily changes in photosynthetic rate, of energy used in photochemical and non-photochemical processes, and of carotenoid composition aimed at evaluating the role of xanthophyll cycle (XC) in protection of hoary plantain plants (Plantago media) in nature. The leaves of sun plants differed from shade plants in terms of CO(2) exchange rate and photosynthetic pigments content. The total pool XC pigments and the conversion state increased from morning to midday in sun plants. An increase in zeaxanthin content occurred concomitantly with the violaxanthin decrease. About 80% violaxanthin was involved in conversion. The maximum of zeaxanthin in XC pigments pool was 60%. The conversion state of XC was twice as lower in shade plants than that in sun plants. The photosynthesis of sun leaves was depressed strongly at midday, but changes of maximum quantum yield of PS2 (F(v)/F(m)) were not apparent at that time. The coefficient qN (non-photochemical quenching) in the sun leaves changed strongly, from 0.3 to 0.9 as irradiance increased. The direct relation between heat dissipation and the conversion state of XC in plantain leaves was revealed. Thus, plantain leaves were found to be resistant to excess solar radiation due to activation of qN mechanisms associated with the XC de-epoxidation.

Apparatus and method for measuring single cell and sub-cellular photosynthetic efficiency

Science.gov (United States)

Davis, Ryan Wesley; Singh, Seema; Wu, Huawen

2013-07-09

Devices for measuring single cell changes in photosynthetic efficiency in algal aquaculture are disclosed that include a combination of modulated LED trans-illumination of different intensities with synchronized through objective laser illumination and confocal detection. Synchronization and intensity modulation of a dual illumination scheme were provided using a custom microcontroller for a laser beam block and constant current LED driver. Therefore, single whole cell photosynthetic efficiency, and subcellular (diffraction limited) photosynthetic efficiency measurement modes are permitted. Wide field rapid light scanning actinic illumination is provided for both by an intensity modulated 470 nm LED. For the whole cell photosynthetic efficiency measurement, the same LED provides saturating pulses for generating photosynthetic induction curves. For the subcellular photosynthetic efficiency measurement, a switched through objective 488 nm laser provides saturating pulses for generating photosynthetic induction curves. A second near IR LED is employed to generate dark adapted states in the system under study.

A submonthly database for detecting changes in vegetation-atmosphere coupling

Science.gov (United States)

Zscheischler, Jakob; Orth, René; Seneviratne, Sonia I.

2016-04-01

Land-atmosphere coupling and changes in coupling regimes are important for making precise future climate predictions and understanding vegetation-climate feedbacks. Here we introduce the Vegetation-Atmosphere Coupling (VAC) index which identifies regions and times of concurrent strong anomalies in temperature and photosynthetic activity. The different classes of the index determine whether a location is currently in an energy-limited or water-limited regime, and its high temporal resolution allows to investigate how these regimes change over time at the regional scale. We show that the VAC index helps to distinguish different evaporative regimes. It can therefore provide indirect information about the local soil moisture state. We further demonstrate how the index can be used to understand processes leading to and occurring during extreme climate events, using the 2010 heat wave in Russia and the 2010 Amazon drought as examples.

Sustained photosynthetic performance of Coffea spp. under long-term enhanced [CO2].

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José C Ramalho

Full Text Available Coffee is one of the world's most traded agricultural products. Modeling studies have predicted that climate change will have a strong impact on the suitability of current cultivation areas, but these studies have not anticipated possible mitigating effects of the elevated atmospheric [CO2] because no information exists for the coffee plant. Potted plants from two genotypes of Coffea arabica and one of C. canephora were grown under controlled conditions of irradiance (800 μmol m(-2 s(-1, RH (75% and 380 or 700 μL CO2 L(-1 for 1 year, without water, nutrient or root development restrictions. In all genotypes, the high [CO2] treatment promoted opposite trends for stomatal density and size, which decreased and increased, respectively. Regardless of the genotype or the growth [CO2], the net rate of CO2 assimilation increased (34-49% when measured at 700 than at 380 μL CO2 L(-1. This result, together with the almost unchanged stomatal conductance, led to an instantaneous water use efficiency increase. The results also showed a reinforcement of photosynthetic (and respiratory components, namely thylakoid electron transport and the activities of RuBisCo, ribulose 5-phosphate kinase, malate dehydrogenase and pyruvate kinase, what may have contributed to the enhancements in the maximum rates of electron transport, carboxylation and photosynthetic capacity under elevated [CO2], although these responses were genotype dependent. The photosystem II efficiency, energy driven to photochemical events, non-structural carbohydrates, photosynthetic pigment and membrane permeability did not respond to [CO2] supply. Some alterations in total fatty acid content and the unsaturation level of the chloroplast membranes were noted but, apparently, did not affect photosynthetic functioning. Despite some differences among the genotypes, no clear species-dependent responses to elevated [CO2] were observed. Overall, as no apparent sign of photosynthetic down

Sustained Photosynthetic Performance of Coffea spp. under Long-Term Enhanced [CO2

Science.gov (United States)

Ramalho, José C.; Rodrigues, Ana P.; Semedo, José N.; Pais, Isabel P.; Martins, Lima D.; Simões-Costa, Maria C.; Leitão, António E.; Fortunato, Ana S.; Batista-Santos, Paula; Palos, Isabel M.; Tomaz, Marcelo A.; Scotti-Campos, Paula; Lidon, Fernando C.; DaMatta, Fábio M.

2013-01-01

Coffee is one of the world’s most traded agricultural products. Modeling studies have predicted that climate change will have a strong impact on the suitability of current cultivation areas, but these studies have not anticipated possible mitigating effects of the elevated atmospheric [CO2] because no information exists for the coffee plant. Potted plants from two genotypes of Coffea arabica and one of C. canephora were grown under controlled conditions of irradiance (800 μmol m-2 s-1), RH (75%) and 380 or 700 μL CO2 L-1 for 1 year, without water, nutrient or root development restrictions. In all genotypes, the high [CO2] treatment promoted opposite trends for stomatal density and size, which decreased and increased, respectively. Regardless of the genotype or the growth [CO2], the net rate of CO2 assimilation increased (34-49%) when measured at 700 than at 380 μL CO2 L-1. This result, together with the almost unchanged stomatal conductance, led to an instantaneous water use efficiency increase. The results also showed a reinforcement of photosynthetic (and respiratory) components, namely thylakoid electron transport and the activities of RuBisCo, ribulose 5-phosphate kinase, malate dehydrogenase and pyruvate kinase, what may have contributed to the enhancements in the maximum rates of electron transport, carboxylation and photosynthetic capacity under elevated [CO2], although these responses were genotype dependent. The photosystem II efficiency, energy driven to photochemical events, non-structural carbohydrates, photosynthetic pigment and membrane permeability did not respond to [CO2] supply. Some alterations in total fatty acid content and the unsaturation level of the chloroplast membranes were noted but, apparently, did not affect photosynthetic functioning. Despite some differences among the genotypes, no clear species-dependent responses to elevated [CO2] were observed. Overall, as no apparent sign of photosynthetic down-regulation was found, our data

Combining machine learning and remotely sensed bandratios to investigate chlorophyll content and photosynthetic processes

Science.gov (United States)

Gholizadeh, Hamed

Photosynthesis in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems is the key component of the food chain and the most important driver of the global carbon cycle. Therefore, estimation of photosynthesis at large spatial scales is of great scientific importance and can only practically be achieved by remote sensing data and techniques. In this dissertation, remotely sensed information and techniques, as well as field measurements, are used to improve current approaches of assessing photosynthetic processes. More specifically, three topics are the focus here: (1) investigating the application of spectral vegetation indices as proxies for terrestrial chlorophyll in a mangrove ecosystem, (2) evaluating and improving one of the most common empirical ocean-color algorithms (OC4), and (3) developing an improved approach based on sunlit-to-shaded scaled photochemical reflectance index (sPRI) ratios for detecting drought signals in a deciduous forest at eastern United States. The results indicated that although the green normalized difference vegetation index (GNDVI) is an efficient proxy for terrestrial chlorophyll content, there are opportunities to improve the performance of vegetation indices by optimizing the band weights. In regards to the second topic, we concluded that the parameters of the OC4 algorithm and similar empirical models should be tuned regionally and the addition of sea-surface temperature makes the global ocean-color approaches more valid. Results obtained from the third topic showed that considering shaded and sunlit portions of the canopy (i.e., two-leaf models instead of single big leaf models) and taking into account the divergent stomatal behavior of the species (i.e. isohydric and anisohydric) can improve the capability of sPRI in detecting drought. In addition to investigating the photosynthetic processes, the other common theme of the three research topics is the evaluation of "off- the-shelf" solutions to remote-sensing problems. Although widely used

Endosulfan induced changes in growth rate, pigment composition and photosynthetic activity of mosquito fern Azolla microphylla

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raja W.

2012-11-01

Full Text Available This paper is the first in a series reporting a study on the effects of different concentrations of insecticide, Endosulfan (0-600ppm was premeditated on 5th day after insecticide exposure with respect to growth rate, pigment composition and photosynthetic activity of Azolla microphylla under laboratory conditions which become non-target organism in the rice fields. Endosulfan inhibited the relative growth rate, pigment content and photosynthetic O2 evolution. Phycocyanin was main target followed by carotenoid and total chlorophyll. Significant increase in pigment, flavonoid and Anthocyanin was noticed after six days of treatment. In contrast to the photosynthetic activity, the rate of respiration in Azolla microphylla was increased significantly. Our results show that Endosulfan at normally recommended field rates and intervals are seldom deleterious to the beneficial and Eco friendly Azolla microphylla and their activities and thus in turn suppress plant growth and development. Phytotoxity of Azolla microphylla can be minimized by restrictions on application, timing, method and rate of application.

Acute toxicity of excess mercury on the photosynthetic performance of cyanobacterium, S. platensis--assessment by chlorophyll fluorescence analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, C M; Chau, C W; Zhang, J H

2000-07-01

Measurement of chlorophyll fluorescence has been shown to be a rapid, non-invasive, and reliable method to assess photosynthetic performance in a changing environment. In this study, acute toxicity of excess Hg on the photosynthetic performance of the cyanobacterium S. platensis, was investigated by use of chlorophyll fluorescence analysis after cells were exposed to excess Hg (up to 20 microM) for 2 h. The results determined from the fast fluorescence kinetics showed that Hg induced a significant increase in the proportion of the Q(B)-non-reducing PSII reaction centers. The fluorescence parameters measured under the steady state of photosynthesis demonstrated that the increase of Hg concentration led to a decrease in the maximal efficiency of PSII photochemistry, the efficiency of excitation energy capture by the open PSII reaction centers, and the quantum yield of PSII electron transport. Mercury also resulted in a decrease in the coefficients of photochemical and non-photochemical quenching. Mercury may have an acute toxicity on cyanobacteria by inhibiting the quantum yield of photosynthesis sensitively and rapidly. Such changes occurred before any other visible damages that may be evaluated by other conventional measurements. Our results also demonstrated that chlorophyll fluorescence analysis can be used as a useful physiological tool to assess early stages of change in photosynthetic performance of algae in response to heavy metal pollution.

Oxygen Concentration Inside a Functioning Photosynthetic Cell

OpenAIRE

Kihara, Shigeharu; Hartzler, Daniel A.; Savikhin, Sergei

2014-01-01

The excess oxygen concentration in the photosynthetic membranes of functioning oxygenic photosynthetic cells was estimated using classical diffusion theory combined with experimental data on oxygen production rates of cyanobacterial cells. The excess oxygen concentration within the plesiomorphic cyanobacterium Gloeobactor violaceus is only 0.025 μM, or four orders of magnitude lower than the oxygen concentration in air-saturated water. Such a low concentration suggests that the first oxygenic...

Ultrafast fluorescence of photosynthetic crystals and light-harvesting complexes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Oort, van B.F.

2008-01-01

This thesis focuses on the study of photosynthetic pigment protein complexes using time resolved fluorescence techniques. Fluorescence spectroscopy often requires attaching fluorescent labels to the proteins under investigation. With photosynthetic proteins this is not necessary, because these

Environment, vegetation and greenness (NDVI) along the North America and Eurasia Arctic transects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walker, D A; Raynolds, M K; Kuss, P; Kade, A N; Epstein, H E; Frost, G V; Kopecky, M A; Daniëls, F J A; Leibman, M O; Moskalenko, N G; Khomutov, A V; Matyshak, G V; Khitun, O V; Forbes, B C; Bhatt, U S; Vonlanthen, C M; Tichý, L

2012-01-01

Satellite-based measurements of the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI; an index of vegetation greenness and photosynthetic capacity) indicate that tundra environments are generally greening and becoming more productive as climates warm in the Arctic. The greening, however, varies and is even negative in some parts of the Arctic. To help interpret the space-based observations, the International Polar Year (IPY) Greening of the Arctic project conducted ground-based surveys along two >1500 km transects that span all five Arctic bioclimate subzones. Here we summarize the climate, soil, vegetation, biomass, and spectral information collected from the North America Arctic transect (NAAT), which has a more continental climate, and the Eurasia Arctic transect (EAT), which has a more oceanic climate. The transects have broadly similar summer temperature regimes and overall vegetation physiognomy, but strong differences in precipitation, especially winter precipitation, soil texture and pH, disturbance regimes, and plant species composition and structure. The results indicate that summer warmth and NDVI increased more strongly along the more continental transect. (letter)

Isolation and characterization of a cDNA encoding phytochrome A in the non-photosynthetic parasitic plant, Orobanche minor Sm.

Science.gov (United States)

Trakulnaleamsai, Chitra; Okazawa, Atsushi; An, Chung-Il; Kajiyama, Shin'ichiro; Fukusaki, Ei'ichiro; Yoneyama, Koichi; Takeuchi, Yasutomo; Kobayashi, Akio

2005-01-01

In this study, the isolation and characterization of a phytochrome A (PHYA) homologous cDNA (OmPHYA) in the non-photosynthetic holoparasitic plant Orobanche minor are described. The present findings provide the first report of the presence of a PHYA homolog in the holoparasite. This study found that OmPHYA is of similar size to the other PHYAs of green plants and shows 72, 77, and 77% amino acid sequence identity with PHYA in Arabidopsis, potato, and tobacco respectively. The OmPHYA contains a conserved chromophore attachment cysteine at position 323. Although OmPHYA shows high sequence identity with other PHYAs in green plants, 13 amino acid substitutions located in both the N and C-terminal domains are observed (a total of 26 amino acids). OmPHYA is encoded by a single gene within the O. minor genome. The abundance of the OmPHYA transcript as well as nuclear translocation of OmphyA occurs in a light-dependent manner.

Diurnal changes of net photosynthetic rate (NPR) in leaves of Lonicera japonica Thunb. and the responding mathematical model of NPR to photosynthetic valid radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu Dafu; Zhang Shengli; Li Dongfang

2009-01-01

[Objective] The study provided theoretical basis for production practice . [Method] With Lonicera japonica Thunb .as material, diurnal changes of net photosynthetic rate (NPR) in leaves of the plant and the responding mathematical model of NPR to photosynthetic valid radiation were studied using portable photosynthetic determinator system. [Result] Like most of C3 plants, the diurnal changes curve of NPR of Lonicera japonica Thunb .showed double peaks, but there were time difference in reaching the peak value between the study and previous ones . The responding mathematical model of NPR to photosynthetic valid radiation could be described by three mathematic functions, such as logarithm, linearity and binomial, but binomial function was more precise than the others. Light saturation point of Lonicera japonica Thunb. was figured out by binomial equation deduced in the study , and light saturation point was 1 086 .3 μmol/ (m2•s) . [Conclusion] The diurnal changes curve of NPR of Lonicera japonica Thunb .showed double peaks, and the responding mathematical model of NPR to photosynthetic valid radiation could be described by binomial functions

In silico analysis of the regulation of the photosynthetic electron transport chain in C3 plants

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Morales Sierra, A.; Yin, Xinyou; Harbinson, Jeremy; Driever, Steven Michiel; Molenaar, Jaap; Kramer, David M.; Struik, Paul

2018-01-01

We present a new simulation model of the reactions in the photosynthetic electron transport chain of C3 species. We show that including recent insights about the regulation of the thylakoid proton motive force, ATP/NADPH balancing mechanisms (cyclic and non-cyclic alternative electron transport),

Nitrogen deposition's role in determining forest photosynthetic capacity; a FLUXNET synthesis

Science.gov (United States)

Fleischer, K.; Rebel, K.; van der Molen, M.; Erisman, J.; Wassen, M.; Dolman, H.

2011-12-01

There is growing evidence that nitrogen (N) deposition stimulates forest growth, as many forest ecosystems are N-limited. However, the significance of N deposition in determining the strength of the present and future terrestrial carbon sink is strongly debated. We investigated and quantified the effect of N deposition on ecosystem photosynthetic capacity (Amax) with the FLUXNET database, including 80 forest sites, covering the major forest types and climates of the world. The relative effect of climate and N deposition on photosynthesis was assessed with regression models. We found a significant positive correlation of Amax and N deposition for evergreen needleleaf forests in our dataset. We further found indications that foliar N and LAI scale positively with N deposition, reflecting the 2 mechanisms at which N is believed to cause an increase in carbon gain. We can support the hypothesis that foliar N is the principal scaling factor for canopy Amax across all forest types. Deciduous forests are less diverse in terms of climate and nutritional conditions for the included sites and these forests exhibited weak to no correlations with the included climate and N predictor variables. Quantifying the effect of N deposition on photosynthetic rates at the canopy level is an essential step for quantifying its contribution to the terrestrial carbon sink and for predicting vegetation response to N fertilization and global change in the future. The approach shows that eddy-covariance measurements of carbon fluxes at the canopy scale allow us to test hypotheses with respect to the expected nitrogen-photosynthesis relationships at the canopy scale.

Coral bleaching independent of photosynthetic activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Tolleter, Dimitri; Seneca, François O; DeNofrio, Jan C; Krediet, Cory J; Palumbi, Stephen R; Pringle, John R; Grossman, Arthur R

2013-09-23

The global decline of reef-building corals is due in part to the loss of algal symbionts, or "bleaching," during the increasingly frequent periods of high seawater temperatures. During bleaching, endosymbiotic dinoflagellate algae (Symbiodinium spp.) either are lost from the animal tissue or lose their photosynthetic pigments, resulting in host mortality if the Symbiodinium populations fail to recover. The >1,000 studies of the causes of heat-induced bleaching have focused overwhelmingly on the consequences of damage to algal photosynthetic processes, and the prevailing model for bleaching invokes a light-dependent generation of toxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) by heat-damaged chloroplasts as the primary trigger. However, the precise mechanisms of bleaching remain unknown, and there is evidence for involvement of multiple cellular processes. In this study, we asked the simple question of whether bleaching can be triggered by heat in the dark, in the absence of photosynthetically derived ROS. We used both the sea anemone model system Aiptasia and several species of reef-building corals to demonstrate that symbiont loss can occur rapidly during heat stress in complete darkness. Furthermore, we observed damage to the photosynthetic apparatus under these conditions in both Aiptasia endosymbionts and cultured Symbiodinium. These results do not directly contradict the view that light-stimulated ROS production is important in bleaching, but they do show that there must be another pathway leading to bleaching. Elucidation of this pathway should help to clarify bleaching mechanisms under the more usual conditions of heat stress in the light. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Nitrogen control of photosynthetic protein synthesis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schmidt, G.W.

1986-09-01

Plant growth is severely affected by impaired photosynthesis resulting from nitrogen deficiency. The molecular aspects of this effect are being studied in the green alga Chlamydomonas grown in continuous culture systems. Photosynthetic membranes of nitrogen-limited cells are dramatically depleted in chlorophylls, xanthophylls and proteins of the light-harvesting complexes. In contrast, enzymes of the reductive pentose phosphate cycle and electron transport chain complexes are reduced only 40 to 65% on a per cell basis comparison with nitrogen-sufficient cultures. From analyses of mRNA levels by in vitro translation and hybridization analyses with cloned DNA sequences for photosynthetic proteins, we have found there are rather minor effects of nitrogen deficiency on nuclear or chloroplast gene transcription. Maturation of a transcript of the nuclear-encoded small subunit of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase is inhibited in nitrogen-deficient cells and causes accumulation of large amounts of mRNA precursors. Most of the effects of nitrogen deficiency on photosynthetic proteins appear to result from posttranscriptional regulatory processes: light-harvesting protein synthesis may be sustained but their import into chloroplasts or translocation to photosynthetic membranes is impaired. Nitrogen-deficient cells lack violaxanthin, a pigment that is essential for the structure, function and biogenesis of the major antenna complexes. The absence of this pigment may be a causative factor for the deficiency of light harvesting complexes. Finally, the accumulation of massive amounts of starch and triglycerides in nitrogen-limited cells indicate there are some genes whose maximal expression is dependent upon nitrogen-limiting conditions. 10 refs.

Light-induced vegetative anthocyanin pigmentation in Petunia

Science.gov (United States)

Albert, Nick W.; Lewis, David H.; Zhang, Huaibi; Irving, Louis J.; Jameson, Paula E.; Davies, Kevin M.

2009-01-01

The Lc petunia system, which displays enhanced, light-induced vegetative pigmentation, was used to investigate how high light affects anthocyanin biosynthesis, and to assess the effects of anthocyanin pigmentation upon photosynthesis. Lc petunia plants displayed intense purple anthocyanin pigmentation throughout the leaves and stems when grown under high-light conditions, yet remain acyanic when grown under shade conditions. The coloured phenotypes matched with an accumulation of anthocyanins and flavonols, as well as the activation of the early and late flavonoid biosynthetic genes required for flavonol and anthocyanin production. Pigmentation in Lc petunia only occurred under conditions which normally induce a modest amount of anthocyanin to accumulate in wild-type Mitchell petunia [Petunia axillaris×(Petunia axillaris×Petunia hybrida cv. ‘Rose of Heaven’)]. Anthocyanin pigmentation in Lc petunia leaves appears to screen underlying photosynthetic tissues, increasing light saturation and light compensation points, without reducing the maximal photosynthetic assimilation rate (Amax). In the Lc petunia system, where the bHLH factor Leaf colour is constitutively expressed, expression of the bHLH (Lc) and WD40 (An11) components of the anthocyanin regulatory system were not limited, suggesting that the high-light-induced anthocyanin pigmentation is regulated by endogenous MYB transcription factors. PMID:19380423

Estimating vegetation vulnerability to detect areas prone to land degradation in the Mediterranean basin

Science.gov (United States)

Imbrenda, Vito; Coluzzi, Rosa; D'Emilio, Mariagrazia; Lanfredi, Maria; Simoniello, Tiziana

2013-04-01

Vegetation is one of the key components to study land degradation vulnerability because of the complex interactions and feedbacks that link it to soil. In the Mediterranean region, degradation phenomena are due to a mix of predisposing factors (thin soil horizons, low soil organic matter, increasing aridity, etc.) and bad management practices (overgrazing, deforestation, intensification of agriculture, tourism development). In particular, in areas threatened by degradation processes but still covered by vegetation, large scale soil condition evaluation is a hard task and the detection of stressed vegetation can be useful to identify on-going soil degradation phenomena and to reduce their impacts through interventions for recovery/rehabilitation. In this context the use of satellite time series can increase the efficacy and completeness of the land degradation assessment, providing precious information to understand vegetation dynamics. In order to estimate vulnerability levels in Basilicata (a Mediterranean region of Southern Italy) in the framework of PRO-LAND project (PO-FESR Basilicata 2007-2013), we crossed information on potential vegetation vulnerability with information on photosynthetic activity dynamics. Potential vegetation vulnerability represents the vulnerability related to the type of present cover in terms of fire risk, erosion protection, drought resistance and plant cover distribution. It was derived from an updated land cover map by separately analyzing each factor, and then by combining them to obtain concise information on the possible degradation exposure. The analysis of photosynthetic activity dynamics provides information on the status of vegetation, that is fundamental to discriminate the different vulnerability levels within the same land cover, i.e. the same potential vulnerability. For such a purpose, we analyzed a time series (2000-2010) of a satellite vegetation index (MODIS NDVI) with 250m resolution, available as 16-day composite

Mapping invasive species and spectral mixture relationships with neotropical woody formations in southeastern Brazil

Science.gov (United States)

Amaral, Cibele H.; Roberts, Dar A.; Almeida, Teodoro I. R.; Souza Filho, Carlos R.

2015-10-01

Biological invasion substantially contributes to the increasing extinction rates of native vegetative species. The remote detection and mapping of invasive species is critical for environmental monitoring. This study aims to assess the performance of a Multiple Endmember Spectral Mixture Analysis (MESMA) applied to imaging spectroscopy data for mapping Dendrocalamus sp. (bamboo) and Pinus elliottii L. (slash pine), which are invasive plant species, in a Brazilian neotropical landscape within the tropical Brazilian savanna biome. The work also investigates the spectral mixture between these exotic species and the native woody formations, including woodland savanna, submontane and alluvial seasonal semideciduous forests (SSF). Visible to Shortwave Infrared (VSWIR) imaging spectroscopy data at one-meter spatial resolution were atmospherically corrected and subset into the different spectral ranges (VIS-NIR1: 530-919 nm; and NIR2-SWIR: 1141-2352 nm). The data were further normalized via continuum removal (CR). Multiple endmember selection methods, including Interactive Endmember Selection (IES), Endmember average root mean square error (EAR), Minimum average spectral angle (MASA) and Count-based (CoB) (collectively called EMC), were employed to create endmember libraries for the targeted vegetation classes. The performance of the MESMA was assessed at the pixel and crown scales. Statistically significant differences (α = 0.05) were observed between overall accuracies that were obtained at various spectral ranges. The infrared region (IR) was critical for detecting the vegetation classes using spectral data. The invasive species endmembers exhibited spectral patterns in the IR that were not observed in the native formations. Bamboo was characterized as having a high green vegetation (GV) fraction, lower non-photosynthetic vegetation (NPV) and a low shade fraction, while pine exhibited higher NPV and shade fractions. The invasive species showed a statistically

Estimation of Global Vegetation Productivity from Global LAnd Surface Satellite Data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tao Yu

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Accurately estimating vegetation productivity is important in research on terrestrial ecosystems, carbon cycles and climate change. Eight-day gross primary production (GPP and annual net primary production (NPP are contained in MODerate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS products (MOD17, which are considered the first operational datasets for monitoring global vegetation productivity. However, the cloud-contaminated MODIS leaf area index (LAI and Fraction of Photosynthetically Active Radiation (FPAR retrievals may introduce some considerable errors to MODIS GPP and NPP products. In this paper, global eight-day GPP and eight-day NPP were first estimated based on Global LAnd Surface Satellite (GLASS LAI and FPAR products. Then, GPP and NPP estimates were validated by FLUXNET GPP data and BigFoot NPP data and were compared with MODIS GPP and NPP products. Compared with MODIS GPP, a time series showed that estimated GLASS GPP in our study was more temporally continuous and spatially complete with smoother trajectories. Validated with FLUXNET GPP and BigFoot NPP, we demonstrated that estimated GLASS GPP and NPP achieved higher precision for most vegetation types.

Ground based remote sensing and physiological measurements provide novel insights into canopy photosynthetic optimization in arctic shrubs

Science.gov (United States)

Magney, T. S.; Griffin, K. L.; Boelman, N.; Eitel, J.; Greaves, H.; Prager, C.; Logan, B.; Oliver, R.; Fortin, L.; Vierling, L. A.

2014-12-01

Because changes in vegetation structure and function in the Arctic are rapid and highly dynamic phenomena, efforts to understand the C balance of the tundra require repeatable, objective, and accurate remote sensing methods for estimating aboveground C pools and fluxes over large areas. A key challenge addressing the modelling of aboveground C is to utilize process-level information from fine-scale studies. Utilizing information obtained from high resolution remote sensing systems could help to better understand the C source/sink strength of the tundra, which will in part depend on changes in photosynthesis resulting from the partitioning of photosynthetic machinery within and among deciduous shrub canopies. Terrestrial LiDAR and passive hyperspectral remote sensing measurements offer an effective, repeatable, and scalable method to understand photosynthetic performance and partitioning at the canopy scale previously unexplored in arctic systems. Using a 3-D shrub canopy model derived from LiDAR, we quantified the light regime of leaves within shrub canopies to gain a better understanding of how light interception varies in response to the Arctic's complex radiation regime. This information was then coupled with pigment sampling (i.e., xanthophylls, and Chl a/b) to evaluate the optimization of foliage photosynthetic capacity within shrub canopies due to light availability. In addition, a lab experiment was performed to validate evidence of canopy level optimization via gradients of light intensity and leaf light environment. For this, hyperspectral reflectance (photochemical reflectance index (PRI)), and solar induced fluorescence (SIF)) was collected in conjunction with destructive pigment samples (xanthophylls) and chlorophyll fluorescence measurements in both sunlit and shaded canopy positions.

Effect of space mutation on photosynthetic characteristics of soybean varieties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Xinlei; Ma Yansong; Luan Xiaoyan; Man Weiqun; Xu Dechun; Meng Lifen; Fu Lixin; Zhao Xiaonan; Liu Qi

2011-01-01

In order to elucidate the response of the photosynthetic traits of soybean to space mutation, three soybean varieties (lines) of Heinong 48, Heinong 44 and Ha 2291-Y were carried by artificial satellite in 2006 and the net photosynthetic rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (Cond), intercellular CO 2 concentration (Ci) and stomatal resistance (Rs) from SP 1 to SP 4 generation were determined. The results showed that space mutation affected photosynthesis traits of soybean. The photosynthetic rate of soybean varieties by space mutation occurred different levels of genetic variation and the positive mutation rate were higher. Coefficient of variation among generations were SP 2 > SP 3 > SP 4 > CK. Results suggest that space mutation can effectively create soybean materials with higher photosynthetic rate. (authors)

Cyanobacteria as photosynthetic biocatalysts: a systems biology perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Gudmundsson, Steinn; Nogales, Juan

2015-01-01

The increasing need to replace oil-based products and to address global climate change concerns has triggered considerable interest in photosynthetic microorganisms. Cyanobacteria, in particular, have great potential as biocatalysts for fuels and fine-chemicals. During the last few years the biotechnological applications of cyanobacteria have experienced an unprecedented increase and the use of these photosynthetic organisms for chemical production is becoming a tangible reality. However, the field is still immature and many concerns about the economic feasibility of the biotechnological potential of cyanobacteria remain. In this review we describe recent successes in biofuel and fine-chemical production using cyanobacteria. We discuss the role of the photosynthetic metabolism and highlight the need for systems-level metabolic optimization in order to achieve the true potential of cyanobacterial biocatalysts.

Stereoselective phytotoxicity of HCH mediated by photosynthetic and antioxidant defense systems in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Qiong; Zhou, Cong; Zhang, Quan; Qian, Haifeng; Liu, Weiping; Zhao, Meirong

2013-01-01

Hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) has been used for plant protection and sanitation world-widely, and its isomers have been detected in water, soil, and air as well as in vegetation. As a sink for lipophilic pollutants, vegetation is very important for the degradation and fate of organic contamination; however, little was known about their phytotoxicity and mechanisms of toxic effect. In this study, the stereoselective phototoxicity of four isomers (α, β, γ, and δ) of HCHs mediated by independent as well as interconnecting systems of photosynthesis and enzymatic antioxidant defense system in Arabidopsis thaliana were assessed. Our results revealed that all the HCHs not only stimulated the activities of catalase (CAT) and peroxidase (POD), but also inhibited the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD). In photosynthesis system, the photosynthetic efficiency of PSI and PSII were all down regulated. Meanwhile, results from both systems showed that δ-HCH was the most toxic one, while α-HCH the least in Arabidopsis thaliana. For the first time, stereoselective effects of different isomers of HCH in plant were demonstrated. And the results suggest that it requires further research to fully elucidate the environmental toxicity and their mechanisms.

Stereoselective phytotoxicity of HCH mediated by photosynthetic and antioxidant defense systems in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qiong Zhang

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH has been used for plant protection and sanitation world-widely, and its isomers have been detected in water, soil, and air as well as in vegetation. As a sink for lipophilic pollutants, vegetation is very important for the degradation and fate of organic contamination; however, little was known about their phytotoxicity and mechanisms of toxic effect. In this study, the stereoselective phototoxicity of four isomers (α, β, γ, and δ of HCHs mediated by independent as well as interconnecting systems of photosynthesis and enzymatic antioxidant defense system in Arabidopsis thaliana were assessed. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Our results revealed that all the HCHs not only stimulated the activities of catalase (CAT and peroxidase (POD, but also inhibited the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD. In photosynthesis system, the photosynthetic efficiency of PSI and PSII were all down regulated. Meanwhile, results from both systems showed that δ-HCH was the most toxic one, while α-HCH the least in Arabidopsis thaliana. CONCLUSIONS: For the first time, stereoselective effects of different isomers of HCH in plant were demonstrated. And the results suggest that it requires further research to fully elucidate the environmental toxicity and their mechanisms.

Vegetation Dynamics and Rainfall Sensitivity of the Amazon

Science.gov (United States)

Hilker, Thomas; Lyapustin, Alexei I.; Tucker, Compton J.; Hall, Forrest G.; Myneni, Ranga B.; Wang, Yujie; Bi, Jian; Mendes de Moura, Yhasmin; Sellers, Piers J.

2014-01-01

We show that the vegetation canopy of the Amazon rainforest is highly sensitive to changes in precipitation patterns and that reduction in rainfall since 2000 has diminished vegetation greenness across large parts of Amazonia. Large-scale directional declines in vegetation greenness may indicate decreases in carbon uptake and substantial changes in the energy balance of the Amazon. We use improved estimates of surface reflectance from satellite data to show a close link between reductions in annual precipitation, El Nino southern oscillation events, and photosynthetic activity across tropical and subtropical Amazonia. We report that, since the year 2000, precipitation has declined across 69% of the tropical evergreen forest (5.4 million sq km) and across 80% of the subtropical grasslands (3.3 million sq km). These reductions, which coincided with a decline in terrestrial water storage, account for about 55% of a satellite-observed widespread decline in the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). During El Nino events, NDVI was reduced about 16.6% across an area of up to 1.6 million sq km compared with average conditions. Several global circulation models suggest that a rise in equatorial sea surface temperature and related displacement of the intertropical convergence zone could lead to considerable drying of tropical forests in the 21st century. Our results provide evidence that persistent drying could degrade Amazonian forest canopies, which would have cascading effects on global carbon and climate dynamics.

Interactions between heavy metals and photosynthetic materials studied by optical techniques.

Science.gov (United States)

Ventrella, Andrea; Catucci, Lucia; Piletska, Elena; Piletsky, Sergey; Agostiano, Angela

2009-11-01

In this work studies on rapid inhibitory interactions between heavy metals and photosynthetic materials at different organization levels were carried out by optical assay techniques, investigating the possibility of applications in the heavy metal detection field. Spinach chloroplasts, thylakoids and Photosystem II proteins were employed as biotools in combination with colorimetric assays based on dichlorophenol indophenole (DCIP) photoreduction and on fluorescence emission techniques. It was found that copper and mercury demonstrated a strong and rapid photosynthetic activity inhibition, that varied from proteins to membranes, while other metals like nickel, cobalt and manganese produced only slight inhibition effects on all tested photosynthetic materials. By emission measurements, only copper was found to rapidly influence the photosynthetic material signals. These findings give interesting information about the rapid effects of heavy metals on isolated photosynthetic samples, and are in addition to the literature data concerning the effects of growth in heavy metal enriched media.

Monitoring phenology of photosynthesis in temperate evergreen and mixed deciduous forests using the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and the photochemical reflectance index (PRI) at leaf and canopy scales

Science.gov (United States)

Wong, C. Y.; Arain, M. A.; Ensminger, I.

2016-12-01

Evergreen conifers in boreal and temperate regions undergo strong seasonal changes in photoperiod and temperatures, which determines their phenology of high photosynthetic activity in the growing season and downregulation during the winter. Monitoring the timing of the transition between summer activity and winter downregulation in evergreens is difficult since this is a largely invisible process, unlike in deciduous trees that have a visible budding and a sequence of leaf unfolding in the spring and leaf abscission in the fall. The light-use efficiency (LUE) model estimates gross primary productivity (GPP) and may be parameterized using remotely sensed vegetation indices. Using spectral reflectance data, we derived the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), a measure of leaf "greenness", and the photochemical reflectance index (PRI), a proxy for chlorophyll:carotenoid ratios which is related to photosynthetic activity. To better understand the relationship between these vegetation indices and photosynthetic activity and to contrast this relationship between plant functional types, the phenology of NDVI, PRI and photosynthesis was monitored in an evergreen forest and a mixed deciduous forest at the leaf and canopy scale. Our data indicates that the LUE model can be parameterized by NDVI and PRI to track forest phenology. Differences in the sensitivity of PRI and NDVI will be discussed. These findings have implications to address the phenology of evergreen conifers by using PRI to complement NDVI in the LUE model, potentially improving model productivity estimates in northern hemisphere forests, that are dominated by conifers.

Spodoptera frugiperda Nucleopolyhedrovirus Sf NPV003: Compatibility with agrochemicals and storage stability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adriana Marcela Santos

2014-07-01

Full Text Available A Colombian isolate of Spodoptera frugiperdanucleopolyhedrovirus Sf NPV003 was formulated as a powder by microencapsulating it with a methacrylic acid polymer, which increased the photostability of the virus. In order to generate recommendations for the use of this biopesticide, the objective of this study was to establish in vitro compatibility with chemicals (insecticides and fungicides and to determine the product stability during 15 months at 8 °C, 18 °C and 28 °C. The virus was compatible with eight chemicals tested, with an insecticidal activity greater than 80%. When the biopesticide was stored at 8 °C, 18 °C and 28 °C, the insecticidal activity and the content of contaminants were within acceptance limits established for each property. Results indicated that microencapsulated Sf MNPV can be stored at temperatures below 28 °C, thus ensuring product quality for at least 17 months, enough time for its distribution and use.

Terrestrial biosphere models underestimate photosynthetic capacity and CO2 assimilation in the Arctic.

Science.gov (United States)

Rogers, Alistair; Serbin, Shawn P; Ely, Kim S; Sloan, Victoria L; Wullschleger, Stan D

2017-12-01

Terrestrial biosphere models (TBMs) are highly sensitive to model representation of photosynthesis, in particular the parameters maximum carboxylation rate and maximum electron transport rate at 25°C (V c,max.25 and J max.25 , respectively). Many TBMs do not include representation of Arctic plants, and those that do rely on understanding and parameterization from temperate species. We measured photosynthetic CO 2 response curves and leaf nitrogen (N) content in species representing the dominant vascular plant functional types found on the coastal tundra near Barrow, Alaska. The activation energies associated with the temperature response functions of V c,max and J max were 17% lower than commonly used values. When scaled to 25°C, V c,max.25 and J max.25 were two- to five-fold higher than the values used to parameterize current TBMs. This high photosynthetic capacity was attributable to a high leaf N content and the high fraction of N invested in Rubisco. Leaf-level modeling demonstrated that current parameterization of TBMs resulted in a two-fold underestimation of the capacity for leaf-level CO 2 assimilation in Arctic vegetation. This study highlights the poor representation of Arctic photosynthesis in TBMs, and provides the critical data necessary to improve our ability to project the response of the Arctic to global environmental change. No claim to original US Government works. New Phytologist © 2017 New Phytologist Trust.

Chlorophyll Fluorescence Imaging Uncovers Photosynthetic Fingerprint of Citrus Huanglongbing

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Haiyan Cen

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Huanglongbing (HLB is one of the most destructive diseases of citrus, which has posed a serious threat to the global citrus production. This research was aimed to explore the use of chlorophyll fluorescence imaging combined with feature selection to characterize and detect the HLB disease. Chlorophyll fluorescence images of citrus leaf samples were measured by an in-house chlorophyll fluorescence imaging system. The commonly used chlorophyll fluorescence parameters provided the first screening of HLB disease. To further explore the photosynthetic fingerprint of HLB infected leaves, three feature selection methods combined with the supervised classifiers were employed to identify the unique fluorescence signature of HLB and perform the three-class classification (i.e., healthy, HLB infected, and nutrient deficient leaves. Unlike the commonly used fluorescence parameters, this novel data-driven approach by using the combination of the mean fluorescence parameters and image features gave the best classification performance with the accuracy of 97%, and presented a better interpretation for the spatial heterogeneity of photochemical and non-photochemical components in HLB infected citrus leaves. These results imply the potential of the proposed approach for the citrus HLB disease diagnosis, and also provide a valuable insight for the photosynthetic response to the HLB disease.

Contribution of chlorophyll fluorescence to the apparent vegetation reflectance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Campbell, P.K. Entcheva; Middleton, E.M.; Corp, L.A.; Kim, M.S.

2008-01-01

Current strategies for monitoring the physiologic status of terrestrial vegetation rely on remote sensing reflectance data, which provide estimates of vigor based primarily on chlorophyll content. Chlorophyll fluorescence (ChlF) measurements offer a non-destructive alternative and a more direct approach for diagnosis of vegetation stress before a significant reduction in chlorophyll content has occurred. Thus, technology based on ChlF may allow more accurate carbon sequestration estimates and earlier stress detection than is possible when using reflectance data alone. However, the observed apparent vegetation reflectance (Ra) in reality includes contributions from both the reflected and fluoresced radiation. The aim of this study is to determine the relative contributions of reflectance and ChlF fractions to Ra in the red to near-infrared region (650-800 nm) of the spectrum. The practical objectives of the study are to: 1) evaluate the relationship between ChlF and reflectance at the foliar level for corn, soybean and maple; and 2) for corn, determine if the relationship established for healthy vegetation changes under nitrogen (N) deficiency. To obtain generally applicable results, experimental measurements were conducted on unrelated crop and tree species (corn, soybean and maple) under controlled conditions and a gradient of inorganic N fertilization levels. Optical reflectance spectra and actively induced ChlF emissions were collected on the same foliar samples, in conjunction with measurements of photosynthetic function, pigment levels, and carbon (C) and N content. The spectral trends were examined for similarities. On average, 10-20% of Ra at 685 nm was actually due to ChlF. The spectral trends in steady state and maximum fluorescence varied significantly, with steady state fluorescence (especially red, 685 nm) showing higher ability for species and treatment separation. The relative contribution of ChlF to Ra varied significantly among species, with maple

Non-conventional use of vegetable oils: Possibilities and prospects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pellizzi, G.

1992-01-01

This paper examines the feasibility, relative to the specific capabilities of the Italian agricultural industry, of the production of biomass fuels and lubricating oils. A comparative cost benefit analysis is made to determine the technical and economic convenience of the production of grain or vegetable oil derived biomass for direct use as lubricants, fuel oils or for conversion into ethanol fuels. The suitability of different types of engines is examined for the direct combustion of vegetable oils and for the combustion of ethanol fuels. The study also has a look at what should be the suitable mix of Italian Government agricultural, environmental and fiscal strategies to support and encourage the production and use of industrial vegetable fuel oils and lubricants

Environmental variation, vegetation distribution, carbon dynamics and water/energy exchange at high latitudes

Science.gov (United States)

McGuire, A.D.; Wirth, C.; Apps, M.; Beringer, J.; Clein, J.; Epstein, H.; Kicklighter, D.W.; Bhatti, J.; Chapin, F. S.; De Groot, B.; Efremov, D.; Eugster, W.; Fukuda, M.; Gower, T.; Hinzman, L.; Huntley, B.; Jia, G.J.; Kasischke, E.; Melillo, J.; Romanovsky, V.; Shvidenko, A.; Vaganov, E.; Walker, D.

2002-01-01

The responses of high latitude ecosystems to global change involve complex interactions among environmental variables, vegetation distribution, carbon dynamics, and water and energy exchange. These responses may have important consequences for the earth system. In this study, we evaluated how vegetation distribution, carbon stocks and turnover, and water and energy exchange are related to environmental variation spanned by the network of the IGBP high latitude transects. While the most notable feature of the high latitude transects is that they generally span temperature gradients from southern to northern latitudes, there are substantial differences in temperature among the transects. Also, along each transect temperature co-varies with precipitation and photosynthetically active radiation, which are also variable among the transects. Both climate and disturbance interact to influence latitudinal patterns of vegetation and soil carbon storage among the transects, and vegetation distribution appears to interact with climate to determine exchanges of heat and moisture in high latitudes. Despite limitations imposed by the data we assembled, the analyses in this study have taken an important step toward clarifying the complexity of interactions among environmental variables, vegetation distribution, carbon stocks and turnover, and water and energy exchange in high latitude regions. This study reveals the need to conduct coordinated global change studies in high latitudes to further elucidate how interactions among climate, disturbance, and vegetation distribution influence carbon dynamics and water and energy exchange in high latitudes.

Validation of photosynthetic-fluorescence parameters as biomarkers for isoproturon toxic effect on alga Scenedesmus obliquus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dewez, David; Didur, Olivier; Vincent-Heroux, Jonathan; Popovic, Radovan

2008-01-01

Photosynthetic-fluorescence parameters were investigated to be used as valid biomarkers of toxicity when alga Scenedesmus obliquus was exposed to isoproturon [3-(4-isopropylphenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea] effect. Chlorophyll fluorescence induction of algal cells treated with isoproturon showed inactivation of photosystem II (PSII) reaction centers and strong inhibition of PSII electron transport. A linear correlation was found (R 2 ≥ 0.861) between the change of cells density affected by isoproturon and the change of effective PSII quantum yield (Φ M' ), photochemical quenching (q P ) and relative photochemical quenching (q P(rel) ) values. The cells density was also linearly dependent (R 2 = 0.838) on the relative unquenched fluorescence parameter (UQF (rel) ). Non-linear correlation was found (R 2 = 0.937) only between cells density and the energy transfer efficiency from absorbed light to PSII reaction center (ABS/RC). The order of sensitivity determined by the EC-50% was: UQF (rel) > Φ M' > q P > q P(rel) > ABS/RC. Correlations between cells density and those photosynthetic-fluorescence parameters provide supporting evidence to use them as biomarkers of toxicity for environmental pollutants. - Photosynthetic-fluorescence parameters are reliable biomarkers of isoproturon toxicity

Analyzing the non-stationary space relationship of a city's degree of vegetation and social economic conditions in Shanghai, China using OLS and GWR models

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Kejing; Zhang, Yuan; An, Youzhi; Jing, Zhuoxin; Wang, Chao

2013-09-01

With the fast urbanization process, how does the vegetation environment change in one of the most economically developed metropolis, Shanghai in East China? To answer this question, there is a pressing demand to explore the non-stationary relationship between socio-economic conditions and vegetation across Shanghai. In this study, environmental data on vegetation cover, the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) derived from MODIS imagery in 2003 were integrated with socio-economic data to reflect the city's vegetative conditions at the census block group level. To explore regional variations in the relationship of vegetation and socio-economic conditions, Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) models were applied to characterize mean NDVI against three independent socio-economic variables, an urban land use ratio, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and population density. The study results show that a considerable distinctive spatial variation exists in the relationship for each model. The GWR model has superior effects and higher precision than the OLS model at the census block group scale. So, it is more suitable to account for local effects and geographical variations. This study also indicates that unreasonable excessive urbanization, together with non-sustainable economic development, has a negative influence of vegetation vigor for some neighborhoods in Shanghai.

Revealing Linear Aggregates of Light Harvesting Antenna Proteins in Photosynthetic Membranes

OpenAIRE

He, Yufan; Zeng, Xiaohua; Mukherjee, Saptarshi; Rajapaksha, Suneth; Kaplan, Samuel; Lu, H. Peter

2010-01-01

How light energy is harvested in a natural photosynthetic membrane through energy transfer is closely related to the stoichiometry and arrangement of light harvesting antenna proteins in the membrane. The specific photosynthetic architecture facilitates a rapid and efficient energy transfer among the light harvesting proteins (LH2 and LH1) and to the reaction center. Here we report the identification of linear aggregates of light harvesting proteins, LH2, in the photosynthetic membranes under...

Improving availability, promotion and purchase of fruit and vegetable and non sugar-sweetened drink products at community sporting clubs: a randomised trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Wolfenden, Luke; Kingsland, Melanie; Rowland, Bosco C; Dodds, Pennie; Gillham, Karen; Yoong, Sze Lin; Sidey, Maree; Wiggers, John

2015-03-10

Amateur sporting clubs represent an attractive setting for health promotion. This study assesses the impact of a multi-component intervention on the availability, promotion and purchase of fruit and vegetable and non sugar -sweetened drink products from community sporting club canteens. We also assessed the impact the intervention on sporting club revenue from the sale of food and beverages. A repeat cross-sectional, parallel group, cluster randomized controlled trial was undertaken with amateur community football clubs in New South Wales, Australia. The intervention was conducted over 2.5 winter sporting seasons and sought to improve the availability and promotion of fruit and vegetables and non sugar-sweetened drinks in sporting club canteens. Trial outcomes were assessed via telephone surveys of sporting club representatives and members. Eighty five sporting clubs and 1143 club members participated in the study. Relative to the control group, at follow-up, clubs allocated to the intervention were significantly more likely to have fruit and vegetable products available at the club canteen (OR = 5.13; 95% CI 1.70-15.38), were more likely to promote fruit and vegetable selection using reduced pricing and meal deals (OR = 34.48; 95% CI 4.18-250.00) and members of intervention clubs were more likely to report purchase of fruit and vegetable (OR = 2.58 95% CI; 1.08-6.18) and non sugar -sweetened drink (OR = 1.56; 95% CI 1.09-2.25) products. There was no significant difference between groups in the annual club revenue from food and non-alcoholic beverage sales. The findings demonstrate that the intervention can improve the nutrition environment of sporting clubs and the purchasing behaviour of members. Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: ACTRN12609000224224 .

Surface charges and Np(V) sorption on amorphous Al- and Fe- silicates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Del Nero, M.; Assada, A.; Barillon, R.; Duplatre, G.; Made, B.

2005-01-01

Full text of publication follows: Sorption onto Si-rich alteration layers of crystalline minerals and nuclear glasses, and onto amorphous secondary silicates of rocks and soils, are expected to retard the migration of actinides in the near- and far-field of HLW repositories. We present experimental and modeling studies on the effects of silicate structure and bulk chemistry, and of solution chemistry, on charges and adsorption of neptunyl ions at surfaces of synthetic, amorphous or poorly ordered silica, Al-silicates and Fe-silicates. The Al-silicates display similar pH-dependent surface charges characterized by predominant Si-O - Si sites, and similar surface affinities for neptunyl ions, irrespective to their Si/Al molar ratio (varying from 10 to 4.3). Such experimental features are explained by incorporation of Al atoms in tetrahedral position in the silicate lattice, leading to only trace amounts of high-affinity Al-OH surface groups due to octahedral Al. By contrast, the structure of the Fe-silicates ensures the occurrence of high-affinity Fe-OH surface groups, whose concentration is shown by proton adsorption measurements to increase with decreasing of the silicate Si/Fe molar ratio (from 10 to 2.3). Nevertheless, experimental data of the adsorption of neptunyl and electrolyte ions show unexpectedly weak effect of the Si/Fe ratio, and suggest predominant Si-OH surface groups. A possible explanation is that aqueous silicate anions, released by dissolution, adsorb at OH Fe - surface groups and / or precipitate as silica gel coatings, because experimental solutions were found at near-equilibrium with respect to amorphous silica. Therefore, the environmental sorption of Np(V) onto Si-rich, amorphous or poorly ordered Al-silicates may primarily depend on pH and silicate specific surface areas, given the low overall chemical affinity of such phases for dissolved metals. By contrast, the sorption of Np(V) on natural, amorphous or poorly ordered Fe-silicates may be a

Fruit and vegetable consumption and prevalence of diet-related chronic non-communicable diseases in Zanzibar, Tanzania: a mixed-methods study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dræbel, Tania Aase; Keller, Amélie; de Courten, Max

2012-01-01

of fruit and vegetables is associated with NCDs. In Zanzibar, the incidence of diabetes has increased from 252 new cases in 2006, to 373 in 2008, in an adult population of just over a million people and hypertension is the second commonest cause of death. We explored the association between fruit......Background Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of death in developed countries and account for roughly a third of deaths in developing countries. According to the 2004 Food and Agricultural Organization and WHO joint report on fruit and vegetables for health, low consumption...... and vegetable consumption and prevalence of diet-related NCDs in Zanzibar....

Investigation of the non-photochemical processes in photosynthetic bacteria and higher plants using interference of coherent radiation - a new approach

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Roháček, Karel; Kloz, M.; Bína, David; Batysta, F.; Vácha, František

2007-01-01

Roč. 91, 2-3 (2007), s. 301 ISSN 0166-8595. [International Congress of Photosynthesis/14./. 22.07.2007-27.07.2007, Glasgow] Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50510513 Keywords : photosynthetic bacteria Subject RIV: CE - Biochemistry

Ecophysiological Remote Sensing of Leaf-Canopy Photosynthetic Characteristics in a Cool-Temperate Deciduous Forest in Japan

Science.gov (United States)

Noda, H. M.; Muraoka, H.

2014-12-01

Satellite remote sensing of structure and function of canopy is crucial to detect temporal and spatial distributions of forest ecosystems dynamics in changing environments. The spectral reflectance of the canopy is determined by optical properties (spectral reflectance and transmittance) of single leaves and their spatial arrangements in the canopy. The optical properties of leaves reflect their pigments contents and anatomical structures. Thus detailed information and understandings of the consequence between ecophysiological traits and optical properties from single leaf to canopy level are essential for remote sensing of canopy ecophysiology. To develop the ecophysiological remote sensing of forest canopy, we have been promoting multiple and cross-scale measurements in "Takayama site" belonging to AsiaFlux and JaLTER networks, located in a cool-temperate deciduous broadleaf forest on a mountainous landscape in Japan. In this forest, in situ measurement of canopy spectral reflectance has been conducted continuously by a spectroradiometer as part of the "Phenological Eyes Network (PEN)" since 2004. To analyze the canopy spectral reflectance from leaf ecophysiological viewpoints, leaf mass per area, nitrogen content, chlorophyll contents, photosynthetic capacities and the optical properties have been measured for dominant canopy tree species Quercus crispla and Betula ermanii throughout the seasons for multiple years.Photosynthetic capacity was largely correlated with chlorophyll contents throughout the growing season in both Q. crispla and B. ermanii. In these leaves, the reflectance at "red edge" (710 nm) changed by corresponding to the changes of chlorophyll contents throughout the seasons. Our canopy-level examination showed that vegetation indices obtained by red edge reflectance have linear relationship with leaf chlorophyll contents and photosynthetic capacity. Finally we apply this knowledge to the Rapid Eye satellite imagery around Takayama site to scale

Histone Acetylation Modifications Affect Tissue-Dependent Expression of Poplar Homologs of C4 Photosynthetic Enzyme Genes

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Yuan Li

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Histone modifications play important roles in regulating the expression of C4 photosynthetic genes. Given that all enzymes required for the C4 photosynthesis pathway are present in C3 plants, it has been hypothesized that this expression regulatory mechanism has been conserved. However, the relationship between histone modification and the expression of homologs of C4 photosynthetic enzyme genes has not been well determined in C3 plants. In the present study, we cloned nine hybrid poplar (Populus simonii × Populus nigra homologs of maize (Zea mays C4 photosynthetic enzyme genes, carbonic anhydrase (CA, pyruvate orthophosphate dikinase (PPDK, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PCK, and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC, and investigated the correlation between the expression levels of these genes and the levels of promoter histone acetylation modifications in four vegetative tissues. We found that poplar homologs of C4 homologous genes had tissue-dependent expression patterns that were mostly well-correlated with the level of histone acetylation modification (H3K9ac and H4K5ac determined by chromatin immunoprecipitation assays. Treatment with the histone deacetylase inhibitor trichostatin A further confirmed the role of histone acetylation in the regulation of the nine target genes. Collectively, these results suggest that both H3K9ac and H4K5ac positively regulate the tissue-dependent expression pattern of the PsnCAs, PsnPPDKs, PsnPCKs, and PsnPEPCs genes and that this regulatory mechanism seems to be conserved among the C3 and C4 species. Our findings provide new insight that will aid efforts to modify the expression pattern of these homologs of C4 genes to engineer C4 plants from C3 plants.

Potential for water salvage by removal of non-native woody vegetation from dryland river systems

Science.gov (United States)

Doody, T.M.; Nagler, P.L.; Glenn, E.P.; Moore, G.W.; Morino, K.; Hultine, K.R.; Benyon, R.G.

2011-01-01

Globally, expansion of non-native woody vegetation across floodplains has raised concern of increased evapotranspiration (ET) water loss with consequent reduced river flows and groundwater supplies. Water salvage programs, established to meet water supply demands by removing introduced species, show little documented evidence of program effectiveness. We use two case studies in the USA and Australia to illustrate factors that contribute to water salvage feasibility for a given ecological setting. In the USA, saltcedar (Tamarix spp.) has become widespread on western rivers, with water salvage programs attempted over a 50-year period. Some studies document riparian transpiration or ET reduction after saltcedar removal, but detectable increases in river base flow are not conclusively shown. Furthermore, measurements of riparian vegetation ET in natural settings show saltcedar ET overlaps the range measured for native riparian species, thereby constraining the possibility of water salvage by replacing saltcedar with native vegetation. In Australia, introduced willows (Salix spp.) have become widespread in riparian systems in the Murray-Darling Basin. Although large-scale removal projects have been undertaken, no attempts have been made to quantify increases in base flows. Recent studies of ET indicate that willows growing in permanently inundated stream beds have high transpiration rates, indicating water savings could be achieved from removal. In contrast, native Eucalyptus trees and willows growing on stream banks show similar ET rates with no net water salvage from replacing willows with native trees. We conclude that water salvage feasibility is highly dependent on the ecohydrological setting in which the non-native trees occur. We provide an overview of conditions favorable to water salvage. Copyright ?? 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The effect of nitrogen on the development and photosynthetic activity ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Whole plant net photosynthetic rates appeared to vary according to the units in which the activity is expressed. The optimum levels of photosynthetic activity differed with the stage of development, depending on the basis of expression. The form and concentration of nitrogen applied influenced morphological development ...

Evaluation of Protocols for Measuring Leaf Photosynthetic Properties of Field-Grown Rice

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Chang Tian-gen

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Largely due to the heterogeneity of environmental parameters and the logistical difficulty of moving photosynthetic equipment in the paddy fields, effective measurement of lowland rice photosynthesis is still a challenge. In this study, we showed that measuring detached rice leaves in the laboratory can not effectively represent the parameters measured in situ. We further described a new indoor facility, high-efficiency all-weather photosynthetic measurement system (HAPS, and the associated measurement protocol to enable whole-weather measurement of photosynthetic parameters of rice grown in the paddy fields. Using HAPS, we can conduct photosynthetic measurements with a time span much longer than that appropriate for the outdoor measurements. Comparative study shows that photosynthetic parameters obtained with the new protocol can effectively represent the parameters in the fields. There was much less standard deviation for measurements using HAPS compared to the outdoor measurements, no matter for technical replications of each recording or for biological replications of each leaf position. This new facility and protocol enables rice photosynthetic physiology studies to be less tough but more efficient, and provides a potential option for large scale studies of rice leaf photosynthesis.

Production of recombinant Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus in silkworm by intrahaemocoelic injection with invasive diaminopimelate auxotrophic Escherichia coli containing BmNPV-Bacmid.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Jingchen; Yao, Lunguang; Yao, Ning; Xu, Hua; Jin, Pengfei; Kan, Yunchao

2010-12-01

The present study elaborates a cost-effective and transfectant-free method for generating recombinant Bombyx mori (silkworm) nucleopolyhedrovirus in silkworm larvae and pupae by injecting invasive Escherichia coli carrying BmBacmid [BmNPV (B. mori nucleopolyhedrovirus)-Bacmid] into larval haemocoel. Up to 109 PFU (plaque-forming units)/ml of infective recombinant baculovirus was generated in the silkworm by intrahaemocoelic injection with 106 DAP (diaminopimelic acid) auxotrophic and BmBacmid containing E. coli cells expressing both invasin and listeriolysin. Thus 1 ml of overnight culture of E. coli is sufficient to inject more than 2000 larvae, while DAP costing up to $1 is enough to inject about 4000 larvae. Recombinant proteins can be controlled to be expressed mainly in pupae by adjusting the injection dose, too. In this new method, many original manipulations have been eliminated, including BmBacmid preparation and the subsequent complex transfection procedures. Hence it is a time- and cost-saving means for large-scale injection of B. mori for recombinant baculovirus production in comparison with the traditional transfection methods, which may play an important role in the industrial development of the BmNPV-silkworm bioreactor.

Lettuce irrigated with contaminated water: Photosynthetic effects, antioxidative response and bioaccumulation of microcystin congeners.

Science.gov (United States)

Bittencourt-Oliveira, Maria do Carmo; Cordeiro-Araújo, Micheline Kézia; Chia, Mathias Ahii; Arruda-Neto, João Dias de Toledo; de Oliveira, Ênio Tiago; dos Santos, Flávio

2016-06-01

The use of microcystins (MCs) contaminated water to irrigate crop plants represents a human health risk due to their bioaccumulation potential. In addition, MCs cause oxidative stress and negatively influence photosynthetic activities in plants. The present study was aimed at investigating the effect of MCs on photosynthetic parameters and antioxidative response of lettuce. Furthermore, the bioaccumulation factor (BAF) of total MCs, MC-LR and MC-RR in the vegetable after irrigation with contaminated water was determined. Lettuce crops were irrigated for 15 days with water containing cyanobacterial crude extracts (Microcystis aeruginosa) with MC-LR (0.0, 0.5, 2.0, 5.0 and 10.0 µg L(-1)), MC-RR (0.0, 0.15, 0.5, 1.5 and 3.0 µg L(-1)) and total MCs (0.0, 0.65, 2.5, 6.5 and 13.0 µg L(-1)). Increased net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, leaf tissue transpiration and intercellular CO2 concentration were recorded in lettuce exposed to different MCs concentrations. Antioxidant response showed that glutathione S-transferase activity was down-regulated in the presence of MCs. On the other hand, superoxide dismutase, catalase and peroxidase activities were upregulated with increasing MCs concentrations. The bioaccumulation factor (BAF) of total MCs and MC-LR was highest at 6.50 and 5.00 µg L(-1), respectively, while for MC-RR, the highest BAF was recorded at 1.50 µg L(-1) concentration. The amount of total MCs, MC-LR and MC-RR bioacumulated in lettuce was highest at the highest exposure concentrations. However, at the lowest exposure concentration, there were no detectable levels of MC-LR, MC-RR and total MCs in lettuce. Thus, the bioaccumulation of MCs in lettuce varies according to the exposure concentration. In addition, the extent of physiological response of lettuce to the toxins relies on exposure concentrations. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Special issue of photosynthetic research

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Okamura, M.; Wraight, C.A.; van Grondelle, R.

2014-01-01

This Special Issue of Photosynthesis Research honors Louis M. N. Duysens, Roderick K. Clayton, and George Feher, three pioneering researchers whose work on bacterial photosynthesis laid much of the groundwork for our understanding of the role of the reaction center in photosynthetic light energy

Ultrafast fluorescence of photosynthetic crystals and light-harvesting complexes

OpenAIRE

Oort, van, B.F.

2008-01-01

This thesis focuses on the study of photosynthetic pigment protein complexes using time resolved fluorescence techniques. Fluorescence spectroscopy often requires attaching fluorescent labels to the proteins under investigation. With photosynthetic proteins this is not necessary, because these proteins contain fluorescent pigments. Each pigment’s fluorescence is influenced by its environment, and thereby may provide information on structure and dynamics of pigment protein complexes in vitro a...

APLIKASI NPV AT RISK DALAM ANALISIS KELAYAKAN FINANSIAL BUDIDAYA JAMUR TIRAM PUTIH DI KABUPATEN BOGOR JAWA BARAT

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Tintin Sarianti

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} The purpose of this study where to analyze white oyster mushroom farming activity in Sub-Province of Bogor, to analyze financial feasibility of  white oyster mushroom farming activity for high and low land in Sub-Province of Bogor by NPV at Risk Method and to analyze the switching value for the changes of cost and benefit in  white oyster mushroom farming activity.  The data were collected from 6 farmer living in high and low land in Sub-Province of Bogor. The NPV at risk model and switching value analysis were used to analyze tha data.  The result of the study showed that white oyster mushroom farming activity for high and low land in Sub-Province of Bogor were feasible by financial that considered by investors in selecting the location to act the white oyster mushroom farming.  The risks like price risk, production risk in that activity have accomodated in to cash flow.  Accomodation for price risk was used the inflation rate and for production risk was used estimation for failure of crop in white oyster mushroom farming activity according the farmers in location.  Switching value was used for to analyze maximum changes in cost and benefit which were developing the cash flow.  The maximum changes describes that the changes admit of tolerated.  The result for switching value analysis showed that the decreasing of production of white oyster mushroom (fresh and baglog more sensitive than the others (decreasing of fresh white oyster mushroom price and increasing of varible

Nigerian women reap benefits from indigenous vegetables | IDRC ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

2016-06-06

Jun 6, 2016 ... Demand for fresh indigenous vegetables in Nigeria has increased ... greater returns from indigenous vegetables compared to conventional vegetables. ... In Kolli Hills, Tamil Nadu, monocropping of a single, non-edible variety ...

Validation of photosynthetic-fluorescence parameters as biomarkers for isoproturon toxic effect on alga Scenedesmus obliquus

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dewez, David; Didur, Olivier; Vincent-Heroux, Jonathan [University of Quebec in Montreal, Department of Chemistry, Environmental Toxicology Research Center - TOXEN, 2101, Jeanne-Mance, Montreal, Quebec H2X 2J6 (Canada); Popovic, Radovan [University of Quebec in Montreal, Department of Chemistry, Environmental Toxicology Research Center - TOXEN, 2101, Jeanne-Mance, Montreal, Quebec H2X 2J6 (Canada)], E-mail: popovic.radovan@uqam.ca

2008-01-15

Photosynthetic-fluorescence parameters were investigated to be used as valid biomarkers of toxicity when alga Scenedesmus obliquus was exposed to isoproturon [3-(4-isopropylphenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea] effect. Chlorophyll fluorescence induction of algal cells treated with isoproturon showed inactivation of photosystem II (PSII) reaction centers and strong inhibition of PSII electron transport. A linear correlation was found (R{sup 2} {>=} 0.861) between the change of cells density affected by isoproturon and the change of effective PSII quantum yield ({phi}{sub M'}), photochemical quenching (q{sub P}) and relative photochemical quenching (q{sub P(rel)}) values. The cells density was also linearly dependent (R{sup 2} = 0.838) on the relative unquenched fluorescence parameter (UQF{sub (rel)}). Non-linear correlation was found (R{sup 2} = 0.937) only between cells density and the energy transfer efficiency from absorbed light to PSII reaction center (ABS/RC). The order of sensitivity determined by the EC-50% was: UQF{sub (rel)} > {phi}{sub M'} > q{sub P} > q{sub P(rel)} > ABS/RC. Correlations between cells density and those photosynthetic-fluorescence parameters provide supporting evidence to use them as biomarkers of toxicity for environmental pollutants. - Photosynthetic-fluorescence parameters are reliable biomarkers of isoproturon toxicity.

Photosynthetic limitation and mechanisms of photoprotection under drought and recovery of Calotropis procera, an evergreen C3 from arid regions.

Science.gov (United States)

Rivas, Rebeca; Frosi, Gabriella; Ramos, Diego G; Pereira, Silvia; Benko-Iseppon, Ana M; Santos, Mauro G

2017-09-01

Calotropis procera is a C 3 plant native from arid environmental zones. It is an evergreen, shrubby, non-woody plant with intense photosynthetic metabolism during the dry season. We measured photosynthetic parameters and leaf biochemical traits, such as gas exchange, photochemical parameters, A/C i analysis, organic solutes, and antioxidant enzymes under controlled conditions in potted plants during drought stress, and following recovery conditions to obtain a better insight in the drought stress responses of C. procera. Indeed, different processes contribute to the drought stress resilience of C. procera and to the fast recovery after rehydration. The parameters analyzed showed that C. procera has a high efficiency for energy dissipation. The photosynthetic machinery is protected by a robust antioxidant system and photoprotective mechanisms such as alternative pathways for electrons (photorespiration and day respiration). Under severe drought stress, increased stomatal limitation and decreased biochemical limitation permitted C. procera to maintain maximum rate of Rubisco carboxylation (V c,max ) and photosynthetic rate (A max ). On the other hand, limitation of stomatal or mesophyll CO 2 diffusion did not impair fast recovery, maintaining V c,max , chloroplast CO 2 concentration (C c ) and mesophyll conductance (g m ) unchanged while electron flow used for RuBP carboxylation (J c ) and A max increased. The ability to tolerate drought stress and the fast recovery of this evergreen C 3 species was also due to leaf anti-oxidative stress enzyme activity, and photosynthetic pigments. Thus, these different drought tolerance mechanisms allowed high performance of photosynthetic metabolism by drought stressed plants during the re-watering period. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Phytochromes in photosynthetically competent plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pratt, L.H.

1990-07-01

Plants utilize light as a source of information in photomorphogenesis and of free energy in photosynthesis, two processes that are interrelated in that the former serves to increase the efficiency with which plants can perform the latter. Only one pigment involved in photomorphogenesis has been identified unequivocally, namely phytochrome. The thrust of this proposal is to investigate this pigment and its mode(s) of action in photosynthetically competent plants. Our long term objective is to characterize phytochrome and its functions in photosynthetically competent plants from molecular, biochemical and cellular perspectives. It is anticipated that others will continue to contribute indirectly to these efforts at the physiological level. The ultimate goal will be to develop this information from a comparative perspective in order to learn whether the different phytochromes have significantly different physicochemical properties, whether they fulfill independent functions and if so what these different functions are, and how each of the different phytochromes acts at primary molecular and cellular levels.

Influence of intra-pigment vibrations on dynamics of photosynthetic exciton.

Science.gov (United States)

Sato, Yoshihiro; Doolittle, Brian

2014-11-14

We have numerically investigated the effect of an underdamped intra-pigment vibrational mode on an exciton's quantum coherence and energy transfer efficiency. Our model describes a bacteriochlorophyll a pigment-protein dimer under the conditions at which photosynthetic energy transfer occurs. The dimer is modeled using a theoretical treatment of a vibronic exciton, and its dynamics are numerically analyzed using a non-Markovian and non-perturbative method. We examined the system's response to various values of the Huang-Rhys factor, site energy difference, reorganization energy, and reorganization energy difference. We found that the inclusion of the intra-pigment vibronic mode allows for long-lived oscillatory quantum coherences to occur. This excitonic coherence is robust against static site-energy disorder. The vibrational mode also promotes exciton transfer along the site-energy landscape thus improving the overall energy transfer efficiency.

Influence of intra-pigment vibrations on dynamics of photosynthetic exciton

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sato, Yoshihiro; Doolittle, Brian

2014-01-01

We have numerically investigated the effect of an underdamped intra-pigment vibrational mode on an exciton's quantum coherence and energy transfer efficiency. Our model describes a bacteriochlorophyll a pigment-protein dimer under the conditions at which photosynthetic energy transfer occurs. The dimer is modeled using a theoretical treatment of a vibronic exciton, and its dynamics are numerically analyzed using a non-Markovian and non-perturbative method. We examined the system's response to various values of the Huang-Rhys factor, site energy difference, reorganization energy, and reorganization energy difference. We found that the inclusion of the intra-pigment vibronic mode allows for long-lived oscillatory quantum coherences to occur. This excitonic coherence is robust against static site-energy disorder. The vibrational mode also promotes exciton transfer along the site-energy landscape thus improving the overall energy transfer efficiency

Influence of intra-pigment vibrations on dynamics of photosynthetic exciton

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sato, Yoshihiro, E-mail: sato.yoshihiro77@nihon-u.ac.jp, E-mail: ysato.colby@gmail.com; Doolittle, Brian [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Colby College, Waterville, Maine 04901 (United States)

2014-11-14

We have numerically investigated the effect of an underdamped intra-pigment vibrational mode on an exciton's quantum coherence and energy transfer efficiency. Our model describes a bacteriochlorophyll a pigment-protein dimer under the conditions at which photosynthetic energy transfer occurs. The dimer is modeled using a theoretical treatment of a vibronic exciton, and its dynamics are numerically analyzed using a non-Markovian and non-perturbative method. We examined the system's response to various values of the Huang-Rhys factor, site energy difference, reorganization energy, and reorganization energy difference. We found that the inclusion of the intra-pigment vibronic mode allows for long-lived oscillatory quantum coherences to occur. This excitonic coherence is robust against static site-energy disorder. The vibrational mode also promotes exciton transfer along the site-energy landscape thus improving the overall energy transfer efficiency.

Photosynthetic properties of erect leaf maize inbred lines as the efficient photo-model in breeding and seed production

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Radenović Čedomir N.

2003-01-01

Full Text Available The initial idea of this study was a hypothesis that erect leaf maize inbred lines were characterized by properties of an efficient photo-model and that as such were very desirable in increasing the number of plants per area unit (plant density in the process of contemporary selection and seed production. The application of a non-invasive bioluminescence-photosynthetic method, suitable for the efficiency estimation of the photo-model, verified the hypothesis. Obtained photosynthetic properties of observed erect leaf maize inbred lines were based on the effects and characteristics of thermal processes of delayed chlorophyll fluorescence occurring in their thylakoid membranes. The temperature dependence of the delayed chlorophyll fluorescence intensity phase transitions (critical temperatures in the thylakoid membranes and activation energy are the principal parameters of the thermal processes. Based on obtained photosynthetic properties it is possible to select erect leaf maize inbred lines that are resistant and tolerant to high and very high temperatures, as well as, to drought. They could be good and efficient photo-models wherewith.

Photosynthetic response to globally increasing CO2 of co-occurring temperate seagrass species.

Science.gov (United States)

Borum, Jens; Pedersen, Ole; Kotula, Lukasz; Fraser, Matthew W; Statton, John; Colmer, Timothy D; Kendrick, Gary A

2016-06-01

Photosynthesis of most seagrass species seems to be limited by present concentrations of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC). Therefore, the ongoing increase in atmospheric CO2 could enhance seagrass photosynthesis and internal O2 supply, and potentially change species competition through differential responses to increasing CO2 availability among species. We used short-term photosynthetic responses of nine seagrass species from the south-west of Australia to test species-specific responses to enhanced CO2 and changes in HCO3 (-) . Net photosynthesis of all species except Zostera polychlamys were limited at pre-industrial compared to saturating CO2 levels at light saturation, suggesting that enhanced CO2 availability will enhance seagrass performance. Seven out of the nine species were efficient HCO3 (-) users through acidification of diffusive boundary layers, production of extracellular carbonic anhydrase, or uptake and internal conversion of HCO3 (-) . Species responded differently to near saturating CO2 implying that increasing atmospheric CO2 may change competition among seagrass species if co-occurring in mixed beds. Increasing CO2 availability also enhanced internal aeration in the one species assessed. We expect that future increases in atmospheric CO2 will have the strongest impact on seagrass recruits and sparsely vegetated beds, because densely vegetated seagrass beds are most often limited by light and not by inorganic carbon. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Photosynthetic Pigments in Diatoms.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuczynska, Paulina; Jemiola-Rzeminska, Malgorzata; Strzalka, Kazimierz

2015-09-16

Photosynthetic pigments are bioactive compounds of great importance for the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries. They are not only responsible for capturing solar energy to carry out photosynthesis, but also play a role in photoprotective processes and display antioxidant activity, all of which contribute to effective biomass and oxygen production. Diatoms are organisms of a distinct pigment composition, substantially different from that present in plants. Apart from light-harvesting pigments such as chlorophyll a, chlorophyll c, and fucoxanthin, there is a group of photoprotective carotenoids which includes β-carotene and the xanthophylls, diatoxanthin, diadinoxanthin, violaxanthin, antheraxanthin, and zeaxanthin, which are engaged in the xanthophyll cycle. Additionally, some intermediate products of biosynthetic pathways have been identified in diatoms as well as unusual pigments, e.g., marennine. Marine algae have become widely recognized as a source of unique bioactive compounds for potential industrial, pharmaceutical, and medical applications. In this review, we summarize current knowledge on diatom photosynthetic pigments complemented by some new insights regarding their physico-chemical properties, biological role, and biosynthetic pathways, as well as the regulation of pigment level in the cell, methods of purification, and significance in industries.

Photosynthetic Pigments in Diatoms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paulina Kuczynska

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Photosynthetic pigments are bioactive compounds of great importance for the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries. They are not only responsible for capturing solar energy to carry out photosynthesis, but also play a role in photoprotective processes and display antioxidant activity, all of which contribute to effective biomass and oxygen production. Diatoms are organisms of a distinct pigment composition, substantially different from that present in plants. Apart from light-harvesting pigments such as chlorophyll a, chlorophyll c, and fucoxanthin, there is a group of photoprotective carotenoids which includes β-carotene and the xanthophylls, diatoxanthin, diadinoxanthin, violaxanthin, antheraxanthin, and zeaxanthin, which are engaged in the xanthophyll cycle. Additionally, some intermediate products of biosynthetic pathways have been identified in diatoms as well as unusual pigments, e.g., marennine. Marine algae have become widely recognized as a source of unique bioactive compounds for potential industrial, pharmaceutical, and medical applications. In this review, we summarize current knowledge on diatom photosynthetic pigments complemented by some new insights regarding their physico-chemical properties, biological role, and biosynthetic pathways, as well as the regulation of pigment level in the cell, methods of purification, and significance in industries.

Novel adaptive photosynthetic characteristics of mesophotic symbiotic microalgae within the reef-building coral, Stylophora pistillata

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shai Einbinder

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Photosynthetic coral reef structures extend from the shallow sundrenched waters to the dimly lit, twilight mesophotic depths. For their resident endosymbiotic dinoflagellates, primarily from the genus Symbiodinium spp., this represents a photic environment that varies ~15 fold in intensity and also differs in spectral composition. We examined photosynthesis in the scleractinian coral Stylophora pistillata in shallow (3 m and mesophotic settings (65m in the northern Red Sea. Symbiodinium spp. in corals originating from the mesophotic environment consistently performed below their photosynthetic compensation point and also exhibited distinct light harvesting antenna organization. In addition, the non-photochemical quenching activity of Symbiodinium spp. from mesophotic corals was shown to be considerably lower than those found in shallow corals, showing they have fewer defenses to high-light settings. Over a period of almost four years, we extensively utilized closed circuit Trimix rebreather diving to perform the study. Phylogenetic analysis showed that shallow corals (3m transplanted to a deep reef environment (65 m maintained their initial Symbiodinium spp. community (clade A, rather than taking on deep low-light clades (clade C, demonstrating that shallow S. pistillata acclimate to low-light mesophotic environments while maintaining their shallow photosynthetic traits. Mesophotic corals exhibited static depth-related chlorophyll content per cell, a decrease in PSI activity and enhanced sigmoidal fluorescence rise kinetics. The sigmoidal fluorescence rise kinetics we observed in mesophotic corals is an indication of energy transfer between photosynthetic units. We postulate that at mesophotic depths, a community of adapted Symbiodinium spp. utilize a unique adaptation to lower light conditions by shifting their light harvesting to a PSII based system, where PSII is structured near PSI, with additional PCP soluble antenna also trapping light

[Engineering photosynthetic cyanobacterial chassis: a review].

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Qin; Chen, Lei; Wang, Jiangxin; Zhang, Weiwen

2013-08-01

Photosynthetic cyanobacteria possess a series of good properties, such as their abilities to capture solar energy for CO2 fixation, low nutritional requirements for growth, high growth rate, and relatively simple genetic background. Due to the high oil price and increased concern of the global warming in recent years, cyanobacteria have attracted widespread attention because they can serve as an 'autotrophic microbial factory' for producing renewable biofuels and fine chemicals directly from CO2. Particularly, significant progress has been made in applying synthetic biology techniques and strategies to construct and optimize cyanobacteria chassis. In this article, we critically summarized recent advances in developing new methods to optimize cyanobacteria chassis, improving cyanobacteria photosynthetic efficiency, and in constructing cyanobacteria chassis tolerant to products or environmental stresses. In addition, various industrial applications of cyanobacteria chassis are also discussed.

Effect of Photosynthetic Photon Flux Density on Carboxylation Efficiency 1

Science.gov (United States)

Weber, James A.; Tenhunen, John D.; Gates, David M.; Lange, Otto L.

1987-01-01

The effect of photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) on photosynthetic response (A) to CO2 partial pressures between 35 pascals and CO2 compensation point (Γ) was investigated, especially below PPFD saturation. Spinacia oleracea cv `Atlanta,' Glycine max cv `Clark,' and Arbutus unedo were studied in detail. The initial slope of the photosynthetic response to CO2 (∂A/∂C[Γ]) was constant above a PPFD of about 500 to 600 micromoles per square meter per second for all three species; but declined rapidly with PPFD below this critical level. For Γ there was also a critical PPFD (approximately 200 micromoles per square meter per second for S. oleracea and G. max; 100 for A. unedo) above which Γ was essentially constant, but below which Γ increased with decreasing PPFD. All three species showed a dependence of ∂A/∂C(Γ) on PPFD at low PPFD. Simulated photosynthetic responses obtained with a biochemically based model of whole-leaf photosynthesis were similar to measured responses. PMID:16665640

Spectral data based vegetation indices to characterise crop growth parameters and radiation interception in brassica

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kar, G.; Chakravarty, N.V.K.

2001-01-01

Four spectral data based vegetation indices viz., infra-red/red (IR/R) ratio, normalized difference (N.D.), greenness index (GNI) and brightness index (BNI) were derived to characterise leaf area index, above ground biomass production and intercepted photosynthetically active radiation in Brassica oilseed crop. It was found from correlation study among different spectral indices, plant growth parameters and radiation interception that there was strong relationship between infrared/red and normalized difference with green area index for all the three Brassica cultivars whereas these spectral were not significantly correlated with above ground biomass. On the other hand, the brightness and greenness indices were closely correlated with above groundry biomass as compared to infrared/red ratio and normalized difference. All the four spectral indices were correlated with intercepted photosynthetically active radiation (IP AR). The best fit equations relating them were derived, which can be incorporated in the algorithms of crop growth simulation model to estimate plant growth parameters and radiation interception using spectral indices

A qualitative and quantitative analysis of vegetable pricing in supermarket

Science.gov (United States)

Miranda, Suci

2017-06-01

The purpose of this study is to analyze the variables affecting the determination of the sale price of vegetable which is constant over time in a supermarket qualitatively and quantitavely. It focuses on the non-organic vegetable with a fixed selling price over time such as spinach, beet, and parsley. In qualitative analysis, the sale price determination is influenced by the vegetable characteristics: (1) vegetable segmentation (low to high daily consumed); (2) vegetable age (how long it can last related to freshness); which both characteristic relates to the inventory management and ultimately to the sale price in supermarket. While quantitatively, the vegetables are divided into two categories: the leaf vegetable group that the leaves are eaten as a vegetable with the aging product (a) = 0 and the shelf life (t) = 0, and the non-leafy vegetable group with the aging group (a) = a+1 and the shelf life (t) = t+1. The vegetable age (a) = 0 means they only last for one day when they are ordered then they have to terminate. Whereas a+1 is that they have a longer life for more than a day such as beet, white radish, and string beans. The shelf life refers to how long it will be placed in a shelf in supermarket in line with the vegetable age. According to the cost plus pricing method using full price costing approach, production costs, non-production costs, and markup are adjusted differently for each category. There is a holding cost added to the sale price of the non-leafy vegetable, yet it is assumed a 0 holding cost for the leafy vegetable category. The amount of expected margin of each category is correlated to the vegetable characteristics.

Energy transfer in real and artificial photosynthetic systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hindman, J.C.; Hunt, J.E.; Katz, J.J.

1995-02-01

Fluorescence emission from the photosynthetic organisms Tribonema aequale, Anacystis nidulau, and Chlorelia vulgais and from some chlorophyll model systems have been recorded as a function of excitation wavelength and temperature. Considerable similarity was observed in the effects of excitation wavelength and temperature on the fluorescence from intact photosynthetic organisms and the model systems. The parallelism in behavior suggest that self-assembly processes may occur in both the in vivo and in vitro systems that give rise to chlorophyll species at low temperature that may differ significantly from those present at ambient temperatures.

Separation, identification and quantification of photosynthetic ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Thirty one photosynthetic pigments (chlorophylls, carotenoids and degradation products) from the seaweeds, Codium dwarkense, (Chlorophyta), , Laurencia obtusa , (Rhodophyta) and , Lobophora variegata, (Phaeophyta), were separated in a single-step procedure by reversed phase high-performance liquid ...

Toward a mechanistic modeling of nitrogen limitation on vegetation dynamics.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Chonggang; Fisher, Rosie; Wullschleger, Stan D; Wilson, Cathy J; Cai, Michael; McDowell, Nate G

2012-01-01

Nitrogen is a dominant regulator of vegetation dynamics, net primary production, and terrestrial carbon cycles; however, most ecosystem models use a rather simplistic relationship between leaf nitrogen content and photosynthetic capacity. Such an approach does not consider how patterns of nitrogen allocation may change with differences in light intensity, growing-season temperature and CO(2) concentration. To account for this known variability in nitrogen-photosynthesis relationships, we develop a mechanistic nitrogen allocation model based on a trade-off of nitrogen allocated between growth and storage, and an optimization of nitrogen allocated among light capture, electron transport, carboxylation, and respiration. The developed model is able to predict the acclimation of photosynthetic capacity to changes in CO(2) concentration, temperature, and radiation when evaluated against published data of V(c,max) (maximum carboxylation rate) and J(max) (maximum electron transport rate). A sensitivity analysis of the model for herbaceous plants, deciduous and evergreen trees implies that elevated CO(2) concentrations lead to lower allocation of nitrogen to carboxylation but higher allocation to storage. Higher growing-season temperatures cause lower allocation of nitrogen to carboxylation, due to higher nitrogen requirements for light capture pigments and for storage. Lower levels of radiation have a much stronger effect on allocation of nitrogen to carboxylation for herbaceous plants than for trees, resulting from higher nitrogen requirements for light capture for herbaceous plants. As far as we know, this is the first model of complete nitrogen allocation that simultaneously considers nitrogen allocation to light capture, electron transport, carboxylation, respiration and storage, and the responses of each to altered environmental conditions. We expect this model could potentially improve our confidence in simulations of carbon-nitrogen interactions and the vegetation

Toward a Mechanistic Modeling of Nitrogen Limitation on Vegetation Dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Chonggang; Fisher, Rosie; Wullschleger, Stan D.; Wilson, Cathy J.; Cai, Michael; McDowell, Nate G.

2012-01-01

Nitrogen is a dominant regulator of vegetation dynamics, net primary production, and terrestrial carbon cycles; however, most ecosystem models use a rather simplistic relationship between leaf nitrogen content and photosynthetic capacity. Such an approach does not consider how patterns of nitrogen allocation may change with differences in light intensity, growing-season temperature and CO2 concentration. To account for this known variability in nitrogen-photosynthesis relationships, we develop a mechanistic nitrogen allocation model based on a trade-off of nitrogen allocated between growth and storage, and an optimization of nitrogen allocated among light capture, electron transport, carboxylation, and respiration. The developed model is able to predict the acclimation of photosynthetic capacity to changes in CO2 concentration, temperature, and radiation when evaluated against published data of Vc,max (maximum carboxylation rate) and Jmax (maximum electron transport rate). A sensitivity analysis of the model for herbaceous plants, deciduous and evergreen trees implies that elevated CO2 concentrations lead to lower allocation of nitrogen to carboxylation but higher allocation to storage. Higher growing-season temperatures cause lower allocation of nitrogen to carboxylation, due to higher nitrogen requirements for light capture pigments and for storage. Lower levels of radiation have a much stronger effect on allocation of nitrogen to carboxylation for herbaceous plants than for trees, resulting from higher nitrogen requirements for light capture for herbaceous plants. As far as we know, this is the first model of complete nitrogen allocation that simultaneously considers nitrogen allocation to light capture, electron transport, carboxylation, respiration and storage, and the responses of each to altered environmental conditions. We expect this model could potentially improve our confidence in simulations of carbon-nitrogen interactions and the vegetation feedbacks

Toward a mechanistic modeling of nitrogen limitation on vegetation dynamics.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chonggang Xu

Full Text Available Nitrogen is a dominant regulator of vegetation dynamics, net primary production, and terrestrial carbon cycles; however, most ecosystem models use a rather simplistic relationship between leaf nitrogen content and photosynthetic capacity. Such an approach does not consider how patterns of nitrogen allocation may change with differences in light intensity, growing-season temperature and CO(2 concentration. To account for this known variability in nitrogen-photosynthesis relationships, we develop a mechanistic nitrogen allocation model based on a trade-off of nitrogen allocated between growth and storage, and an optimization of nitrogen allocated among light capture, electron transport, carboxylation, and respiration. The developed model is able to predict the acclimation of photosynthetic capacity to changes in CO(2 concentration, temperature, and radiation when evaluated against published data of V(c,max (maximum carboxylation rate and J(max (maximum electron transport rate. A sensitivity analysis of the model for herbaceous plants, deciduous and evergreen trees implies that elevated CO(2 concentrations lead to lower allocation of nitrogen to carboxylation but higher allocation to storage. Higher growing-season temperatures cause lower allocation of nitrogen to carboxylation, due to higher nitrogen requirements for light capture pigments and for storage. Lower levels of radiation have a much stronger effect on allocation of nitrogen to carboxylation for herbaceous plants than for trees, resulting from higher nitrogen requirements for light capture for herbaceous plants. As far as we know, this is the first model of complete nitrogen allocation that simultaneously considers nitrogen allocation to light capture, electron transport, carboxylation, respiration and storage, and the responses of each to altered environmental conditions. We expect this model could potentially improve our confidence in simulations of carbon-nitrogen interactions and the

Seagrass canopy photosynthetic response is a function of canopy density and light environment: a model for Amphibolis griffithii.

Science.gov (United States)

Hedley, John D; McMahon, Kathryn; Fearns, Peter

2014-01-01

A three-dimensional computer model of canopies of the seagrass Amphibolis griffithii was used to investigate the consequences of variations in canopy structure and benthic light environment on leaf-level photosynthetic saturation state. The model was constructed using empirical data of plant morphometrics from a previously conducted shading experiment and validated well to in-situ data on light attenuation in canopies of different densities. Using published values of the leaf-level saturating irradiance for photosynthesis, results show that the interaction of canopy density and canopy-scale photosynthetic response is complex and non-linear, due to the combination of self-shading and the non-linearity of photosynthesis versus irradiance (P-I) curves near saturating irradiance. Therefore studies of light limitation in seagrasses should consider variation in canopy structure and density. Based on empirical work, we propose a number of possible measures for canopy scale photosynthetic response that can be plotted to yield isoclines in the space of canopy density and light environment. These plots can be used to interpret the significance of canopy changes induced as a response to decreases in the benthic light environment: in some cases canopy thinning can lead to an equivalent leaf level light environment, in others physiological changes may also be required but these alone may be inadequate for canopy survival. By providing insight to these processes the methods developed here could be a valuable management tool for seagrass conservation during dredging or other coastal developments.

Seagrass canopy photosynthetic response is a function of canopy density and light environment: a model for Amphibolis griffithii.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John D Hedley

Full Text Available A three-dimensional computer model of canopies of the seagrass Amphibolis griffithii was used to investigate the consequences of variations in canopy structure and benthic light environment on leaf-level photosynthetic saturation state. The model was constructed using empirical data of plant morphometrics from a previously conducted shading experiment and validated well to in-situ data on light attenuation in canopies of different densities. Using published values of the leaf-level saturating irradiance for photosynthesis, results show that the interaction of canopy density and canopy-scale photosynthetic response is complex and non-linear, due to the combination of self-shading and the non-linearity of photosynthesis versus irradiance (P-I curves near saturating irradiance. Therefore studies of light limitation in seagrasses should consider variation in canopy structure and density. Based on empirical work, we propose a number of possible measures for canopy scale photosynthetic response that can be plotted to yield isoclines in the space of canopy density and light environment. These plots can be used to interpret the significance of canopy changes induced as a response to decreases in the benthic light environment: in some cases canopy thinning can lead to an equivalent leaf level light environment, in others physiological changes may also be required but these alone may be inadequate for canopy survival. By providing insight to these processes the methods developed here could be a valuable management tool for seagrass conservation during dredging or other coastal developments.

Perception of non-communicable diseases predicts consumption of fruits and vegetables

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Charles Surjadi

2015-12-01

This study demonstrated that perception of NCD was the most determinant factor of regular fruit and vegetable consumption. Activities to improve practice of regular fruit and vegetable consumption are part of control of NCD risk factors.

A multitemporal and non-parametric approach for assessing the impacts of drought on vegetation greenness

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Carrao, Hugo; Sepulcre, Guadalupe; Horion, Stéphanie Marie Anne F

2013-01-01

This study evaluates the relationship between the frequency and duration of meteorological droughts and the subsequent temporal changes on the quantity of actively photosynthesizing biomass (greenness) estimated from satellite imagery on rainfed croplands in Latin America. An innovative non-parametric...... and non-supervised approach, based on the Fisher-Jenks optimal classification algorithm, is used to identify multi-scale meteorological droughts on the basis of empirical cumulative distributions of 1, 3, 6, and 12-monthly precipitation totals. As input data for the classifier, we use the gridded GPCC...... for the period between 1998 and 2010. The time-series analysis of vegetation greenness is performed during the growing season with a non-parametric method, namely the seasonal Relative Greenness (RG) of spatially accumulated fAPAR. The Global Land Cover map of 2000 and the GlobCover maps of 2005/2006 and 2009...

Long-term drought modifies the fundamental relationships between light exposure, leaf nitrogen content and photosynthetic capacity in leaves of the lychee tree (Litchi chinensis).

Science.gov (United States)

Damour, Gaëlle; Vandame, Marc; Urban, Laurent

2008-09-08

Drought has dramatic negative effects on plants' growth and crop productivity. Although some of the responses and underlying mechanisms are still poorly understood, there is increasing evidence that drought may have a negative effect on photosynthetic capacity. Biochemical models of leaf photosynthesis coupled with models of radiation transfer have been widely used in ecophysiological studies, and, more recently, in global change modeling. They are based on two fundamental relationships at the scale of the leaf: (i) nitrogen content-light exposure and (ii) photosynthetic capacity-nitrogen content. Although drought is expected to increase in many places across the world, such models are not adapted to drought conditions. More specifically, the effects of drought on the two fundamental relationships are not well documented. The objective of our study was to investigate the effects of a long-term drought imposed slowly on the nitrogen content and photosynthetic capacity of leaves similarly exposed to light, from 3-year-old lychee trees cv. Kwaï Mi. Leaf nitrogen and non-structural carbohydrate concentrations were measured along with gas exchanges and the light-saturated rate of photosynthetic electron transport (J(max)) after a 5.5-month-long period of drought. Leaf nitrogen content on a mass basis remained stable, while the leaf mass-to-area ratio (LMA) increased with increasing water stress. Consequently, the leaf nitrogen content on an area basis (N(a)) increased in a non-linear fashion. The starch content decreased, while the soluble sugar content increased. Stomata closed and net assimilation decreased to zero, while J(max) and the ratio J(max)/N(a) decreased with increasing water stress. The drought-associated decrease in photosynthetic capacity can be attributed to downregulation of photosynthetic electron transport and to reallocation of leaf nitrogen content. It is concluded that modeling photosynthesis in drought conditions will require, first, the modeling

Photosynthetic control of electron transport and the regulation of gene expression

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Foyer, C.H.; Neukermans, J.; Queval, G.; Noctor, G.; Harbinson, J.

2012-01-01

The term ‘photosynthetic control’ describes the short- and long-term mechanisms that regulate reactions in the photosynthetic electron transport (PET) chain so that the rate of production of ATP and NADPH is coordinated with the rate of their utilization in metabolism. At low irradiances these

Woody plants diversity and type of vegetation in non cultivated plain of Moutourwa, Far-North, Cameroon

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gilbert Todou

2016-12-01

Full Text Available In order to valorize the wild vegetal resources for the efficient conservation and sustainable use in sahelo-sudanian zone in Cameroon, a study of non cultivated plain of Moutourwa was carry out to assess the floristic richness, the specific diversity and the type of vegetation. The inventory of all trees and shrubs (dbh ? 2.5 cm and the determination of the vegetation cover were done in five linear transects (20 m × 1000 m. In total, 27 families, 54 genera and 75 species were found. Caesalpinaceae is the most abundant family that relative abundance (pi*100 is 34.41%, the most abundant genus was Piliostigma (pi*100 = 30.66% and the most represented species was Piliostigma reticulatum (pi*100 = 29.56%; D = 53.6 stems/ha. The Simpson index (E= 0.89, the Shannon index (H= 3.2 and the equitability index of Pielou (J= 0.74 indicated that there were moderate diversity with more or less equitable species. The wild fruits species were numerous (pi*100 = 32.76%; D = 59.7 stems/ha. A. senegalensis is was the most represented (pi*100 = 9.04 ; D = 16.4 followed by Hexalobus monopetalus (pi*100 = 5.16 ; D = 9.4 and Balanites aegyptiaca (pi*100 = 3.69 ; D = 6.7. These results contribute efficaciously to valorize the wild vegetal resources for efficient conservation and sustainable use. Keywords: Woody plants diversity, conservation, sustainable use, sahelo-sudanian, Moutourwa

Flow of light energy in benthic photosynthetic microbial mats

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Al-Najjar, Mohammad Ahmad A.

2010-12-15

The work in this thesis demonstrates the assessment of the energy budget inside microbial mat ecosystems, and the factors affecting light utilization efficiency. It presents the first balanced light energy budget for benthic microbial mat ecosystems, and shows how the budget and the spatial distribution of the local photosynthetic efficiencies within the euphotic zone depend on the absorbed irradiance (Jabs). The energy budget was dominated by heat dissipation on the expense of photosynthesis. The maximum efficiency of photosynthesis was at light limiting conditions When comparing three different marine benthic photosynthetic ecosystems (originated from Abu-Dhabi, Arctic, and Exmouth Gulf in Western Australia), differences in the efficiencies were calculated. The results demonstrated that the maximum efficiency depended on mat characteristics affecting light absorption and scattering; such as, photopigments ratio and distribution, and the structural organization of the photosynthetic organisms relative to other absorbing components of the ecosystem (i.e., EPS, mineral particles, detritus, etc.). The maximum efficiency decreased with increasing light penetration depth, and increased with increasing the accessory pigments (phycocyanin and fucoxanthin)/chlorophyll ratio. Spatial heterogeneity in photosynthetic efficiency, pigment distribution, as well as light acclimation in microbial mats originating from different geographical locations was investigated. We used a combined pigment imaging approach (variable chlorophyll fluorescence and hyperspectral imaging), and fingerprinting approach. For each mat, the photosynthetic activity was proportional to the local pigment concentration in the photic zone, but not for the deeper layers and between different mats. In each mat, yield of PSII and E1/2 (light acclimation) generally decreased in parallel with depth, but the gradients in both parameters varied greatly between samples. This mismatch between pigments concentration

Photosynthetic Pigments in Diatoms

OpenAIRE

Kuczynska, Paulina; Jemiola-Rzeminska, Malgorzata; Strzalka, Kazimierz

2015-01-01

Photosynthetic pigments are bioactive compounds of great importance for the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries. They are not only responsible for capturing solar energy to carry out photosynthesis, but also play a role in photoprotective processes and display antioxidant activity, all of which contribute to effective biomass and oxygen production. Diatoms are organisms of a distinct pigment composition, substantially different from that present in plants. Apart from light-harvestin...

A framework for consistent estimation of leaf area index, fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation, and surface albedo from MODIS time-series data

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Xiao, Zhiqiang; Liang, Shunlin; Wang, Jindi

2015-01-01

-series MODerate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) surface reflectance data. If the reflectance data showed snow-free areas, an ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) technique was used to estimate leaf area index (LAI) for a two-layer canopy reflectance model (ACRM) by combining predictions from a phenology...... model and the MODIS surface reflectance data. The estimated LAI values were then input into the ACRM to calculate the surface albedo and the fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (FAPAR). For snow-covered areas, the surface albedo was calculated as the underlying vegetation canopy...... albedo plus the weighted distance between the underlying vegetation canopy albedo and the albedo over deep snow. The LAI/FAPAR and surface albedo values estimated using this framework were compared with MODIS collection 5 eight-day 1-km LAI/FAPAR products (MOD15A2) and 500-m surface albedo product (MCD43...

Effect of space mutation of photosynthetic characteristics of soybean varieties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Xinlei; Ma Yansong; Luan Xiaoyan; Man Weiqun; Xu Dechun; Meng Lifen; Fu Lixin; Zhao Xiao'nan; Liu Qi

2012-01-01

In order to elucidate the response of the photosynthetic traits of soybean to space mutation, three soybean varieties (lines) of Heinong 48, Heinong 44 and Ha 2291-Y were carried by artificial satellite in 2006 and the net photo synthetic rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (Cond), intercellular CO 2 concentration (Ci) and stomatal resistance (Rs) from SP 1 to SP 4 generation were determined. The results showed that space mutation affected photosynthesis traits of soy bean. The photosynthetic rate of soybean varieties by space mutation occurred different levels of genetic variation and the positive mutation rate were higher. Coefficient of variation among generations were SP 2 >SP 3 >SP 4 >CK. Results suggest that space mutation can effectively create soybean materials with higher photosynthetic rate. (authors)

Photosynthetic control of electron transport and the regulation of gene expression.

Science.gov (United States)

Foyer, Christine H; Neukermans, Jenny; Queval, Guillaume; Noctor, Graham; Harbinson, Jeremy

2012-02-01

The term 'photosynthetic control' describes the short- and long-term mechanisms that regulate reactions in the photosynthetic electron transport (PET) chain so that the rate of production of ATP and NADPH is coordinated with the rate of their utilization in metabolism. At low irradiances these mechanisms serve to optimize light use efficiency, while at high irradiances they operate to dissipate excess excitation energy as heat. Similarly, the production of ATP and NADPH in ratios tailored to meet demand is finely tuned by a sophisticated series of controls that prevents the accumulation of high NAD(P)H/NAD(P) ratios and ATP/ADP ratios that would lead to potentially harmful over-reduction and inactivation of PET chain components. In recent years, photosynthetic control has also been extrapolated to the regulation of gene expression because mechanisms that are identical or similar to those that serve to regulate electron flow through the PET chain also coordinate the regulated expression of genes encoding photosynthetic proteins. This requires coordinated gene expression in the chloroplasts, mitochondria, and nuclei, involving complex networks of forward and retrograde signalling pathways. Photosynthetic control operates to control photosynthetic gene expression in response to environmental and metabolic changes. Mining literature data on transcriptome profiles of C(3) and C(4) leaves from plants grown under high atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO(2)) levels compared with those grown with ambient CO(2) reveals that the transition to higher photorespiratory conditions in C(3) plants enhances the expression of genes associated with cyclic electron flow pathways in Arabidopsis thaliana, consistent with the higher ATP requirement (relative to NADPH) of photorespiration.

Detecting 3D Vegetation Structure with the Galileo Space Probe: Can a Distant Probe Detect Vegetation Structure on Earth?

Science.gov (United States)

Doughty, Christopher E; Wolf, Adam

2016-01-01

Sagan et al. (1993) used the Galileo space probe data and first principles to find evidence of life on Earth. Here we ask whether Sagan et al. (1993) could also have detected whether life on Earth had three-dimensional structure, based on the Galileo space probe data. We reanalyse the data from this probe to see if structured vegetation could have been detected in regions with abundant photosynthetic pigments through the anisotropy of reflected shortwave radiation. We compare changing brightness of the Amazon forest (a region where Sagan et al. (1993) noted a red edge in the reflectance spectrum, indicative of photosynthesis) as the planet rotates to a common model of reflectance anisotropy and found measured increase of surface reflectance of 0.019 ± 0.003 versus a 0.007 predicted from only anisotropic effects. We hypothesize the difference was due to minor cloud contamination. However, the Galileo dataset had only a small change in phase angle (sun-satellite position) which reduced the observed anisotropy signal and we demonstrate that theoretically if the probe had a variable phase angle between 0-20°, there would have been a much larger predicted change in surface reflectance of 0.1 and under such a scenario three-dimensional vegetation structure on Earth could possibly have been detected. These results suggest that anisotropic effects may be useful to help determine whether exoplanets have three-dimensional vegetation structure in the future, but that further comparisons between empirical and theoretical results are first necessary.

Detecting 3D Vegetation Structure with the Galileo Space Probe: Can a Distant Probe Detect Vegetation Structure on Earth?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christopher E Doughty

Full Text Available Sagan et al. (1993 used the Galileo space probe data and first principles to find evidence of life on Earth. Here we ask whether Sagan et al. (1993 could also have detected whether life on Earth had three-dimensional structure, based on the Galileo space probe data. We reanalyse the data from this probe to see if structured vegetation could have been detected in regions with abundant photosynthetic pigments through the anisotropy of reflected shortwave radiation. We compare changing brightness of the Amazon forest (a region where Sagan et al. (1993 noted a red edge in the reflectance spectrum, indicative of photosynthesis as the planet rotates to a common model of reflectance anisotropy and found measured increase of surface reflectance of 0.019 ± 0.003 versus a 0.007 predicted from only anisotropic effects. We hypothesize the difference was due to minor cloud contamination. However, the Galileo dataset had only a small change in phase angle (sun-satellite position which reduced the observed anisotropy signal and we demonstrate that theoretically if the probe had a variable phase angle between 0-20°, there would have been a much larger predicted change in surface reflectance of 0.1 and under such a scenario three-dimensional vegetation structure on Earth could possibly have been detected. These results suggest that anisotropic effects may be useful to help determine whether exoplanets have three-dimensional vegetation structure in the future, but that further comparisons between empirical and theoretical results are first necessary.

Np(V) and Np(VI) in bicarbonate/carbonate aqueous solutions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vitorge, P.; Capdevila, H.

1998-01-01

Formation constants for NpO 2 (CO 3 ) i l2i (i = 1, 2 and 3), NaNpO 2 CO 3(s) and Na 3 NpO 2 (CO 3 ) 2(s) are deduced from Simakin's et al. (1977), Maya's (1983), and Vitorge's et al. data, who also found evidence for a mixed Np(V)-OH-CO 3 soluble complex. Simakin (1977) found NpO 2 (CO 3 ) 3 -4 , it was confirmed by Riglet (1989), and by Offerle, Capdevilla and Vittorge (1995). Temperature influence was studied by Ullman and Schreiner (1988), and by Offerle, Capdevila and Vittorge (1995). Grenthe, Riglet and Vitorge (1986 and 1989) proved the existence of the trinuclear species (NpO 2 ) 3 (CO 3 ) 6 -6 . Maya (1984) mis-interpreted his data; nevertheless they show evidence of a new polynuclear mixed species, certainly (NpO 2 ) 2 (OH) 3 CO 3 -1 , as initially proposed by Maya. No other Np(V) or Np(VI) soluble complex could be detected, the proposed ones quantitatively account for all published works. Unpublished data allowed to estimate the stability of intermediary mononuclear complexes and NpO 2 CO 3(s) solubility product. M 4 NpO 2 (CO 3 ) 3(s) (M + = K + or NH 4 + ) ones are deduced from Gorbenko-Germanov and Klimov (1966), and Moskvin (1975) data as respectively interpreted and reinterpreted by this review. Thermodynamic data determined in this report are under discussion within OECD-NEA-TDB. (author)

Influence of stomatic aperture on photosynthetic activity of bean-seedlings leaves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suarez Moya, J.; Fernandez Gonzalez, J.

1984-01-01

The present paper contains the data of photosynthetic activity and stomatic aperture of bean-seedlings Ieaves, and the relations obtained with both results. It has been observed that the product of photosynthetic activity by the resistance; to transpiration measured by a promoter ia a constant, between some limits. (Author) 45 refs

On the photosynthetic potential in the very Early Archean oceans.

Science.gov (United States)

Avila, Daile; Cardenas, Rolando; Martin, Osmel

2013-02-01

In this work we apply a mathematical model of photosynthesis to quantify the potential for photosynthetic life in the very Early Archean oceans. We assume the presence of oceanic blockers of ultraviolet radiation, specifically ferrous ions. For this scenario, our results suggest a potential for photosynthetic life greater than or similar to that in later eras/eons, such as the Late Archean and the current Phanerozoic eon.

Influence of non-edible vegetable based oil as cutting fluid on chip, surface roughness and cutting force during drilling operation of Mild Steel

Science.gov (United States)

Susmitha, M.; Sharan, P.; Jyothi, P. N.

2016-09-01

Friction between work piece-cutting tool-chip generates heat in the machining zone. The heat generated reduces the tool life, increases surface roughness and decreases the dimensional sensitiveness of work material. This can be overcome by using cutting fluids during machining. They are used to provide lubrication and cooling effects between cutting tool and work piece and cutting tool and chip during machining operation. As a result, important benefits would be achieved such longer tool life, easy chip flow and higher machining quality in the machining processes. Non-edible vegetable oils have received considerable research attention in the last decades owing to their remarkable improved tribological characteristics and due to increasing attention to environmental issues, have driven the lubricant industry toward eco friendly products from renewable sources. In the present work, different non-edible vegetable oils are used as cutting fluid during drilling of Mild steel work piece. Non-edible vegetable oils, used are Karanja oil (Honge), Neem oil and blend of these two oils. The effect of these cutting fluids on chip formation, surface roughness and cutting force are investigated and the results obtained are compared with results obtained with petroleum based cutting fluids and dry conditions.

A vegetation control on seasonal variations in global atmospheric mercury concentrations

Science.gov (United States)

Jiskra, Martin; Sonke, Jeroen E.; Obrist, Daniel; Bieser, Johannes; Ebinghaus, Ralf; Myhre, Cathrine Lund; Pfaffhuber, Katrine Aspmo; Wängberg, Ingvar; Kyllönen, Katriina; Worthy, Doug; Martin, Lynwill G.; Labuschagne, Casper; Mkololo, Thumeka; Ramonet, Michel; Magand, Olivier; Dommergue, Aurélien

2018-04-01

Anthropogenic mercury emissions are transported through the atmosphere as gaseous elemental mercury (Hg(0)) before they are deposited to Earth's surface. Strong seasonality in atmospheric Hg(0) concentrations in the Northern Hemisphere has been explained by two factors: anthropogenic Hg(0) emissions are thought to peak in winter due to higher energy consumption, and atmospheric oxidation rates of Hg(0) are faster in summer. Oxidation-driven Hg(0) seasonality should be equally pronounced in the Southern Hemisphere, which is inconsistent with observations of constant year-round Hg(0) levels. Here, we assess the role of Hg(0) uptake by vegetation as an alternative mechanism for driving Hg(0) seasonality. We find that at terrestrial sites in the Northern Hemisphere, Hg(0) co-varies with CO2, which is known to exhibit a minimum in summer when CO2 is assimilated by vegetation. The amplitude of seasonal oscillations in the atmospheric Hg(0) concentration increases with latitude and is larger at inland terrestrial sites than coastal sites. Using satellite data, we find that the photosynthetic activity of vegetation correlates with Hg(0) levels at individual sites and across continents. We suggest that terrestrial vegetation acts as a global Hg(0) pump, which can contribute to seasonal variations of atmospheric Hg(0), and that decreasing Hg(0) levels in the Northern Hemisphere over the past 20 years can be partly attributed to increased terrestrial net primary production.

Photovoltaic concepts inspired by coherence effects in photosynthetic systems

KAUST Repository

Bredas, Jean-Luc

2016-12-20

The past decade has seen rapid advances in our understanding of how coherent and vibronic phenomena in biological photosynthetic systems aid in the efficient transport of energy from light-harvesting antennas to photosynthetic reaction centres. Such coherence effects suggest strategies to increase transport lengths even in the presence of structural disorder. Here we explore how these principles could be exploited in making improved solar cells. We investigate in depth the case of organic materials, systems in which energy and charge transport stand to be improved by overcoming challenges that arise from the effects of static and dynamic disorder-structural and energetic-and from inherently strong electron-vibration couplings. We discuss how solar-cell device architectures can evolve to use coherence-exploiting materials, and we speculate as to the prospects for a coherent energy conversion system. We conclude with a survey of the impacts of coherence and bioinspiration on diverse solar-energy harvesting solutions, including artificial photosynthetic systems.

Impacts of vegetation onset time on the net primary productivity in a mountainous island in Pacific Asia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, Chung-Te; Wang, Hsueh-Ching; Huang, Cho-ying

2013-01-01

Vegetation phenology reflects the response of a terrestrial ecosystem to climate change. In this study, we attempt to evaluate the El Niño/La Niña-Southern Oscillation (ENSO)-associated temporal dynamics of the vegetation onset and its influence on the net primary productivity (NPP) in a subtropical island (Taiwan) of Pacific Asia. We utilized a decade-long (2001–2010) time series of photosynthetically active vegetation cover (PV) data, which were derived from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) reflectance data, to delineate the vegetation phenology. These data served as inputs for the phenological analysis toolbox TIMESAT. The results indicated that the delayed vegetation onset time was directly influenced by a dry spring (February and March) in which less than 40 mm of rainfall was received. This seasonal drought impeded vegetation growth in the subsequent growing season, most likely due to delayed impacts of moisture stress related to the preceding ENSO events. The significant correlations obtained between the annual MODIS NPP and both the vegetation onset time and the length of the growing season may imply that the accumulated rainfall in the spring season governs the annual NPP. The model simulations revealed that the frequency and intensity of the ENSO-related spring droughts might increase, which would result in cascading effects on the ecosystem metabolism. (letter)

Calculation of the radiative properties of photosynthetic microorganisms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dauchet, Jérémi; Blanco, Stéphane; Cornet, Jean-François; Fournier, Richard

2015-01-01

A generic methodological chain for the predictive calculation of the light-scattering and absorption properties of photosynthetic microorganisms within the visible spectrum is presented here. This methodology has been developed in order to provide the radiative properties needed for the analysis of radiative transfer within photobioreactor processes, with a view to enable their optimization for large-scale sustainable production of chemicals for energy and chemistry. It gathers an electromagnetic model of light-particle interaction along with detailed and validated protocols for the determination of input parameters: morphological and structural characteristics of the studied microorganisms as well as their photosynthetic-pigment content. The microorganisms are described as homogeneous equivalent-particles whose shape and size distribution is characterized by image analysis. The imaginary part of their refractive index is obtained thanks to a new and quite extended database of the in vivo absorption spectra of photosynthetic pigments (that is made available to the reader). The real part of the refractive index is then calculated by using the singly subtractive Kramers–Krönig approximation, for which the anchor point is determined with the Bruggeman mixing rule, based on the volume fraction of the microorganism internal-structures and their refractive indices (extracted from a database). Afterwards, the radiative properties are estimated using the Schiff approximation for spheroidal or cylindrical particles, as a first step toward the description of the complexity and diversity of the shapes encountered within the microbial world. Finally, these predictive results are confronted to experimental normal-hemispherical transmittance spectra for validation. This entire procedure is implemented for Rhodospirillum rubrum, Arthrospira platensis and Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, each representative of the main three kinds of photosynthetic microorganisms, i.e. respectively

Calculation of the radiative properties of photosynthetic microorganisms

Science.gov (United States)

Dauchet, Jérémi; Blanco, Stéphane; Cornet, Jean-François; Fournier, Richard

2015-08-01

A generic methodological chain for the predictive calculation of the light-scattering and absorption properties of photosynthetic microorganisms within the visible spectrum is presented here. This methodology has been developed in order to provide the radiative properties needed for the analysis of radiative transfer within photobioreactor processes, with a view to enable their optimization for large-scale sustainable production of chemicals for energy and chemistry. It gathers an electromagnetic model of light-particle interaction along with detailed and validated protocols for the determination of input parameters: morphological and structural characteristics of the studied microorganisms as well as their photosynthetic-pigment content. The microorganisms are described as homogeneous equivalent-particles whose shape and size distribution is characterized by image analysis. The imaginary part of their refractive index is obtained thanks to a new and quite extended database of the in vivo absorption spectra of photosynthetic pigments (that is made available to the reader). The real part of the refractive index is then calculated by using the singly subtractive Kramers-Krönig approximation, for which the anchor point is determined with the Bruggeman mixing rule, based on the volume fraction of the microorganism internal-structures and their refractive indices (extracted from a database). Afterwards, the radiative properties are estimated using the Schiff approximation for spheroidal or cylindrical particles, as a first step toward the description of the complexity and diversity of the shapes encountered within the microbial world. Finally, these predictive results are confronted to experimental normal-hemispherical transmittance spectra for validation. This entire procedure is implemented for Rhodospirillum rubrum, Arthrospira platensis and Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, each representative of the main three kinds of photosynthetic microorganisms, i.e. respectively

CO2-vegetation feedbacks and other climate changes implicated in reducing base flow

Science.gov (United States)

Trancoso, Ralph; Larsen, Joshua R.; McVicar, Tim R.; Phinn, Stuart R.; McAlpine, Clive A.

2017-03-01

Changes in the hydrological cycle have a significant impact in water limited environments. Globally, some of these regions are experiencing declining precipitation yet are simultaneously becoming greener, partly due to vegetation feedbacks associated with increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations. Reduced precipitation together with increasing rates of actual evapotranspiration diminishes streamflow, especially base flow, a critical freshwater dry-season resource. Here we assess recent changes in base flow in Australia from 1981-2013 and 1950-2013 and separate the contribution of precipitation, potential evapotranspiration, and other factors on base flow trends. Our findings reveal that these other factors influencing the base flow trends are best explained by an increase in photosynthetic activity. These results provide the first robust observational evidence that increasing atmospheric CO2 and its associated vegetation feedbacks are reducing base flow in addition to other climatic impacts. These findings have broad implications for water resource management, especially in the world's water limited regions.

Photosynthetic carbon metabolism in the submerged aquatic angiosperm Scirpus subterminalis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Beer, S; Wetzel, R G

1981-01-01

Scirpus subterminalis Torr., a submerged angiosperm abundant in many hardwater lakes of the Great Lakes region, was investigated for various photosynthetic carbon fixation properties in relation to available inorganic carbon and levels of carbon fixing enzymes. Photosynthetic experiments were CO/sub 2/ and HCO/sub 3//sup -/ were supplied at various concentrations showed that Scirpus was able to utilize HCO/sub 3//sup -/ at those concentrations close to natural conditions. However, when CO/sub 2/ concentrations were increased above ambient, photosynthetic rates increased markedly. It was concluded that the photosynthetic potential of this plant in many natural situations may be limited by inorganic carbon uptake in the light. Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPcase)/ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (ruBPcase) ratios of the leaves varied between 0.5 and 0.9 depending on substrate concentration during assay. The significance of PEP-mediated carbon fixation of Scirpus (basically a C/sub 3/ plant) in the dark was investigated. Malate accumulated in the leaves during the dark period of a 24-h cycle and malate levels decreased significantly during the following light period. The accumulation was not due to transport of malate from the roots. Carbon uptake rates in the dark by the leaves of Scirpus were lower than malate accumulation rates. Therefore, part of the malate was likely derived from respired CO/sub 2/. Carbon uptake rates in the light were much higher than malate turnover rates. It was estimated that carbon fixation via malate could contribute up to 12% to net photosynthetic rates. The ecological significance of this type of metabolism in submerged aquatics is discussed.

Development and validation of a dynamical atmosphere-vegetation-soil HTO transport and OBT formation model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ota, Masakazu, E-mail: ohta.masakazu@jaea.go.jp [Research Group for Environmental Science, Division of Environment and Radiation, Nuclear Science and Engineering Directorate, Japan Atomic Energy Agency (Japan); Nagai, Haruyasu [Research Group for Environmental Science, Division of Environment and Radiation, Nuclear Science and Engineering Directorate, Japan Atomic Energy Agency (Japan)

2011-09-15

A numerical model simulating transport of tritiated water (HTO) in atmosphere-soil-vegetation system, and, accumulation of organically bound tritium (OBT) in vegetative leaves was developed. Characteristic of the model is, for calculating tritium transport, it incorporates a dynamical atmosphere-soil-vegetation model (SOLVEG-II) that calculates transport of heat and water, and, exchange of CO{sub 2}. The processes included for calculating tissue free water tritium (TFWT) in leaves are HTO exchange between canopy air and leaf cellular water, root uptake of aqueous HTO in soil, photosynthetic assimilation of TFWT into OBT, and, TFWT formation from OBT through respiration. Tritium fluxes at the last two processes are input to a carbohydrate compartment model in leaves that calculates OBT translocation from leaves and allocation in them, by using photosynthesis and respiration rate in leaves. The developed model was then validated through a simulation of an existing experiment of acute exposure of grape plants to atmospheric HTO. Calculated TFWT concentration in leaves increased soon after the start of HTO exposure, reaching to equilibrium with the atmospheric HTO within a few hours, and then rapidly decreased after the end of the exposure. Calculated non-exchangeable OBT amount in leaves linearly increased during the exposure, and after the exposure, rapidly decreased in daytime, and, moderately nighttime. These variations in the calculated TFWT concentrations and OBT amounts, each mainly controlled by HTO exchange between canopy air and leaf cellular water and by carbohydrates translocation from leaves, fairly agreed with the observations within average errors of a factor of two. - Highlights: > TFWT retention and OBT formation in leaves were modeled > The model fairly well calculates TFWT concentration after an acute HTO exposure > The model well assesses OBT formation and attenuation of OBT amount in leaves.

Effect of temperature and light intensity on growth and photosynthetic activity of Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alfonsel, M.; Fernandez Gonzalez, J.

1986-01-01

The effect of five temperatures (15, 20, 25, 30 and 35 0 C) and two levels of illumination on growth and photosynthetic activity of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii has been studied. The growth of the cultures was evaluated by optical density. Photosynthetic activity has been carried out studying either the assimilation rate of CO 2 labelled with C 14 or the oxygen evolution by means of polarographic measurements. The maximum photosynthetic rate has been obtained at 25 0 C for the lower lavel of illumination (2400 lux) and at 35 0 C for the higher one (13200 lux). These results suggest an interacton of temperature and illumination on photosynthetic activity. (author)

[Correlation research of photosynthetic characteristics and medicinal materials production with 4 Uncariae Cum Uncis].

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, Min; Song, Zhi-Qin; Yang, Ping-Fei; Liu, Hai; Yang, Zai-Gang; Wu, Ming-Kai

2017-01-01

Using four Uncariae Cum Uncis materials including Uncaria sinensis (HGT), U. hirsutea (MGT), Jianhe U. rhynchophylla (JHGT) and U. rhynchophylla(GT) as the research objects, the correlations between medicinal materials' yield and photosynthetic ecophysiology-factors in the plant exuberant growth period were studied. Results showed that the Uncaria plants net photosynthetic rate (Pn) changed by unimodal curve. There was not "midday depression" phenomenon. There was a different relationship among the photosynthetic ecophysiology-factors and between photosynthetic ecophysiology-factors and medicinal materials' yield. Pn,Tl,Gs had a significant correlation with medicinal materials' yield（M）and were the most important factors of growth. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

Geographic variation in the photosynthetic responses and life history of Mastocarpus papillatus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zupan, J.R.

1985-01-01

Population differentiation in Mastocarpus papillatus, a red alga occurring from Baja California to Alaska, was assessed by (1) characterizing the geographic pattern of variation in reproductive behavior and (2) determining the range of variation in photosynthesis and respiration. Examining these two aspects of the biology of M. papillatus yielded different estimates of population differentiation. Carpospores of females collected from 8 locations between Baja California and northern California were grown in laboratory culture and their subsequent development followed. The 8 locations could be divided into 3 groups based on life history patterns. Photosynthetic responses to temperature and photon flux density were measured foliose gametophytes and crustose tetrasporophytes from 4 locations. Gametophytes had maximal net photosynthetic rates 4-5 times higher than tetrasporophytes. Tetrasporophyte populations were uniform in photosynthetic responses to temperature. Maximal rates occurred at 15 0 C Gametophyte populations appeared to be slightly differentiated. The photosynthetic temperature optima were between 20 0 C and 25 0 C for 3 populations and between 15 0 C and 20 0 C for 1 population. A preliminary study of carbon metabolism in M. papillatus gametophytes was conducted using 14 C. Partitioning of early products of photosynthetic carbon fixation between low molecular weight and polymeric, high molecular weight compounds appeared to differ under emerged and submerged conditions

Availability and Consumption of Fruits and Vegetables Among Non-Hispanic Whites, Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians in the USA: Findings from the 2011-2012 California Health Interview Adult Survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Kaipeng

2017-06-01

Racial and ethnic disparities in fruit and vegetable consumption have been widely studied in the USA. While previous studies focused on the differences of fruit and vegetable availability between racial groups, the equivalence of the association between consumption and availability across racial groups has been rarely examined. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between availability of fruits and vegetables and their consumption across racial groups. The 2011-2012 California Health Interview Survey data (N = 36,302) were used for the study. Results of negative binomial regression show that the association between perceived availability of fruits and vegetables on consumption differs significantly between non-Hispanic Whites, Hispanics, Blacks, and Asians: (1) the association between fruit consumption and availability is only significant for non-Hispanic Whites (IRR = 1.303, 95 % CI 1.188, 1.429), and (2) the association between vegetable consumption and availability is only significant for non-Hispanic Whites (IRR = 1.242, 95 % CI 1.152, 1.340) and Hispanics (IRR = 1.141, 95 % CI 1.025, 1.271). This study highlights the importance of interventions that emphasize not only potential access but also social and cultural factors that relate to realized access to healthy food.

Estimating net ecosystem exchange of carbon using the normalized difference vegetation index and an ecosystem model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Veroustraete, F.; Patyn, J.; Myneni, R.B.

1996-01-01

The evaluation and prediction of changes in carbon dynamics at the ecosystem level is a key issue in studies of global change. An operational concept for the determination of carbon fluxes for the Belgian territory is the goal of the presented study. The approach is based on the integration of remotely sensed data into ecosystem models in order to evaluate photosynthetic assimilation and net ecosystem exchange (NEE). Remote sensing can be developed as an operational tool to determine the fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (feAR). A review of the methodological approach of mapping fPAR dynamics at the regional scale by means of NOAA11-A VHRR / 2 data for the year 1990 is given. The processing sequence from raw radiance values to fPAR is presented. An interesting aspect of incorporating remote sensing derived fPAR in ecosystem models is the potential for modeling actual as opposed to potential vegetation. Further work should prove whether the concepts presented and the assumptions made in this study are valid. (NEE). Complex ecosystem models with a highly predictive value for a specific ecosystem are generally not suitable for global or regional applications, since they require a substantial set of ancillary data becoming increasingly larger with increasing complexity of the model. The ideal model for our purpose is one that is simple enough to be used in global scale modeling, and which can be adapted for different ecosystems or vegetation types. The fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (fPAR) during the growing season determines in part net photosynthesis and phytomass production (Ruimy, 1995). Remotely measured red and near-infrared spectral reflectances can be used to estimate fPAR. Therefore, a possible approach is to estimate net photosynthesis, phytomass, and NEE from a combination of satellite data and an ecosystem model that includes carbon dynamics. It has to be stated that some parts of the work presented in this

Specific Interaction between Redox Phospholipid Polymers and Plastoquinone in Photosynthetic Electron Transport Chain.

Science.gov (United States)

Tanaka, Kenya; Kaneko, Masahiro; Ishikawa, Masahito; Kato, Souichiro; Ito, Hidehiro; Kamachi, Toshiaki; Kamiya, Kazuhide; Nakanishi, Shuji

2017-04-19

Redox phospholipid polymers added in culture media are known to be capable of extracting electrons from living photosynthetic cells across bacterial cell membranes with high cytocompatibility. In the present study, we identify the intracellular redox species that transfers electrons to the polymers. The open-circuit electrochemical potential of an electrolyte containing the redox polymer and extracted thylakoid membranes shift to positive (or negative) under light irradiation, when an electron transport inhibitor specific to plastoquinone is added upstream (or downstream) in the photosynthetic electron transport chain. The same trend is also observed for a medium containing living photosynthetic cells of Synechococcus elongatus PCC7942. These results clearly indicate that the phospholipid redox polymers extract photosynthetic electrons mainly from plastoquinone. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Derivation of global vegetation biophysical parameters from EUMETSAT Polar System

Science.gov (United States)

García-Haro, Francisco Javier; Campos-Taberner, Manuel; Muñoz-Marí, Jordi; Laparra, Valero; Camacho, Fernando; Sánchez-Zapero, Jorge; Camps-Valls, Gustau

2018-05-01

This paper presents the algorithm developed in LSA-SAF (Satellite Application Facility for Land Surface Analysis) for the derivation of global vegetation parameters from the AVHRR (Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer) sensor on board MetOp (Meteorological-Operational) satellites forming the EUMETSAT (European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites) Polar System (EPS). The suite of LSA-SAF EPS vegetation products includes the leaf area index (LAI), the fractional vegetation cover (FVC), and the fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (FAPAR). LAI, FAPAR, and FVC characterize the structure and the functioning of vegetation and are key parameters for a wide range of land-biosphere applications. The algorithm is based on a hybrid approach that blends the generalization capabilities offered by physical radiative transfer models with the accuracy and computational efficiency of machine learning methods. One major feature is the implementation of multi-output retrieval methods able to jointly and more consistently estimate all the biophysical parameters at the same time. We propose a multi-output Gaussian process regression (GPRmulti), which outperforms other considered methods over PROSAIL (coupling of PROSPECT and SAIL (Scattering by Arbitrary Inclined Leaves) radiative transfer models) EPS simulations. The global EPS products include uncertainty estimates taking into account the uncertainty captured by the retrieval method and input errors propagation. A sensitivity analysis is performed to assess several sources of uncertainties in retrievals and maximize the positive impact of modeling the noise in training simulations. The paper discusses initial validation studies and provides details about the characteristics and overall quality of the products, which can be of interest to assist the successful use of the data by a broad user's community. The consistent generation and distribution of the EPS vegetation products will

Nitrogen-addition effects on leaf traits and photosynthetic carbon gain of boreal forest understory shrubs.

Science.gov (United States)

Palmroth, Sari; Bach, Lisbet Holm; Nordin, Annika; Palmqvist, Kristin

2014-06-01

Boreal coniferous forests are characterized by fairly open canopies where understory vegetation is an important component of ecosystem C and N cycling. We used an ecophysiological approach to study the effects of N additions on uptake and partitioning of C and N in two dominant understory shrubs: deciduous Vaccinium myrtillus in a Picea abies stand and evergreen Vaccinium vitis-idaea in a Pinus sylvestris stand in northern Sweden. N was added to these stands for 16 and 8 years, respectively, at rates of 0, 12.5, and 50 kg N ha(-1) year(-1). N addition at the highest rate increased foliar N and chlorophyll concentrations in both understory species. Canopy cover of P. abies also increased, decreasing light availability and leaf mass per area of V. myrtillus. Among leaves of either shrub, foliar N content did not explain variation in light-saturated CO2 exchange rates. Instead photosynthetic capacity varied with stomatal conductance possibly reflecting plant hydraulic properties and within-site variation in water availability. Moreover, likely due to increased shading under P. abies and due to water limitations in the sandy soil under P. sylvestris, individuals of the two shrubs did not increase their biomass or shift their allocation between above- and belowground parts in response to N additions. Altogether, our results indicate that the understory shrubs in these systems show little response to N additions in terms of photosynthetic physiology or growth and that changes in their performance are mostly associated with responses of the tree canopy.

Effects of the herbicide diuron on cordgrass (Spartina foliosa) reflectance and photosynthetic parameters

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, S.L.; Carranza, A.; Kunzelman, J.; Datta, S.; Kuivila, K.M.

2009-01-01

Early indicators of salt marsh plant stress are needed to detect stress before it is manifested as changes in biomass and coverage. We explored a variety of leaf-level spectral reflectance and fluorescence variables as indicators of stress in response to the herbicide diuron. Diuron, a Photosystem II inhibitor, is heavily used in areas adjacent to estuaries, but its ecological effects are just beginning to be recognized. In a greenhouse experiment, we exposed Spartina foliosa, the native cordgrass in California salt marshes, to two levels of diuron. After plant exposure to diuron for 28 days, all spectral reflectance indices and virtually all fluorescence parameters indicated reduced pigment and photosynthetic function, verified as reduced CO2 assimilation. Diuron exposure was not evident, however, in plant morphometry, indicating that reflectance and fluorescence were effective indicators of sub-lethal diuron exposure. Several indices (spectral reflectance index ARI and fluorescence parameters EQY, Fo, and maximum rETR) were sensitive to diuron concentration. In field trials, most of the indices as well as biomass, % cover, and canopy height varied predictably and significantly across a pesticide gradient. In the field, ARI and Fo regressed most significantly and strongly with pesticide levels. The responses of ARI and Fo in both the laboratory and the field make these indices promising as sensitive, rapid, non-destructive indicators of responses of S. foliosa to herbicides in the field. These techniques are employed in remote sensing and could potentially provide a link between landscapes of stressed vegetation and the causative stressor(s), which is crucial for effective regulation of pollution. ?? 2008 Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation.

Natural strategies for photosynthetic light harvesting

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Croce, R.; van Amerongen, H.

2014-01-01

Photosynthetic organisms are crucial for life on Earth as they provide food and oxygen and are at the basis of most energy resources. They have a large variety of light-harvesting strategies that allow them to live nearly everywhere where sunlight can penetrate. They have adapted their pigmentation

Alternative oxidase: a respiratory electron transport chain pathway essential for maintaining photosynthetic performance during drought stress.

Science.gov (United States)

Vanlerberghe, Greg C; Martyn, Greg D; Dahal, Keshav

2016-07-01

Photosynthesis and respiration are the hubs of energy metabolism in plants. Drought strongly perturbs photosynthesis as a result of both diffusive limitations resulting from stomatal closure, and in some cases biochemical limitations that are associated with a reduced abundance of key photosynthetic components. The effects of drought on respiration, particularly respiration in the light (RL ), are less understood. The plant mitochondrial electron transport chain includes a non-energy conserving terminal oxidase called alternative oxidase (AOX). Several studies have shown that drought increases AOX transcript, protein and maximum capacity. Here we review recent studies comparing wild-type (WT) tobacco to transgenic lines with altered AOX protein amount. Specifically during drought, RL was compromised in AOX knockdown plants and enhanced in AOX overexpression plants, compared with WT. Significantly, these differences in RL were accompanied by dramatic differences in photosynthetic performance. Knockdown of AOX increased the susceptibility of photosynthesis to drought-induced biochemical limitations, while overexpression of AOX delayed the development of such biochemical limitations, compared with WT. Overall, the results indicate that AOX is essential to maintaining RL during drought, and that this non-energy conserving respiration maintains photosynthesis during drought by promoting energy balance in the chloroplast. This review also outlines several areas for future research, including the possibility that enhancement of non-energy conserving respiratory electron sinks may be a useful biotechnological approach to increase plant performance during stress. © 2016 Scandinavian Plant Physiology Society.

Using a Dynamic Global Vegetation Model to Simulate the Response of Vegetation to Warming at the Paleocene-Eocene Boundary

Science.gov (United States)

Shellito, C. J.; Sloan, L. C.

2004-12-01

A major turnover in benthic marine and terrestrial fauna marks the Initial Eocene Thermal Maximum (IETM) (~55Ma), a period of ~150 ky in which there was a rapid rise in deep sea and high latitude sea surface temperatures by 5-8C. Curiously, no major responses to this warming in the terrestrial floral record have been detected to date. Here, we present results from experiments examining the response of the global distribution of vegetation to changes in climate at the IETM using the NCAR Land Surface Model (LSM1.2) integrated with a dynamic global vegetation model (DGVM). DGVMs allow vegetation to respond to and interact with climate, and thus, provide a unique new method for addressing questions regarding feedbacks between the ecosystem and climate in Earth's past. However, there are a number of drawbacks to using these models that can affect interpretation of results. More specifically, these drawbacks involve uncertainties in the application of modern plant functional types to paleo-flora simulations, inaccuracies in the model climatology used to drive the DGVM, and lack of available detail regarding paleo-geography and paleo-soil type for use in model boundary conditions. For a better understanding of these drawbacks, we present results from a series of tests in the NCAR LSM-DGVM which examine (1) the effect of removing C4 grasses from the available plant functional types in the model; (2) model sensitivity to a change in soil texture; and (3), model sensitivity to a change in the value of pCO2 used in the photosynthetic rate equations. We consider our DGVM results for the IETM in light of output from these sensitivity experiments.

Measures and modelling of PAR (photosynthetically-active radiation) for the Northeast of Brazil; Medidas e modelagem da radiacao PAR (photosynthetically-active radiation) para o nordeste do Brasil

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tiba, Chigueru; Leal, Sergio da S.A. [Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE), Recife, PE (Brazil). Dept. de Energia Nuclear], e-mail: tiba@rce.neoline.com.br

2004-07-01

Photosynthetically active solar radiation, known by its acronym in the English language as PAR, is the principal driving force of innumerable biological and physical processes related to biomass production, such as, the evolution of vegetal covering, agricultural productivity, and countless environment aspects, among others. Unfortunately in Brazil and particularly in the Northeast of Brazil, the PAR radiation measures are not a routine part of meteorological station measures, and therefore are still rarer than solar irradiation measures. In this context, a station was installed in Recife, Pernambuco in 2003, to carry out simultaneous measures of daily solar irradiation and PAR irradiation, which permits the modelling and valuation of the relationship between these two parameters and thus makes the estimation of PAR radiation possible, where there used to be only information on solar irradiation. Three others stations are being installed, one on Fernando de Noronha-PE, another in Pesqueira-PE, and the other in Xingo-SE, which complete a group of 4 between Latitudes 8 deg and 10 deg South and Longitudes 34 deg to 38 deg West, each having differentiated Equatorial Climates: island maritime, continental maritime, sylvan (Agreste) and semi-arid. (author)

Statistical Analysis of Manning's roughness Coefficients in Non-vegetated Canals for Irrigation and Drainage Network of Moghan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abolfazl Nasseri

2017-03-01

coefficient and significant sensitivity of the capacity to this coefficient, the current study was conducted to statistically analyze and to evaluate roughness coefficients in non-vegetated canals for irrigation and drainage network of Moghan (in North-west of Iran. The results of the research may be applied in the design, evaluation and utilization of networks, especially in the irrigation and drainage network of Moghan. Materials and Methods: Experimental area was Moghan plain located at the north-west of Iran with latitude from 39º 22’ to 39º 45’ N, longitude from 47º 22’ to 47º 45’ E and sea level of 32.0 m. The annual averages air temperature, relative humidity and pan evaporation are 14.5º C, 72% and 111 mm month-1, respectively. Annual rainfall in this plain is 332 mm. In the network of Moghan, 50 sections were selected to measure water flow velocity (with a flow meter and canals cross sections (with profilimetery devices. The selected sections were in earth canals located at the farms of Agro-Industrial Company of Moghan, farmers’ farms, Pirayvatlu’s farms, Iranabad, Hajhazar, Farms of Agricultural Education Center and Agricultural Research Center. A flowmeter (type AOTT made by Iranian Water Resources Engineering Company was applied to measure flow velocity in different sections of the channel. Resistance coefficient were determined by the following equation according to the dimensions and the velocity of the water flow in the earth canals (1 Where R is the hydraulic radius (m, V is velocity (m/s and S is channel slope (m/m. In this study, the Reynolds number was applied to determine the flow regime in the channel. The partial correlation coefficient was used to determine the effective variables in the roughness coefficient in canals without vegetation. The application of the coefficient of correlation is that the dependent variable (multiple independent variables and independent stay in the form of fixed values of other independent variables. The

Responses of photosynthetic parameters to drought in subtropical forest ecosystem of China

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Lei; Wang, Shaoqiang; Chi, Yonggang; Li, Qingkang; Huang, Kun; Yu, Quanzhou

2015-12-01

The mechanism underlying the effect of drought on the photosynthetic traits of leaves in forest ecosystems in subtropical regions is unclear. In this study, three limiting processes (stomatal, mesophyll and biochemical limitations) that control the photosynthetic capacity and three resource use efficiencies (intrinsic water use efficiency (iWUE), nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) and light use efficiency (LUE)), which were characterized as the interactions between photosynthesis and environmental resources, were estimated in two species (Schima superba and Pinus massoniana) under drought conditions. A quantitative limitation analysis demonstrated that the drought-induced limitation of photosynthesis in Schima superba was primarily due to stomatal limitation, whereas for Pinus massoniana, both stomatal and non-stomatal limitations generally exhibited similar magnitudes. Although the mesophyll limitation represented only 1% of the total limitation in Schima superba, it accounted for 24% of the total limitations for Pinus massoniana. Furthermore, a positive relationship between the LUE and NUE and a marginally negative relationship or trade-off between the NUE and iWUE were observed in the control plots. However, drought disrupted the relationships between the resource use efficiencies. Our findings may have important implications for reducing the uncertainties in model simulations and advancing the understanding of the interactions between ecosystem functions and climate change.

Seasonal changes in photosynthetic capacity of leaves of kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa) vines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buwalda, J.G.; Meekings, J.S.; Smith, G.S.

1991-01-01

The seasonal trend of photosynthetic capacity of leaves of kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa var. deliciosa) vines growing in the field was examined, by measuring the response of net photosynthesis (A) to irradiance (PAR) at monthly intervals for leaves that emerged at different stages of the growing season. A climate controlled minicuvette system was used, to ensure constant environmental conditions, apart from the controlled changes in leaf irradiance. Responses of A to irradiance were described using asymptotic exponential curves, providing estimates of the radiation saturated rate of A (A sat ), and the response of A to increasing incident PAR at low PAR levels (ϕ i ). The change in photosynthetic capacity with leaf age was similar for leaves emerging 1, 2, 3 or 4 months after bud burst. At 1 month after leaf emergence, when leaves were fully expanded, Asat was 9–11 μmol CO 2 m −2 s −1 . Maximum photosynthetic capacity was not attained until 3–5 months after leaf emergence, when Asat was 16–17 μmol CO 2 m −2 s −1 . The increasing photosynthetic capacity during 3–5 months after leaf emergence was closely related to concomitant changes in leaf N and chlorophyll contents. The possibility that N import to the leaf was a significant factor limiting the development of photosynthetic capacity is discussed. (author)

UV-B photoreceptor-mediated protection of the photosynthetic machinery in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Science.gov (United States)

Allorent, Guillaume; Lefebvre-Legendre, Linnka; Chappuis, Richard; Kuntz, Marcel; Truong, Thuy B.; Niyogi, Krishna K.; Goldschmidt-Clermont, Michel

2016-01-01

Life on earth is dependent on the photosynthetic conversion of light energy into chemical energy. However, absorption of excess sunlight can damage the photosynthetic machinery and limit photosynthetic activity, thereby affecting growth and productivity. Photosynthetic light harvesting can be down-regulated by nonphotochemical quenching (NPQ). A major component of NPQ is qE (energy-dependent nonphotochemical quenching), which allows dissipation of light energy as heat. Photodamage peaks in the UV-B part of the spectrum, but whether and how UV-B induces qE are unknown. Plants are responsive to UV-B via the UVR8 photoreceptor. Here, we report in the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii that UVR8 induces accumulation of specific members of the light-harvesting complex (LHC) superfamily that contribute to qE, in particular LHC Stress-Related 1 (LHCSR1) and Photosystem II Subunit S (PSBS). The capacity for qE is strongly induced by UV-B, although the patterns of qE-related proteins accumulating in response to UV-B or to high light are clearly different. The competence for qE induced by acclimation to UV-B markedly contributes to photoprotection upon subsequent exposure to high light. Our study reveals an anterograde link between photoreceptor-mediated signaling in the nucleocytosolic compartment and the photoprotective regulation of photosynthetic activity in the chloroplast. PMID:27930292

UV-B photoreceptor-mediated protection of the photosynthetic machinery in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

Science.gov (United States)

Allorent, Guillaume; Lefebvre-Legendre, Linnka; Chappuis, Richard; Kuntz, Marcel; Truong, Thuy B; Niyogi, Krishna K; Ulm, Roman; Goldschmidt-Clermont, Michel

2016-12-20

Life on earth is dependent on the photosynthetic conversion of light energy into chemical energy. However, absorption of excess sunlight can damage the photosynthetic machinery and limit photosynthetic activity, thereby affecting growth and productivity. Photosynthetic light harvesting can be down-regulated by nonphotochemical quenching (NPQ). A major component of NPQ is qE (energy-dependent nonphotochemical quenching), which allows dissipation of light energy as heat. Photodamage peaks in the UV-B part of the spectrum, but whether and how UV-B induces qE are unknown. Plants are responsive to UV-B via the UVR8 photoreceptor. Here, we report in the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii that UVR8 induces accumulation of specific members of the light-harvesting complex (LHC) superfamily that contribute to qE, in particular LHC Stress-Related 1 (LHCSR1) and Photosystem II Subunit S (PSBS). The capacity for qE is strongly induced by UV-B, although the patterns of qE-related proteins accumulating in response to UV-B or to high light are clearly different. The competence for qE induced by acclimation to UV-B markedly contributes to photoprotection upon subsequent exposure to high light. Our study reveals an anterograde link between photoreceptor-mediated signaling in the nucleocytosolic compartment and the photoprotective regulation of photosynthetic activity in the chloroplast.

Effect of maize seed laser irradiation on plant photosynthetic activity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Antonov, M.; Stanev, V.; Velichkov, D.; Tsonev, Ts.

1986-01-01

Investigations were made with the two hybrids, H-708 and P x -20. The seeds were irradiated by a helium-neon quantum generator (L'vov-1 Electronica) with output power of 24 MW and 632.8 nm wave length. Once and twice irradiated seeds were sown on the 2nd, 5th and 10th day post irradiation. Changes in leaf area, chlorophyll content in the leaves, photosynthetic rate and its dependence on temperature and light, transpiration, stomatal resistance to CO 2 and total dry matter of the overground plant part were traced. Seed irradiation with laser rays did not affect the chlorophyll content of the leaves. The photosynthetic rate did not depend on the cultivar characteristics of the crop. Single and repeated irradiation of the hybrid H-708 in most case enhanced photosynthetic rate, but a similar effect was not observed in P x -20. Transpiration and CO 2 stomatal resistance were not equally affected by radiation. Laser rays enhanced the ability of the photosynthetic apparatus of the entire plants to use more efficiently high light intensities. The leaf area and the total plant dry matter increased in case of sowing on the 2nd and 5th day and a single irradiation and in case of sowing on the 5th and 10th day and twice repeated irradiations

A remotely sensed pigment index reveals photosynthetic phenology in evergreen conifers

OpenAIRE

Gamon, John A.

2016-01-01

In evergreen conifers, where the foliage amount changes little with season, accurate detection of the underlying “photosynthetic phenology” from satellite remote sensing has been difficult, presenting challenges for global models of ecosystem carbon uptake. Here, we report a close correspondence between seasonally changing foliar pigment levels, expressed as chlorophyll/carotenoid ratios, and evergreen photosynthetic activity, leading to a “chlorophyll/carotenoid index” (CCI) that tracks ever...

Photosynthetic Reaction Centres-from Basic Research to Application

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László NAGY

2010-06-01

Full Text Available There is no doubt that studying the photosynthetic conversion of light into chemical energy is extremely important in many points of view; e.g., 1 technical-in order to improve the utilization of the solar energy; 2 food production-to improve the photosynthetic production of plants in agriculture; 3 ecology-keeping the primer production in ecosystems in the biosphere balanced, etc. In the photosynthetic reaction centre protein, RC, light energy is converted by a quantum yield of almost unity. There is no such a system designed by human which is able to do that. The RC purified from purple bacteria provides an extremely unique system for studying the requirements for high efficiency conversion of light into electrochemical energy. Thanks to the recent structural (e.g. crystallography (Nobel prize to Michel, Deisenhofer, Huber and functional (Nobel prize to Marcus results together with the works of molecular biology, computer- and electro-techniques, a wealth of information made a relatively clear picture about the kinetics, energetics and stabilization of electron transport within this protein that opens possibilities for new generation practical applications. In this paper we provide a short summary of fields in which the reaction centre protein can be important from practical points of view.

Herbicide effects on the growth and photosynthetic efficiency of Cassiopea maremetens.

Science.gov (United States)

Rowen, David J; Templeman, Michelle A; Kingsford, Michael J

2017-09-01

Herbicides from agricultural run-off have been measured in coastal systems of the Great Barrier Reef over many years. Non-target herbicide exposure, especially photosystem II herbicides has the potential to affect seagrasses and other marine species. The symbiotic benthic jellyfish Cassiopea maremetens is present in tropical/sub-tropical estuarine and marine environments. Jellyfish (n = 8 per treatment) were exposed to four separate concentrations of agricultural formulations of diuron or hexazinone to determine their sensitivity and potential for recovery to pulsed herbicide exposure. Jellyfish growth, symbiont photosynthetic activity and zooxanthellae density were analysed for herbicide-induced changes for 7 days followed by a 7 day recovery period. Both the jellyfish and endosymbiont were more sensitive to diuron than hexazinone. The 7-day EC 50 for jellyfish growth was 0.35 μg L -1 for Diuron and 17.5 μg L -1 for Hexazinone respectively. Diuron exposure caused a significant decrease (p diuron and hexazinone caused significant decreases in photosynthetic efficiency (effective quantum yield) in all treatment concentrations (0.1 μg L -1 and above) and this effect continued in the post-exposure period. As this species is frequently found in near-shore environments, they may be particularly vulnerable to herbicide run-off. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

BOREAS TE-9 NSA Photosynthetic Response Data

Science.gov (United States)

Hall, Forrest G.; Curd, Shelaine (Editor); Dang, Qinglai; Margolis, Hank; Coyea, Marie

2000-01-01

The Boreal Ecosystem-Atmospheric Study (BOREAS) TE-9 (Terrestrial Ecology) team collected several data sets related to chemical and photosynthetic properties of leaves. This data set describes: (1) the response of leaf and shoot-level photosynthesis to ambient and intercellular CO2 concentration, temperature, and incident photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) for black spruce, jack pine, and aspen during the three intensive field campaigns (IFCs) in 1994 in the Northern Study Area (NSA); (2) the response of stomatal conductance to vapor pressure difference throughout the growing season of 1994; and (3) a range of shoot water potentials (controlled in the laboratory) for black spruce and jack pine. The data are stored in tabular ASCII files. The data files are available on a CD-ROM (see document number 20010000884), or from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC).

Still acting green: continued expression of photosynthetic genes in the heterotrophic Dinoflagellate Pfiesteria piscicida (Peridiniales, Alveolata.

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Gwang Hoon Kim

Full Text Available The loss of photosynthetic function should lead to the cessation of expression and finally loss of photosynthetic genes in the new heterotroph. Dinoflagellates are known to have lost their photosynthetic ability several times. Dinoflagellates have also acquired photosynthesis from other organisms, either on a long-term basis or as "kleptoplastids" multiple times. The fate of photosynthetic gene expression in heterotrophs can be informative into evolution of gene expression patterns after functional loss, and the dinoflagellates ability to acquire new photosynthetic function through additional endosymbiosis. To explore this we analyzed a large-scale EST database consisting of 151,091 unique sequences (29,170 contigs, 120,921 singletons obtained from 454 pyrosequencing of the heterotrophic dinoflagellate Pfiesteria piscicida. About 597 contigs from P. piscicida showed significant homology (E-value photosynthetic function. Most of the genes involved in the Calvin-Benson cycle were found, genes of the light-dependent reaction were also identified. Also genes of associated pathways including the chorismate pathway and genes involved in starch metabolism were discovered. BLAST searches and phylogenetic analysis suggest that these plastid-associated genes originated from several different photosynthetic ancestors. The Calvin-Benson cycle genes are mostly associated with genes derived from the secondary plastids of peridinin-containing dinoflagellates, while the light-harvesting genes are derived from diatoms, or diatoms that are tertiary plastids in other dinoflagellates. The continued expression of many genes involved in photosynthetic pathways indicates that the loss of transcriptional regulation may occur well after plastid loss and could explain the organism's ability to "capture" new plastids (i.e. different secondary endosymbiosis or tertiary symbioses to renew photosynthetic function.

Still acting green: continued expression of photosynthetic genes in the heterotrophic Dinoflagellate Pfiesteria piscicida (Peridiniales, Alveolata).

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Gwang Hoon; Jeong, Hae Jin; Yoo, Yeong Du; Kim, Sunju; Han, Ji Hee; Han, Jong Won; Zuccarello, Giuseppe C

2013-01-01

The loss of photosynthetic function should lead to the cessation of expression and finally loss of photosynthetic genes in the new heterotroph. Dinoflagellates are known to have lost their photosynthetic ability several times. Dinoflagellates have also acquired photosynthesis from other organisms, either on a long-term basis or as "kleptoplastids" multiple times. The fate of photosynthetic gene expression in heterotrophs can be informative into evolution of gene expression patterns after functional loss, and the dinoflagellates ability to acquire new photosynthetic function through additional endosymbiosis. To explore this we analyzed a large-scale EST database consisting of 151,091 unique sequences (29,170 contigs, 120,921 singletons) obtained from 454 pyrosequencing of the heterotrophic dinoflagellate Pfiesteria piscicida. About 597 contigs from P. piscicida showed significant homology (E-value photosynthetic function. Most of the genes involved in the Calvin-Benson cycle were found, genes of the light-dependent reaction were also identified. Also genes of associated pathways including the chorismate pathway and genes involved in starch metabolism were discovered. BLAST searches and phylogenetic analysis suggest that these plastid-associated genes originated from several different photosynthetic ancestors. The Calvin-Benson cycle genes are mostly associated with genes derived from the secondary plastids of peridinin-containing dinoflagellates, while the light-harvesting genes are derived from diatoms, or diatoms that are tertiary plastids in other dinoflagellates. The continued expression of many genes involved in photosynthetic pathways indicates that the loss of transcriptional regulation may occur well after plastid loss and could explain the organism's ability to "capture" new plastids (i.e. different secondary endosymbiosis or tertiary symbioses) to renew photosynthetic function.

Diagnostic accuracy of coronary CT angiography using 3{sup rd}-generation dual-source CT and automated tube voltage selection: Clinical application in a non-obese and obese patient population

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mangold, Stefanie [Medical University of South Carolina, Division of Cardiovascular Imaging, Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Charleston, SC (United States); Eberhard-Karls University Tuebingen, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Tuebingen (Germany); Wichmann, Julian L. [Medical University of South Carolina, Division of Cardiovascular Imaging, Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Charleston, SC (United States); University Hospital Frankfurt, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Frankfurt (Germany); Schoepf, U.J. [Medical University of South Carolina, Division of Cardiovascular Imaging, Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Charleston, SC (United States); Medical University of South Carolina, Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Charleston, SC (United States); Caruso, Damiano [Medical University of South Carolina, Division of Cardiovascular Imaging, Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Charleston, SC (United States); University of Rome ' ' Sapienza' ' , Department of Radiological Sciences, Oncology and Pathology, Rome (Italy); Tesche, Christian [Medical University of South Carolina, Division of Cardiovascular Imaging, Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Charleston, SC (United States); Heart Centre Munich-Bogenhausen, Department of Cardiology, Munich (Germany); Steinberg, Daniel H.; Bayer, Richard R. [Medical University of South Carolina, Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Charleston, SC (United States); Varga-Szemes, Akos; Stubenrauch, Andrew C.; Biancalana, Matthew; De Cecco, Carlo N. [Medical University of South Carolina, Division of Cardiovascular Imaging, Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Charleston, SC (United States); Nikolaou, Konstantin [Eberhard-Karls University Tuebingen, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Tuebingen (Germany)

2017-06-15

To investigate diagnostic accuracy of 3{sup rd}-generation dual-source CT (DSCT) coronary angiography in obese and non-obese patients. We retrospectively analyzed 76 patients who underwent coronary CT angiography (CCTA) and invasive coronary angiography. Prospectively ECG-triggered acquisition was performed with automated tube voltage selection (ATVS). Patients were dichotomized based on body mass index in groups A (<30 kg/m{sup 2}, n = 37) and B (≥30 kg/m{sup 2}, n = 39) and based on tube voltage in groups C (<120 kV, n = 46) and D (120 kV, n = 30). Coronary arteries were assessed for significant stenoses (≥50 % luminal narrowing) and diagnostic accuracy was calculated. Per-patient overall sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value (NPV) and accuracy were 96.9 %, 95.5 %, 93.9 %, 97.7 % and 96.1 %, respectively. Sensitivity and NPV were lower in groups B and D compared to groups A and C, but no statistically significant differences were observed (group A vs. B: sensitivity, 100.0 % vs. 93.3 %, p = 0.9493; NPV, 100 % vs. 95.5 %, p = 0.9812; group C vs. D: sensitivity, 100.0 % vs. 92.3 %, p = 0.8462; NPV, 100.0 % vs. 94.1 %, p = 0.8285). CCTA using 3{sup rd}-generation DSCT and (ATVS) provides high diagnostic accuracy in both non-obese and obese patients. (orig.)

Diagnostic accuracy of coronary CT angiography using 3"r"d-generation dual-source CT and automated tube voltage selection: Clinical application in a non-obese and obese patient population

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mangold, Stefanie; Wichmann, Julian L.; Schoepf, U.J.; Caruso, Damiano; Tesche, Christian; Steinberg, Daniel H.; Bayer, Richard R.; Varga-Szemes, Akos; Stubenrauch, Andrew C.; Biancalana, Matthew; De Cecco, Carlo N.; Nikolaou, Konstantin

2017-01-01

To investigate diagnostic accuracy of 3"r"d-generation dual-source CT (DSCT) coronary angiography in obese and non-obese patients. We retrospectively analyzed 76 patients who underwent coronary CT angiography (CCTA) and invasive coronary angiography. Prospectively ECG-triggered acquisition was performed with automated tube voltage selection (ATVS). Patients were dichotomized based on body mass index in groups A (<30 kg/m"2, n = 37) and B (≥30 kg/m"2, n = 39) and based on tube voltage in groups C (<120 kV, n = 46) and D (120 kV, n = 30). Coronary arteries were assessed for significant stenoses (≥50 % luminal narrowing) and diagnostic accuracy was calculated. Per-patient overall sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value (NPV) and accuracy were 96.9 %, 95.5 %, 93.9 %, 97.7 % and 96.1 %, respectively. Sensitivity and NPV were lower in groups B and D compared to groups A and C, but no statistically significant differences were observed (group A vs. B: sensitivity, 100.0 % vs. 93.3 %, p = 0.9493; NPV, 100 % vs. 95.5 %, p = 0.9812; group C vs. D: sensitivity, 100.0 % vs. 92.3 %, p = 0.8462; NPV, 100.0 % vs. 94.1 %, p = 0.8285). CCTA using 3"r"d-generation DSCT and (ATVS) provides high diagnostic accuracy in both non-obese and obese patients. (orig.)

Detecting in-field variation in photosynthetic capacity of trangenically modifed plants with hyperspectral imaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Meacham, K.; Montes, C.; Pederson, T.; Wu, J.; Guan, K.; Bernacchi, C.

2017-12-01

Improved photosynthetic rates have been shown to increase crop biomass, making improved photosynthesis a focus for driving future grain yield increases. Improving the photosynthetic pathway offers opportunity to meet food demand, but requires high throughput measurement techniques to detect photosynthetic variation in natural accessions and transgenically modified plants. Gas exchange measurements are the most widely used method of measuring photosynthesis in field trials but this process is laborious and slow, and requires further modeling to estimate meaningful parameters and to upscale to the plot or canopy level. In field trials of tobacco with modifications made to the photosynthetic pathway, we infer the maximum carboxylation rate of Rubisco (Vcmax) and maximum electron transport rate (Jmax) and detect photosynthetic variation from hyperspectral imaging with a partial least squares regression technique. Ground-truth measurements from photosynthetic gas exchange, a full-range (400-2500nm) handheld spectroadiometer with leaf clip, hyperspectral indices, and extractions of leaf pigments support the model. The results from a range of wild-type cultivars and from genetically modified germplasm suggest that the opportunity for rapid selection of top performing genotypes from among thousands of plots. This research creates the opportunity to extend agroecosystem models from simplified "one-cultivar" generic parameterization to better represent a full suite of current and future crop cultivars for a wider range of environmental conditions.

Assessing the effects of ultraviolet radiation on the photosynthetic potential in Archean marine environments

Science.gov (United States)

Avila-Alonso, Dailé; Baetens, Jan M.; Cardenas, Rolando; de Baets, Bernard

2017-07-01

In this work, the photosynthesis model presented by Avila et al. in 2013 is extended and more scenarios inhabited by ancient cyanobacteria are investigated to quantify the effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation on their photosynthetic potential in marine environments of the Archean eon. We consider ferrous ions as blockers of UV during the Early Archean, while the absorption spectrum of chlorophyll a is used to quantify the fraction of photosynthetically active radiation absorbed by photosynthetic organisms. UV could have induced photoinhibition at the water surface, thereby strongly affecting the species with low light use efficiency. A higher photosynthetic potential in early marine environments was shown than in the Late Archean as a consequence of the attenuation of UVC and UVB by iron ions, which probably played an important role in the protection of ancient free-floating bacteria from high-intensity UV radiation. Photosynthetic organisms in Archean coastal and ocean environments were probably abundant in the first 5 and 25 m of the water column, respectively. However, species with a relatively high efficiency in the use of light could have inhabited ocean waters up to a depth of 200 m and show a Deep Chlorophyll Maximum near 60 m depth. We show that the electromagnetic radiation from the Sun, both UV and visible light, could have determined the vertical distribution of Archean marine photosynthetic organisms.

Effects of Arbuscular Mycorrhiza on Osmotic Adjustment and Photosynthetic Physiology of Maize Seedlings in Black Soils Region of Northeast China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hongwen Xu

Full Text Available ABSTRACT To investigate the effect of arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi on maize growth, osmoregulation substances and photosynthetic physiology, a popular maize variety ZD 958 was measured under potted condition. Arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM symbiosis promoted plant growth, and enhanced plant height, leaf length, mean leaf width and dry weight. Higher soluble sugar and protein, but lower proline concentrations were detected in AM seedlings than corresponding non-AM seedlings. Quantum yield of PSII photochemistry and potential photochemical efficiency increased by arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi, meanwhile, AM plants had lower primary fluorescence but higher maximal fluorescence and variable fluorescence than non-AM plants. AM enhanced apparent quantum efficiency, maximum net photosynthetic rate, dark respiration rate and light saturation point, but reduced light compensation point. The conclusion was that, after the seedling inoculated with Glomus. tortuosum, AM symbioses could protect cell from being hurt through regulating substances related to osmotic adjustment, besides, the efficiency of light utilization, the capacity of using low light and the capacity of fitting and using high light were all increased by AM symbiosis.

Effect of Pot Size on Various Characteristics Related to Photosynthetic Matter Production in Soybean Plants

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Minobu Kasai

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Despite the wide uses of potted plants, information on how pot size affects plant photosynthetic matter production is still considerably limited. This study investigated with soybean plants how transplantation into larger pots affects various characteristics related to photosynthetic matter production. The transplantation was analyzed to increase leaf photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, and stomatal conductance without affecting significantly leaf intercellular CO2 concentration, implicating that the transplantation induced equal increases in the rate of CO2 diffusion via leaf stomata and the rate of CO2 fixation in leaf photosynthetic cells. Analyses of Rubisco activity and contents of a substrate (ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP for Rubisco and total protein in leaf suggested that an increase in leaf Rubisco activity, which is likely to result from an increase in leaf Rubisco content, could contribute to the transplantation-induced increase in leaf photosynthetic rate. Analyses of leaf major photosynthetic carbohydrates and dry weights of source and sink organs revealed that transplantation increased plant sink capacity that uses leaf starch, inducing a decrease in leaf starch content and an increase in whole plant growth, particularly, growth of sink organs. Previously, in the same soybean species, it was demonstrated that negative correlation exists between leaf starch content and photosynthetic rate and that accumulation of starch in leaf decreases the rate of CO2 diffusion within leaf. Thus, it was suggested that the transplantation-induced increase in plant sink capacity decreasing leaf starch content could cause the transplantation-induced increase in leaf photosynthetic rate by inducing an increase in the rate of CO2 diffusion within leaf and thereby substantiating an increase in leaf Rubisco activity in vivo. It was therefore concluded that transplantation of soybean plants into larger pots attempted in this study increased the

Validation of photosynthetic-fluorescence parameters as biomarkers for isoproturon toxic effect on alga Scenedesmus obliquus.

Science.gov (United States)

Dewez, David; Didur, Olivier; Vincent-Héroux, Jonathan; Popovic, Radovan

2008-01-01

Photosynthetic-fluorescence parameters were investigated to be used as valid biomarkers of toxicity when alga Scenedesmus obliquus was exposed to isoproturon [3-(4-isopropylphenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea] effect. Chlorophyll fluorescence induction of algal cells treated with isoproturon showed inactivation of photosystem II (PSII) reaction centers and strong inhibition of PSII electron transport. A linear correlation was found (R2>or=0.861) between the change of cells density affected by isoproturon and the change of effective PSII quantum yield (PhiM'), photochemical quenching (qP) and relative photochemical quenching (qP(rel)) values. The cells density was also linearly dependent (R2=0.838) on the relative unquenched fluorescence parameter (UQF(rel)). Non-linear correlation was found (R2=0.937) only between cells density and the energy transfer efficiency from absorbed light to PSII reaction center (ABS/RC). The order of sensitivity determined by the EC-50% was: UQF(rel)>PhiM'>qP>qP(rel)>ABS/RC. Correlations between cells density and those photosynthetic-fluorescence parameters provide supporting evidence to use them as biomarkers of toxicity for environmental pollutants.

The temporal and species dynamics of photosynthetic acclimation in flag leaves of rice (Oryza sativa) and wheat (Triticum aestivum) under elevated carbon dioxide

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhu, J.; Zeng, Q.; Xie, Z.; Tang, H.; Zhu, C. (Chinese Academy of Sciences. State Key Lab. of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Nanjing (China)); Hasegawa, T. (National Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences. Agro-Meteorology Div., Tsukuba (Japan)); Ziska, L. (Crop Systems and Global Change Lab., Beltsville, MD (United States)); Jia, X. (Chinese Academic of Sciences/Nanjing Botanical Garden Memorial Sun Yat-Sen. Jiangsu Institute of Botany, Nanjing (China))

2012-07-15

In this study, we tested for the temporal occurrence of photosynthetic acclimation to elevated [CO{sub 2}] in the flag leaf of two important cereal crops, rice and wheat. In order to characterize the temporal onset of acclimation and the basis for any observed decline in photosynthetic rate, we characterized net photosynthesis, g{sub s}, g{sub m}, C{sub i}/C{sub a}, C{sub i}/C{sub c}, V{sub cmax}, J{sub max}, cell wall thickness, content of Rubisco, cytochrome (Cyt) f, N, chlorophyll and carbohydrate, mRNA expression for rbcL and petA, activity for Rubisco, sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS) and sucrose synthase (SS) at full flag expansion, mid-anthesis and the late grain-filling stage. No acclimation was observed for either crop at full flag leaf expansion. However, at the mid-anthesis stage, photosynthetic acclimation in rice was associated with RuBP carboxylation and regeneration limitations, while wheat only had the carboxylation limitation. By grain maturation, the decline of Rubisco content and activity had contributed to RuBP carboxylation limitation of photosynthesis in both crops at elevated [CO{sub 2}]; however, the sharp decrease of Rubisco enzyme activity played a more important role in wheat. Although an increase in non-structural carbohydrates did occur during these later stages, it was not consistently associated with changes in SPS and SS or photosynthetic acclimation. Rather, over time elevated [CO{sub 2}] appeared to enhance the rate of N degradation and senescence so that by late-grain fill, photosynthetic acclimation to elevated [CO{sub 2}] in the flag leaf of either species was complete. These data suggest that the basis for photosynthetic acclimation with elevated [CO{sub 2}] may be more closely associated with enhanced rates of senescence, and, as a consequence, may be temporally dynamic, with significant species variation. (Author)

Photosynthetic Energy Transfer at the Quantum/Classical Border.

Science.gov (United States)

Keren, Nir; Paltiel, Yossi

2018-06-01

Quantum mechanics diverges from the classical description of our world when very small scales or very fast processes are involved. Unlike classical mechanics, quantum effects cannot be easily related to our everyday experience and are often counterintuitive to us. Nevertheless, the dimensions and time scales of the photosynthetic energy transfer processes puts them close to the quantum/classical border, bringing them into the range of measurable quantum effects. Here we review recent advances in the field and suggest that photosynthetic processes can take advantage of the sensitivity of quantum effects to the environmental 'noise' as means of tuning exciton energy transfer efficiency. If true, this design principle could be a base for 'nontrivial' coherent wave property nano-devices. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Solubility and hydrolysis of Np(V) in dilute to concentrated alkaline NaCl solutions. Formation of Na-Np(V)-OH solid phases at 22 C

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Petrov, Vladimir G. [Lomonosov Moscow State Univ. (Russian Federation). Dept. of Chemistry; Fellhauer, David; Gaona, Xavier; Dardenne, Kathy; Rothe, Joerg; Altmaier, Marcus [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (Germany). Inst. for Nuclear Waste Disposal; Kalmykov, Stepan N. [Lomonosov Moscow State Univ. (Russian Federation). Dept. of Chemistry; NRC Kurchatov Institute, Moscow (Russian Federation)

2017-03-01

The solubility of Np(V) was investigated at T=22±2 C in alkaline NaCl solutions of different ionic strength (0.1-5.0 M). The solid phases controlling the solubility at different -log{sub 10} m{sub H{sup +}}(pH{sub m}) and NaCl concentration were characterized by XRD, quantitative chemical analysis, SEM-EDS and XAFS (both XANES and EXAFS). Aqueous phases in equilibrium with Np(V) solids were investigated for selected samples within 8.9≤pH{sub m}≤10.3 by UV-vis/NIR absorption spectroscopy. In 0.1 M NaCl, the experimental solubility of the initial greenish NpO{sub 2}OH(am) solid phase is in good agreement with previous results obtained in NaClO{sub 4} solutions, and is consistent with model calculations for fresh NpO{sub 2}OH(am) using the thermodynamic data selection in NEA-TDB. Below pH{sub m}∝11.5 and for all NaCl concentrations studied, Np concentration in equilibrium with the solid phase remained constant during the timeframe of this study (∝2 years). This observation is in contrast to the aging of the initial NpO{sub 2}OH(am) into a more crystalline modification with the same stoichiometry, NpO{sub 2}OH(am, aged), as reported in previous studies for concentrated NaClO{sub 4} and NaCl. Instead, the greenish NpO{sub 2}OH(am) transforms into a white solid phase in those systems with [NaCl]≥1.0 M and pH{sub m}≥11.5, and into two different pinkish phases above pH{sub m}∝13.2. The solid phase transformation is accompanied by a drop in Np solubility of 0.5-2 log{sub 10}-units (depending upon NaCl concentration). XANES analyses of green, white and pink phases confirm the predominance of Np(V) in all cases. Quantitative chemical analysis shows the incorporation of Na{sup +} in the original NpO{sub 2}OH(am) material, with Na:Np ≤ 0.3 for the greenish solids and 0.8 ≤ Na:Np ≤ 1.6 for the white and pinkish phases. XRD data confirms the amorphous character of the greenish phase, whereas white and pink solids show well-defined but discrepant XRD patterns

Photosynthetic capacity of 'Niagara Rosada' grapes grown under transparent plastic covering

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bruna Corrêa da Silva de Deus

2016-06-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT: New techniques in tropical regions such as use of transparent plastic covering (TPC, have been employed in grapes to avoid the wetting leaves and fruits, which can reduce the occurrence of fungal diseases, reduce the use of sprays, and reduce damage caused by hail and high winds. TPC may significantly affect the photosynthetic rates of grapevines cultivated in tropical regions, and thus have strong effects on plant productivity and improve fruit quality. However, in the North of Rio de Janeiro region there are lacks of studies related to TPC effects on photosynthetic capacity. The objective of this study was to evaluate the photosynthetic capacity in 'Niagara Rosada' vines grown under TPC and without transparent plastic covering (WTPC. The experiment was conducted between April and June 2013, on Tabuinha farm, located in the 3rd district of São Fidélis, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. A completely randomized block design was used with two treatments (TPC and WTPC and twelve replications. Evaluations consisted of climatological variables, gas exchange and maximum quantum efficiency of open photosystem II centers-quantum yield (Fv/Fm It was possible to observe that under TPC maximum temperature increase of 2.3°C, relative humidity reduced 1.5%, vapor pressure deficit increase 0.4kPa, and light intensity reduced 47.7%. These changes did not cause photochemical damage to the leaves. The TPC promoted higher net photosynthetic rate at 800h, which was associated with higher stomatal conductance. Thus, the TPC used in the northern region of Rio de Janeiro State did not impair the photosynthetic capacity of 'Niagara Rosada' vines.

The effect of temperature on the photosynthesis and 14C-photosynthetic products transportation and distribution in cucumber

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shi Yuelin; Sun Yiezhi; Xu Guimin; Cai Qiyun

1991-01-01

The optimum temperature of photosynthesis tended to become higher following the growth of cucumber. The optimum temperature was 30 deg C at the early growth stage and 35 deg C at the late growth stage. Stomatal resistance decreased and transpiration rate increased with increasing of the temperature. Most of the 14 C-photosynthetic products in leaves were transported out at 30 deg C during the day. After one night, more photosynthetic products were transported out under higher temperature. From the early to the middle growth stage, most of the 14 C-photosynthetic products were transported to fruits at 30 deg C. But caulis, leaves and apical point obtained most of the photosynthetic products at 35 deg C. At the late growth stage, most of the 14 C-photosynthetic products were transported to fruits at 35 deg c. At 25 deg C, caulis and leaves got more 14 C-photosynthetic products

Distribution of 14C-photosynthetate in the shoot of Vitis vinifera L. cv Cabernet Sauvignon: Pt. I

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hunter, J.J.; Visser, J.H.

1988-01-01

The distribution of photosynthetates, originating in leaves of different parts of the shoot of Vitis vinifera L. cv Cabernet Sauvignon at berry set, pea size, veraison and ripeness stages, was investigated. Specific photosynthetic activity of the 14 CO 2 -treated leaves gradually decreased during the season. Photosynthetates were hoarded in the leaves at berry set, but were increasingly diverted to the bunches after that. The apical leaves displayed the highest photosynthesis. The leaves opposite and below the bunches accumulated very little photosynthetates, especially from veraison to ripeness. Redistribution of photosynthetates among the basal, middle and apical leaves was generally very restricted at all stages. Multidirectional distribution from the site of application of 14 CO 2 occurred at berry set stage, while from pea size to ripeness photosynthetates were mainly translocated basipetally. Highest accumulation in the bunches occurred at veraison, while the basal leaves were primarily used to nourish the bunch

The responses of net primary production (NPP) and total carbon storage for the continental United States to changes in atmospheric CO{sub 2}, climate, and vegetation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McGuire, D.A. [Marine Biological Lab., Woods Hole, MA (United States)

1995-06-01

We extrapolated 3 biogeochemistry models (BIOME-BGC, CENTURY, and TEM) across the continental US with the vegetation distributions of 3 biogeography models (BIOME2, DOLY, and MAPSS) for contemporary climate at 355 ppmv CO{sub 2} and each of 3 GCM climate scenarios at 710 ppmv. For contemporary conditions, continental NPP ranges from 3132 to 3854 TgC/yr and total carbon storage ranges from 109 to 125 PgC. The responses of NPP range from no response (BIOME-BGC with DOLY or MAPSS vegetations for UKMO climate) to increases of 53% and 56% (TEM with BIOME2 vegetations for GFDL and OSU climates). The responses of total carbon storage vary from a decrease of 39% (BIOME-BGC with MAPSS vegetation for UKMO climate) to increases of 52% and 56% (TEM with BIOME2 vegetations for OSU and GFDL climates). The UKMO responses of BIOME-BGC with MAPSS vegetation are caused by both decreased forest area (from 44% to 38%) and photosynthetic water stress. The OSU and GFDL responses of TEM with BIOME2 vegetations are caused by forest expansion (from 46% to 67% for OSU and to 75% for GFDL) and increased nitrogen cycling.

Production and comparison of fuel properties, engine performance, and emission characteristics of biodiesel from various non-edible vegetable oils: A review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ashraful, A.M.; Masjuki, H.H.; Kalam, M.A.; Rizwanul Fattah, I.M.; Imtenan, S.; Shahir, S.A.; Mobarak, H.M.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Overview of current energy situation. • Overview of biology, distribution and chemistry of various non-edible oil resources. • Comparison of fuel properties of various biodiesels produced from various non-edible oils. • Comparison of engine performance and emission characteristics of reviewed biodiesels. - Abstract: Energy demand is increasing dramatically because of the fast industrial development, rising population, expanding urbanization, and economic growth in the world. To fulfill this energy demand, a large amount of fuel is widely used from different fossil resources. Burning of fossil fuels has caused serious detrimental environmental consequences. The application of biodiesel has shown a positive impact in resolving these issues. Edible vegetable oils are one of the potential feedstocks for biodiesel production. However, as the use of edible oils will jeopardize food supplies and biodiversity, non-edible vegetable oils, also known as second-generation feedstocks, are considered potential substitutes of edible food crops for biodiesel production. This paper introduces some species of non-edible vegetables whose oils are potential sources of biodiesel. These species are Pongamia pinnata (karanja), Calophyllum inophyllum (Polanga), Maduca indica (mahua), Hevea brasiliensis (rubber seed), Cotton seed, Simmondsia chinesnsis (Jojoba), Nicotianna tabacum (tobacco), Azadirachta indica (Neem), Linum usitatissimum (Linseed) and Jatropha curcas (Jatropha). Various aspects of non-edible feedstocks, such as biology, distribution, and chemistry, the biodiesel’s physicochemical properties, and its effect on engine performance and emission, are reviewed based on published articles. From the review, fuel properties are found to considerably vary depending on feedstocks. Analysis of the performance results revealed that most of the biodiesel generally give higher brake thermal efficiency and lower brake-specific fuel consumption. Emission results

Photosynthetic capacity of tropical montane tree species in relation to leaf nutrients, successional strategy and growth temperature.

Science.gov (United States)

Dusenge, Mirindi Eric; Wallin, Göran; Gårdesten, Johanna; Niyonzima, Felix; Adolfsson, Lisa; Nsabimana, Donat; Uddling, Johan

2015-04-01

Photosynthetic capacity of tree leaves is typically positively related to nutrient content and little affected by changes in growth temperature. These relationships are, however, often poorly supported for tropical trees, for which interspecific differences may be more strongly controlled by within-leaf nutrient allocation than by absolute leaf nutrient content, and little is known regarding photosynthetic acclimation to temperature. To explore the influence of leaf nutrient status, successional strategy and growth temperature on the photosynthetic capacity of tropical trees, we collected data on photosynthetic, chemical and morphological leaf traits of ten tree species in Rwanda. Seven species were studied in a forest plantation at mid-altitude (~1,700 m), whereas six species were studied in a cooler montane rainforest at higher altitude (~2,500 m). Three species were common to both sites, and, in the montane rainforest, three pioneer species and three climax species were investigated. Across species, interspecific variation in photosynthetic capacity was not related to leaf nutrient content. Instead, this variation was related to differences in within-leaf nitrogen allocation, with a tradeoff between investments into compounds related to photosynthetic capacity (higher in pioneer species) versus light-harvesting compounds (higher in climax species). Photosynthetic capacity was significantly lower at the warmer site at 1,700 m altitude. We conclude that (1) within-leaf nutrient allocation is more important than leaf nutrient content per se in controlling interspecific variation in photosynthetic capacity among tree species in tropical Rwanda, and that (2) tropical montane rainforest species exhibit decreased photosynthetic capacity when grown in a warmer environment.

Plant growth and physiology of vegetable plants as influenced by carbon dioxide environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ito, Tadashi

1973-01-01

In order to obtain basic knowledge on the increased giving of carbon dioxide to vegetables, the carbon dioxide environment in growing houses was analyzed, and the physiological and ecological properties of vegetables cultivated in carbon dioxide environment were elucidated. To improve the carbon dioxide environment, giving increased quantity of carbon dioxide, air flow, ventilation, and others were examined. The concentration of carbon dioxide began to decrease when the illumination intensity on growing layer reached 1 -- 1.5 lux, owing to the photo-synthetic activity of vegetables, and decreased rapidly at 3 -- 5 lux. The lowering of carbon dioxide concentration lowered the photo-synthesis of vegetables extremely, and the transfer of synthesized carbohydrate to roots was obstructed. The effect suffered in low carbon dioxide concentration left some aftereffect even after ventilation and the recovery of carbon dioxide concentration. But this aftereffect was not observed in case of cucumber. To improve carbon dioxide environment, the air flow or ventilation required for minimizing the concentration lowering was determined, but giving increased quantity of carbon dioxide was most effective. The interaction of carbon dioxide concentration and light was examined regarding the effect on photo-synthesis, and some knowledge of practical application was obtained. The effect of giving more carbon dioxide was more remarkable as the treatment was given to younger seedlings and in the period when the capacity of absorbing assimilation products was higher. (Kako, I.)

Ozone Effects on Fruit Productivity and Photosynthetic Response of Two Tomato Cultivars in Relation to Stomatal Fluxes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Giacomo Gerosa

Full Text Available An Open-Top Chamber experiment on two tomato cultivars (cv. Oxheart and cv. San Marzano was carried out in Curno (Northern Italy between June and September 2007. Two ozone treatments were applied for a 3.5 months period: Non-Filtered OTC (NF-OTC, 95% of ambient ozone and Charcoal-Filtered OTC (CF-OTC, 50% of ambient ozone. Diurnal cycles of porometry measurements were performed during the season and allowed to draw a stomatal conductance model for each cultivar in order to calculate the ozone stomatal fluxes taken up by plants. Assessments on fruits yield were performed during the season, taking into account the number of fruits, their fresh weight and their marketability. In addition, measurements on the chlorophyll fluorescence of photosystems were carried out to assess possible negative effects on photosynthetic efficiency. Despite the two cultivars absorbed a similar ozone stomatal dose during the season (with an 8% difference, their responses to ozone treatments were totally divergent in relation to both fruits yield and photosynthetic efficiency. Plants of cv. Oxheart grown in NF-OTCs showed significant yield loss in the total weight of fruits (-35.9% which is exclusively related to a decrease in the number of fruits produced (-35.7% of total fruits; -30.6% of marketable fruits, since mean fresh weight of fruits remained unaffected. Moreover the same plants displayed low values (in comparison to CF-OTCs plants of the photosynthetic efficiency index (PIabs during the most intense period of ozone stress (July occurred in the flowering stage of plants and at the beginning of fructification. Plants of the cv. San Marzano had an opposite response behaviour with an increase of the mean fresh weight of fruits in plants grown in NF-OTC (even if not statistically significant and no difference in the number of fruits produced and in the values of photosynthetic efficiency.

Contrasting Responses of Marine and Freshwater Photosynthetic Organisms to UVB Radiation: A Meta-Analysis

KAUST Repository

Jin, Peng; Duarte, Carlos M.; Agusti, Susana

2017-01-01

artificial lamps. We found that marine photosynthetic organisms tend to be more sensitive than freshwater photosynthetic organisms to UVB radiation; responses to either decreased or increased UVB radiation vary among taxa; the mortality rate is the most

[Effect of magnesium deficiency on photosynthetic physiology and triacylglyceride (TAG) accumulation of Chlorella vulgaris].

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Shan; Zhao, Shu-Xin; Wei, Chang-Long; Yu, Shui-Yan; Shi, Ji-Ping; Zhang, Bao-Guo

2014-04-01

As an excellent biological resource, Chlorella has wide applications for production of biofuel, bioactive substances and water environment restoration. Therefore, it is very important to understand the photosynthetic physiology characteristics of Chlorella. Magnesium ions play an important role in the growth of microalgae, not only the central atom of chlorophyll, but also the cofactor of some key enzyme in the metabolic pathway. A laboratory study was conducted to evaluate the effects of magnesium deficiency on several photosynthetic and physiological parameters and the triacylglyceride (TAG) accumulation of the green alga, Chlorella vulgaris, in the photoautotrophic culture process. Chlorella vulgaris biomass, protein, chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b contents decreased by 20%, 43.96%, 27.52% and 28.07% in response to magnesium deficiency, while the total oil content increased by 19.60%. Moreover, magnesium deficiency decreased the maximal photochemical efficiency F(v)/F(m) by 22.54%, but increased the non-photochemical quenching parameters qN. Our results indicated the decline of chlorophyll caused by magnesium, which affected the photosynthesis efficiency, lead to the growth inhibition of Chlorella vulgaris and affected the protein synthesis and increased the triacylglyceride (TAG) accumulation.

Difference in photosynthetic performance among three peach ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The effects of low photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) on greenhouse grown peach trees ('Qingfeng': Prunus persica L. Batsch, 'NJN76': Prunus persica L. Batsch and 'Maixiang': P. persica var. nectarine) were investigated. Difference in photosynthesis rate (Pn) and stoma morphology among cultivars were studied.

Engineering of cyanobacteria for the photosynthetic production of limonene from CO2.

Science.gov (United States)

Kiyota, Hiroshi; Okuda, Yukiko; Ito, Michiho; Hirai, Masami Yokota; Ikeuchi, Masahiko

2014-09-20

Isoprenoids, major secondary metabolites in many organisms, are utilized in various applications. We constructed a model photosynthetic production system for limonene, a volatile isoprenoid, using a unicellular cyanobacterium that expresses the plant limonene synthase. This system produces limonene photosynthetically at a nearly constant rate and that can be efficiently recovered using a gas-stripping method. This production does not affect the growth of the cyanobacteria and is markedly enhanced by overexpression of three enzymes in the intrinsic pathway to provide the precursor of limonene, geranyl pyrophosphate. The photosynthetic production of limonene in our system is more or less sustained from the linear to stationary phase of cyanobacterial growth for up to 1 month. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Projected global ground-level ozone impacts on vegetation under different emission and climate scenarios

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. Sicard

2017-10-01

Full Text Available The impact of ground-level ozone (O3 on vegetation is largely under-investigated at the global scale despite large areas worldwide that are exposed to high surface O3 levels. To explore future potential impacts of O3 on vegetation, we compared historical and projected surface O3 concentrations simulated by six global atmospheric chemistry transport models on the basis of three representative concentration pathways emission scenarios (i.e. RCP2.6, 4.5, 8.5. To assess changes in the potential surface O3 threat to vegetation at the global scale, we used the AOT40 metric. Results point out a significant exceedance of AOT40 in comparison with the recommendations of UNECE for the protection of vegetation. In fact, many areas of the Northern Hemisphere show that AOT40-based critical levels will be exceeded by a factor of at least 10 under RCP8.5. Changes in surface O3 by 2100 worldwide range from about +4–5 ppb in the RCP8.5 scenario to reductions of about 2–10 ppb in the most optimistic scenario, RCP2.6. The risk of O3 injury for vegetation, through the potential O3 impact on photosynthetic assimilation, decreased by 61 and 47 % under RCP2.6 and RCP4.5, respectively, and increased by 70 % under RCP8.5. Key biodiversity areas in southern and northern Asia, central Africa and North America were identified as being at risk from high O3 concentrations.

Formation of hydrocarbon compounds during the hydrocracking of non-edible vegetable oils with cobalt-nickel supported on hierarchical HZSM-5 catalyst

Science.gov (United States)

Marlinda, L.; Al-Muttaqii, M.; Roesyadi, A.; Prajitno, D. H.

2017-05-01

The hierarchical Co-Ni/HZSM-5 catalyst with hierarchical pore structure was prepared by desilication and incipient wetness impregnation. Hydrocracking of non-edible vegetable oils at temperature of 400 °C, 20±5 bar for 2 h was performed in the presence of this type of catalyst under hydrogen initial pressure in pressured batch reactor. Non-edible vegetable oils, such as Reutealis trisperma (Blanco) airy shaw (sunan candlenut) and Hevea brasiliensis (rubber seed) were chosen to study the effect of the degree of saturation and lateral chain length on hydrocarbon compounds obtained through hydrocracking. Cerbera manghas oil was also tested for comparison because the composition of fatty acid was different with the other oils The hydrocracking test indicated that liquid product produced has a similar hydrocarbon compounds with petroleum diesel. The most abundant hydrocarbon is pentadecane (n-C15) and heptadecane (n-C17). The high aromatic compounds were found in liquid product produced in hydrocracking of Sunan candlenut oil.

Functional size of photosynthetic electron transport chain determined by radiation inactivation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pan, R.S.; Chen, L.F.; Wang, M.Y.; Tsal, M.Y.; Pan, R.L.; Hsu, B.D.

1987-01-01

Radiation inactivation technique was employed to determine the functional size of photosynthetic electron transport chain of spinach chloroplasts. The functional size for photosystem I+II(H 2 O to methylviologen) was 623 +/- 37 kilodaltons; for photosystem II (H 2 O to dimethylquinone/ferricyanide), 174 +/- 11 kilodaltons; and for photosystem I (reduced diaminodurene to methylviologen), 190 +/- 11 kilodaltons. The difference between 364 +/- 22 (the sum of 174 +/- 11 and 190 +/- 11) kilodaltons and 623 +/- 37 kilodaltons is partially explained to be due to the presence of two molecules of cytochrome b 6 /f complex of 280 kilodaltons. The molecular mass for other partial reactions of photosynthetic electron flow, also measured by radiation inactivation, is reported. The molecular mass obtained by this technique is compared with that determined by other conventional biochemical methods. A working hypothesis for the composition, stoichiometry, and organization of polypeptides for photosynthetic electron transport chain is proposed

Oxyfluorfen toxic effect on S. obliquus evaluated by different photosynthetic and enzymatic biomarkers.

Science.gov (United States)

Geoffroy, L; Dewez, D; Vernet, G; Popovic, R

2003-11-01

The effect of oxyfluorfen was investigated when alga Scenedesmus obliquus has been exposed to different concentrations (7.5, 15, and 22.5 microg x L(-1)) at 12, 24, and 48 hours of exposure. Toxicity test was done by using 13 biomarkers concerning growth rate, chlorophyll content and indicators of photosynthetic and antioxidant enzyme activities. The change of the 13 parameters showed a great variation of sensitivity indicating differences in parameters' suitability to be used as biomarkers when alga culture was exposed to oxyfluorfen toxicity. The order of sensitivity between those biomarkers was: Antenna size (ABS/RC) > Chlorophyll content > Catalase (CAT) > Operational PSII quantum yield (phiS(PSII)) > Glutathione S-transferase (GST) > Functional plastoquinone pool (Q(PQ)) > Glutathione reductase (GR) > Growth rate > Nonphotochemical quenching (QN) > Proton gradient quenching (Q(Emax)) > Ascorbate peroxidase (APX) > Photochemical quenching (Q(p)) > Maximum PSII quantum yield (Phi(PSII)). The effect of oxyfluorfen on the changes of those parameters was interpreted as a result of herbicide mode of action at molecular level of alga cellular system. This study indicated for some photosynthetic and enzymatic biomarkers to be useful indicators of toxicity effect induced in non-target alga species. Determination of biomarkers' sensitivity order may facilitate their selection to be used in environmental risk assessment of polluted water.

Effect of Temperature and light intensity on growth and Photosynthetic Activity of Chlamydomonas reinhard II

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alfonsel Jaen, M.; Fernandez Gonzalez, J.

1985-01-01

The effect of five temperatures (15,20,25,30 and 35 degree centigree) and two levels of illumination on growth and photosynthetic activity of Chlamydomonas reinhard II has been studied. The growth of the cultures was evaluated by optical density. Photosynthetic activity has been carried out studying either the assimilation rate of C0 2 labelled with C-14 or the oxygen evolution by means of polarographic measurements. The maximum photosynthetic rate has been obtained at 25 degree centigree for the lower level of illumination (2400 lux) and at 35 degree centigree for the higher one (13200 lux) and at 35 degree centigree for the higher ono (13200 lux). These results suggest an interaction of temperature and illumination on photosynthetic activity. (Author) 37 refs

Synegies Between Visible/Near-Infrared Imaging Spectrometry and the Thermal Infrared in an Urban Environment: An Evaluation of the Hyperspectral Infrared Imager (HYSPIRI) Mission

Science.gov (United States)

Roberts, Dar A.; Quattrochi, Dale A.; Hulley, Glynn C.; Hook, Simon J.; Green, Robert O.

2012-01-01

AVIRIS pixels. Fractions of Impervious, Soil, Green Vegetation (GV) and Non-photosynthetic Vegetation (NPV), were estimated using Multiple Endmember Spectral Mixture Analysis (MESMA) applied to AVIRIS data at 7.5, 15 and 60 m spatial scales. Surface energy parameters, including albedo, vegetation cover fraction, broadband emissivity and LST were also determined for urban and natural land-cover classes in the region. Fractions were validated using 1m digital photography.

Using Google Earth Engine To Apply Spectral Mixture Analysis Over Landsat 5TM Imagery To Map Fire Scars In The Alto Teles Pires River Basin, Mato Grosso State, Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

Antunes Daldegan, G.; Ribeiro, F.; Roberts, D. A.

2016-12-01

The two most extensive biomes in Brazil, the Amazon Forest and the Cerrado (the Brazilian savanna), are subject to many fire events every dry season. Both biomes are well-known for their ecological and environmental importance but, due to the intensive human occupation over the last decades, they have been experiencing high deforestation rates with much of their natural landscape being converted to agriculture and pasture uses. The Cerrado, as a savanna, has naturally evolved adapted to fire. According to some researchers, this biome has been exposed to fire for the last 25 million years, forging the diversification of many C4 grass species, for example. The Amazon forest does not have similar characteristics and studies have shown that forest areas that have been already burned become more prone to recurrent burns. Forest patches that are close to open areas have their edges exposed to higher insolation and greater turbulence, drying the understory vegetation and litter, turning those areas more susceptible to fire events. In cases where grass species become established in the understory they can be a renewable source of fuel for recurrent burns. This study aimed to identify and map fire scars present in the region of Alto Teles Pires river basin, State of Mato Grosso - Brazil, during 10 years (2002-2011). This region is located in the transition zone between the two biomes and is known for its high deforestation rates. By taking advantage of the Landsat 5TM imagery collection present in Google Earth Engine platform as well as applying Spectral Mixture Analysis (SMA) techniques over them it was possible to estimate fractions of Green Vegetation (GV), Non-Photosynthetic Vegetation (NPV), and Soil targets, which are the surfaces that compose the vast majority of the landscape in the study region. Iteratively running SMA analysis over the imagery using burned vegetation endmembers allowed us to further identify fire scars present in the region, returning excellent

Empirically Derived and Simulated Sensitivity of Vegetation to Climate Across Global Gradients of Temperature and Precipitation

Science.gov (United States)

Quetin, G. R.; Swann, A. L. S.

2017-12-01

Successfully predicting the state of vegetation in a novel environment is dependent on our process level understanding of the ecosystem and its interactions with the environment. We derive a global empirical map of the sensitivity of vegetation to climate using the response of satellite-observed greenness and leaf area to interannual variations in temperature and precipitation. Our analysis provides observations of ecosystem functioning; the vegetation interactions with the physical environment, across a wide range of climates and provide a functional constraint for hypotheses engendered in process-based models. We infer mechanisms constraining ecosystem functioning by contrasting how the observed and simulated sensitivity of vegetation to climate varies across climate space. Our analysis yields empirical evidence for multiple physical and biological mediators of the sensitivity of vegetation to climate as a systematic change across climate space. Our comparison of remote sensing-based vegetation sensitivity with modeled estimates provides evidence for which physiological mechanisms - photosynthetic efficiency, respiration, water supply, atmospheric water demand, and sunlight availability - dominate the ecosystem functioning in places with different climates. Earth system models are generally successful in reproducing the broad sign and shape of ecosystem functioning across climate space. However, this general agreement breaks down in hot wet climates where models simulate less leaf area during a warmer year, while observations show a mixed response but overall more leaf area during warmer years. In addition, simulated ecosystem interaction with temperature is generally larger and changes more rapidly across a gradient of temperature than is observed. We hypothesize that the amplified interaction and change are both due to a lack of adaptation and acclimation in simulations. This discrepancy with observations suggests that simulated responses of vegetation to

Variability of photosynthetic pigments in the Colombian Pacific ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

R. Narasimhan (Krishtel eMaging) 1461 1996 Oct 15 13:05:22

Picture series of surface chlorophyll,. SST, wind ... photosynthetic pigments during the time of inten- sification of ... calculation of Ekman pumping (We) using finite- differencing to ..... Legeckis R 1986 A satellite time series sea surface tempera-.

Photosynthetic Rates of Citronella and Lemongrass 1

Science.gov (United States)

Herath, H. M. Walter; Ormrod, Douglas P.

1979-01-01

Ten selections of citronella (Cymbopogon nardus [L.] Rendle) were grown at 32/27, 27/21, or 15/10 C day/night temperatures, and plants from three populations of lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus [D.C.] Stapf from Japan or Sri Lanka and Cymbopogon flexuosus [D.C.] Stapf from India) were grown at 8- or 15-hour photoperiods. Net photosynthetic rates of mature leaves were measured in a controlled environment at 25 C and 260 microeinsteins per meter2 per second. Rates declined with increasing leaf age, and from the tip to the base of the leaf blade. Rates for citronella leaves grown at 15/10 C were extremely low for all selections. Highest rates of net photosynthesis were recorded for four selections grown at 27/21 C and for two selections grown at 32/27 C. Lemongrass grown at 8-hour photoperiod had higher photosynthetic rates than that grown at 15-hour photoperiod. PMID:16660737

[Effects of low-light stress on photosynthetic characteristics of Paris polyphylla var. chinensis in artificial domestication cultivation].

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Shun-lin; Tian, Meng-liang; Liu, Jin-liang; Zhao, Ting-ting; Zhang, Zhong

2014-09-01

To decide on the optimum artificial domestication cultivation light environment for Paris polyphylla var. chinensis through investigating the effect of light intensity on leaf's gas exchange parameters, photosynthetic parameters, light saturation point and compensation point of Paris polyphylla var. chinensis. Different low-light stress gradients' effect on the growth of Paris polyphylla var. chinensis was compared with no low-light stress treatment through calculating leaf's gas exchange parameters, photosynthetic parameters, light saturation point and compensation point, and then all these parameters were statistically analyzed. Light intensity had significant influence on the photosynthetic characteristics of Paris polyphylla var. chinensis. With the strengthening of the low-light stress, chlorophyll content, gas exchange parameters, photosynthetic parameters P., AQY and light saturation point all gradually increased at first, and then decreased. However, both photosynthetic parameters Rd and light compensation point firstly decreased and then rose again. These results showed that too strong or too weak light intensity affected the optimization of photosynthetic parameters of Paris polyphylla var. chinensis. The optimal illuminance for each parameter was not completely same, but they could all reach a relative ideal state when the shading ranges between 40% and 60%. However, photosynthetic parameters deteriorated rapidly when the shading surpass 80%. For artificially cultivating Paris polyphylla var. chinensis in Baoxing,Sichuan or the similar ecological region, shading 40%-60% is the optimal light environment, which can enhance the photosynthesis of Paris polyphylla var. chinensis and promote the accumulation of photosynthetic products.

Managing the Microbial Ecology of a Cyanobacteria-Based Photosynthetic Factory Direct!, Final Report for EE0006100

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rittmann, Bruce [Arizona State Univ., Tempe, AZ (United States); Krajmalnik‐Brown, Rosa [Arizona State Univ., Tempe, AZ (United States); Zevin, Alexander [Arizona State Univ., Tempe, AZ (United States); Nguyen, Binh [Arizona State Univ., Tempe, AZ (United States); Patel, Megha [Arizona State Univ., Tempe, AZ (United States)

2015-02-28

The grandest challenge facing human society today is providing large amounts of energy and industrial chemicals that are renewable and carbon-neutral. An outstanding opportunity lies in employing photosynthetic microorganisms, which have the potential to generate energy and chemical feedstock from sunlight and CO₂ at rates 10 to 100 times greater than plants. Major challenges for solar-powered production using photosynthetic microorganisms are associated with the harvesting and downstream processing of biomass to yield the usable energy or material feedstock e.g. The technical challenges and costs of downstream processing could be avoided if, powered by solar energy, the photosynthetic microorganisms were to convert CO₂ directly to the desired product, which they release for direct harvesting. This approach creates a true photosynthetic factory, our goal for Photosynthetic Factory Direct! Our team is able to genetically modify the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 so that it produces and excretes a range of renewable energy and chemical products directly from CO₂ and sunlight. Essential to realizing the potential of the photosynthetic factory is an engineered Advanced Photobioreactor (APBR) for reliable synthesis and harvest of the products.

PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PHENOLOGICAL VEGETATIVE RESPONSES OF Campomanesia adamantium (Cambess O. Berg (Myrtaceae TO THE HYDRIC SEASONALITY OF RUPESTRIAN FIELDS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vinícius Coelho Kuster

Full Text Available ABSTRACT The rupestrian fields have two well-defined seasons throughout the year, with rainfall rates that reflect the rainy and dry seasons. This distinction in water availability affects the morphology, physiology and chemistry of plants, among other characteristics. Thus, it is aimed at evaluating the leaf water status, vegetative phenology and photosynthetic behavior of Campomanesia adamantium from a rupestrian field during the dry and rainy season. The study was conducted in Serra do Cipó, Minas Gerais, Brazil. From November 2011 to November 2012 it was examined vegetative phenophases and development of six individuals. Water potential, stomatal conductance, quantum yield and concentration of pigments were evaluated from four leaves of 3rd node per individual (n = 4-5 in the dry and rainy seasons. C. adamantium is an evergreen type and presents mature leaves and sprouting throughout the year. This species showed strategies that reduce water loss during the dry season in rupestrian field, such as decrease in stomatal conductance throughout the day, also associated with a reduction in leaf water potential. However, low water availability did not affect the photosynthetic performance, which enables the construction of new leaves and renovation of the crown even in dry periods. Finally, little reduction in the values of Fv/Fm throughout the day and increase the values of ΔF/Fm' in warmer times, both in the dry season, reiterates the ability of C. adamantium to adjust their physiology to seasonal water deficit of the rupestrian field.

Multivariate ordination identifies vegetation types associated with spider conservation in brassica crops

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hafiz Sohaib Ahmed Saqib

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Conservation biological control emphasizes natural and other non-crop vegetation as a source of natural enemies to focal crops. There is an unmet need for better methods to identify the types of vegetation that are optimal to support specific natural enemies that may colonize the crops. Here we explore the commonality of the spider assemblage—considering abundance and diversity (H—in brassica crops with that of adjacent non-crop and non-brassica crop vegetation. We employ spatial-based multivariate ordination approaches, hierarchical clustering and spatial eigenvector analysis. The small-scale mixed cropping and high disturbance frequency of southern Chinese vegetation farming offered a setting to test the role of alternate vegetation for spider conservation. Our findings indicate that spider families differ markedly in occurrence with respect to vegetation type. Grassy field margins, non-crop vegetation, taro and sweetpotato harbour spider morphospecies and functional groups that are also present in brassica crops. In contrast, pumpkin and litchi contain spiders not found in brassicas, and so may have little benefit for conservation biological control services for brassicas. Our findings also illustrate the utility of advanced statistical approaches for identifying spatial relationships between natural enemies and the land uses most likely to offer alternative habitats for conservation biological control efforts that generates testable hypotheses for future studies.

Assessment of MODIS-EVI, MODIS-NDVI and VEGETATION-NDVI composite data using agricultural measurements: an example at corn fields in western Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Pei-Yu; Fedosejevs, Gunar; Tiscareño-López, Mario; Arnold, Jeffrey G

2006-08-01

Although several types of satellite data provide temporal information of the land use at no cost, digital satellite data applications for agricultural studies are limited compared to applications for forest management. This study assessed the suitability of vegetation indices derived from the TERRA-Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor and SPOT-VEGETATION (VGT) sensor for identifying corn growth in western Mexico. Overall, the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) composites from the VGT sensor based on bi-directional compositing method produced vegetation information most closely resembling actual crop conditions. The NDVI composites from the MODIS sensor exhibited saturated signals starting 30 days after planting, but corresponded to green leaf senescence in April. The temporal NDVI composites from the VGT sensor based on the maximum value method had a maximum plateau for 80 days, which masked the important crop transformation from vegetative stage to reproductive stage. The Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) composites from the MODIS sensor reached a maximum plateau 40 days earlier than the occurrence of maximum leaf area index (LAI) and maximum intercepted fraction of photosynthetic active radiation (fPAR) derived from in-situ measurements. The results of this study showed that the 250-m resolution MODIS data did not provide more accurate vegetation information for corn growth description than the 500-m and 1000-m resolution MODIS data.

Photosynthetic pathway types of evergreen rosette plants (Liliaceae) of the Chihuahuan desert.

Science.gov (United States)

Kemp, Paul R; Gardetto, Pietra E

1982-11-01

Diurnal patterns of CO 2 exchange and titratable acidity were monitored in six species of evergreen rosette plants growing in controlled environment chambers and under outdoor environmental conditions. These patterns indicated that two of the species, Yucca baccata and Y. torreyi, were constituitive CAM plants while the other species, Y. elata, Y. campestris, Nolina microcarpa and Dasylirion wheeleri, were C 3 plants. The C 3 species did not exhibit CAM when grown in any of several different temperature, photoperiod, and moisture regimes. Both photosynthetic pathway types appear adapted to desert environments and all species show environmentally induced changes in their photosynthetic responses consistent with desert adaptation. The results of this study do not indicate that changes in the photosynthetic pathway type are an adaptation in any of these species.

Impact of gibberelic acid and tebuconazole on formation of the leaf system and functioning of donor – acceptor plant system of solanaceae vegetable crops

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. H. Kuryata

2017-04-01

Full Text Available We studied the comparable effect of gibberelic acid and tebuconazole on morphogenesis, mesostructure formation and redistribution of flows in sweet peppers and tomatoes. It has been found that the use of gibberelic acid and tebuconazole retardant during budding leads to increased plant productivity due to optimization of the structure and operation of the plants’ leaf apparatus. It was established that both gibberelic and antigibberelic tebuconazole drug stimulated the formation and functioning of the photosynthetic apparatus of peppers and tomatoes, but the mechanisms of this regulation were different. Increased photosynthetic activity of plants under the influence of gibberellin was determined primarily by the formation of more leaves and total leaf surface. When using tebuconazole retardant there was a significant restructuring of the organization of leaf mezostructure: the leaves were thickened by chlorenchyma proliferation, there was an increase in the volume of columnar parenchyma cells and linear dimensions of spongy parenchyma leaf cells. The surface density of leaves significantly increased, the chlorophyll content and nitrogen content (especially protein also increased, compared with control variants and variants using gibberelin. Such a profound restructuring of the photosynthetic apparatus in plants under the actions of tebuconazole led to a significant increase in donor leaves function of peppers and tomatoes, which is an indicator of the growth of net productivity of photosynthesis – the highest among all the variants of the experiment. The results also show that increasing the chlorophyll phytocenotic index was more significant than the increase of leaf index: the tomatoes under the action of tebuconazole had a lower leaf index than in control options, but due to a higher chlorophyll index the crop productivity increased.Since during the fruiting period the costs of assimilates to the growth of vegetative organs are greatly

DAILY BUDGETS OF PHOTOSYNTHETICALLY FIXED CARBON IN SYMBIOTIC ZOANTHIDS.

Science.gov (United States)

Steen, R Grant; Muscatine, L

1984-10-01

We tested the hypothesis that some zoanthids are able to meet a portion of their daily respiratory carbon requirement with photosynthetic carbon from symbiotic algal cells (= zooxanthellae). A daily budget was constructed for carbon (C) photosynthetically fixed by zooxanthellae of the Bermuda zoanthids Zoanthus sociatus and Palythoa variabilis. Zooxanthellae have an average net photosynthetic C fixation of 7.48 and 15.56 µgC·polyp -1 ·day -1 for Z. sociatus and P. variabilis respectively. The C-specific growth rate (µ c ) was 0.215·day -1 for Z. sociatus and 0.152·day -1 for P. variabilis. The specific growth rate (µ) of zooxanthellae in the zoanthids was measured to be 0.011 and 0.017·day -1 for Z. sociatus and P. variabilis zooxanthellae respectively. Z. sociatus zooxanthellae translocated 95.1% of the C assimilated in photosynthesis, while P. variabilis zooxanthellae translocated 88.8% of their fixed C. As the animal tissue of a polyp of Z. sociatus required 14.75 µgC·day -1 for respiration, and one of P. variabiis required 105.54 µgC·day -1 , the contribution of zooxanthellae to animal respiration (CZAR) was 48.2% for Z. sociatus and 13.1% for P. variabilis.

Diversity and evolution of Ty1-copia and Ty3-gypsy retroelements in the non-photosynthetic flowering plants Orobanche and Phelipanche (Orobanchaceae).

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Jeong-Mi; Schneeweiss, Gerald M; Weiss-Schneeweiss, Hanna

2007-01-31

We present the first study on the diversity and evolution of Ty1-copia and Ty3-gypsy retroelements in a group of non-photosynthetic flowering plants. To this end partial sequences of the reverse transcriptase (rt) gene were obtained from 20 clones for each retroelement type from seven and six accessions of Orobanche and Phelipanche (Orobanchaceae), respectively. Overall sequence similarity is higher in Ty3-gypsy elements than in Ty1-copia elements in agreement with the results from other angiosperm groups. Higher sequence diversity and stronger phylogenetic structure, especially of Ty1-copia sequences, in Orobanche species compared to Phelipanche species support the previously suggested hypothesis (based on karyological and cytological data) that genomes of Orobanche species are more dynamic than those of Phelipanche species. No evidence was found for intraspecific differences of retroelement diversity nor for differences between pest taxa and their putative wild relatives, e.g., O. crenata and O. owerini. The occurrence of a few sequences from Phelipanche species in clades otherwise comprising sequences from Orobanche species might be due to horizontal gene transfer, but the alternative of vertical transmission cannot be rejected unambiguously.

Photosynthetic pathways of some aquatic plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hough, R A [Wayne State Univ., Detroit; Wetzel, R G

1977-12-01

Over 40 species of aquatic angiosperms, including submersed, floating and emergent types, have been examined for photosynthetic status as part of a search for possible aquatic C/sub 4/ species. The C/sub 4/ system is viewed as potentially of adaptive value in certain aquatic situations, although evidence for its occurrence there is not conclusive. Emphasis was on plants from North-temperate softwater and hardwater lakes to explore both possibilities of CO/sub 2/ limitation, i.e., low total inorganic carbon in softwater vs. low free CO/sub 2/ in hardwater lakes. On the basis of leaf cross-section anatomy, all plants examined, with one exception, clearly did not show evidence of C/sub 4/ ''Krantz anatomy.'' In the submersed plant Potamogeton praelongus Wulf, large starch-producing chloroplasts were concentrated in cells surrounding vascular bundles and in a narrow band of cells between vascular bundles. The in situ photosynthetic rate of this plant was twice that of a related species, but other evidence including PEP carboxylase content and photorespiratory response to high O/sub 2/ did not confirm the presence of the C/sub 4/ photosynthesis.

The impact of vegetation on sedimentary organic matter composition and PAH desorption

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nichols, Elizabeth Guthrie [North Carolina State University, Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, 2800 Faucette Drive, Raleigh, NC 27695 (United States)], E-mail: elizabeth_nichols@ncsu.edu; Gregory, Samuel T.; Musella, Jennifer S. [North Carolina State University, Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, 2800 Faucette Drive, Raleigh, NC 27695 (United States)

2008-12-15

Relationships between sedimentary organic matter (SOM) composition and PAH desorption behavior were determined for vegetated and non-vegetated refinery distillate waste sediments. Sediments were fractionated into size, density, and humin fractions and analyzed for their organic matter content. Bulk sediment and humin fractions differed more in organic matter composition than size/density fractions. Vegetated humin and bulk sediments contained more polar organic carbon, black carbon, and modern (plant) carbon than non-vegetated sediment fractions. Desorption kinetics of phenanthrene, pyrene, chrysene, and C{sub 3}-phenanthrene/anthracenes from humin and bulk sediments were investigated using Tenax beads and a two-compartment, first-order kinetic model. PAH desorption from distillate waste sediments appeared to be controlled by the slow desorbing fractions of sediment; rate constants were similar to literature values for k{sub slow} and k{sub veryslow}. After several decades of plant colonization and growth (Phragmites australis), vegetated sediment fractions more extensively desorbed PAHs and had faster desorption kinetics than non-vegetated sediment fractions. - Plants alter sediment organic matter composition and PAH desorption behavior.

The impact of vegetation on sedimentary organic matter composition and PAH desorption

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nichols, Elizabeth Guthrie; Gregory, Samuel T.; Musella, Jennifer S.

2008-01-01

Relationships between sedimentary organic matter (SOM) composition and PAH desorption behavior were determined for vegetated and non-vegetated refinery distillate waste sediments. Sediments were fractionated into size, density, and humin fractions and analyzed for their organic matter content. Bulk sediment and humin fractions differed more in organic matter composition than size/density fractions. Vegetated humin and bulk sediments contained more polar organic carbon, black carbon, and modern (plant) carbon than non-vegetated sediment fractions. Desorption kinetics of phenanthrene, pyrene, chrysene, and C 3 -phenanthrene/anthracenes from humin and bulk sediments were investigated using Tenax beads and a two-compartment, first-order kinetic model. PAH desorption from distillate waste sediments appeared to be controlled by the slow desorbing fractions of sediment; rate constants were similar to literature values for k slow and k veryslow . After several decades of plant colonization and growth (Phragmites australis), vegetated sediment fractions more extensively desorbed PAHs and had faster desorption kinetics than non-vegetated sediment fractions. - Plants alter sediment organic matter composition and PAH desorption behavior

Photosynthetic efficiency of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii in flashing light

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vejrazka, C.; Janssen, M.G.J.; Streefland, M.; Wijffels, R.H.

2011-01-01

Efficient light to biomass conversion in photobioreactors is crucial for economically feasible microalgae production processes. It has been suggested that photosynthesis is enhanced in short light path photobioreactors by mixing-induced flashing light regimes. In this study, photosynthetic

Photosynthetic activity, photoprotection and photoinhibition in intertidal microphytobenthos as studied in situ using variable chlorophyll fluorescence

Science.gov (United States)

Serôdio, João; Vieira, Sónia; Cruz, Sónia

2008-06-01

The photosynthetic activity of microphytobenthos biofilms was studied in situ on an intertidal mudflat of the Ria de Aveiro, Portugal. Time series of physical variables characterizing the microenvironment at the sediment photic zone (incident solar irradiance, temperature, salinity), photophysiological parameters and productive biomass of undisturbed microalgal assemblages were measured during daytime low-tide periods along one spring-neap tidal cycle, with the objective of (1) characterizing the short-term variability in photosynthetic activity in situ, (2) relating it with the changing environmental conditions and (3) with the operation of physiologically (xanthophyll cycle) and behaviorally (vertical migration) based photoprotective processes, and (4) assessing the occurrence of photoinhibition. Pulse Amplitude Modulated (PAM) fluorometry was applied to measure photosynthetic activity (the effective and maximum quantum yield of photosystem II, Δ F/ Fm' and Fv/ Fm; the photosynthesis index EFY; rapid light-response curves (RLC)), the photoprotective operation of the xanthophyll cycle and photoinhibition (non-photochemical quenching, NPQ; quantum efficiency of open RCs, Fv'/ Fm'), and vertical migration (productive biomass, Fo). The photosynthetic activity was found to be strongly affected by the cumulative light dose received during the morning low-tide periods. The fluorescence indices Δ F/ Fm', EFY, Fv'/ Fm' and RLC parameters were more depressed under high irradiances when clear sky was present during the morning low tide than when foggy conditions reduced the light dose received during a comparable period. Productive biomass exhibited maximum values in the first hours of the morning, followed by a steep decrease when irradiance reached moderate levels, due to the downward migration of the microalgae. This photophobic migratory response appeared to display a photoprotective role, allowing Δ F/ Fm' to remain near optimum values until irradiance reached

Investigating and comparing uranium and gamma radiation induced effects on photosynthetic parameters for Arabidopsis thaliana

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vanhoudt, Nathalie; Horemans, Nele; Saenen, Eline; Biermans, Geert; Nauts, Robin; Wannijn, Jean; Van Hees, May; Vandenhove, Hildegarde [Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK.CEN), Biosphere Impact Studies, 2400, Mol (Belgium)

2014-07-01

As the environment is inevitably exposed to radionuclides and ionizing radiation from natural and anthropogenic sources, it is important to study the effects induced by these stressors on plants. In addition, it is already known that photosynthesis can be affected under various metal exposure situations. The objective of this research is to compare uranium induced effects with gamma radiation induced effects on photosynthetic parameters in Arabidopsis thaliana. First, 18-day-old seedlings were exposed to 50 μM uranium during 4 days. Second, 14-day-old seedlings were exposed to gamma radiation for 7 days to a total dose of 6.7 Gy. By using chlorophyll fluorescence measurements, the photosynthetic performance was assessed. Based on the data obtained during the measurement of induction curves, parameters providing information on the photosynthetic efficiency and heat dissipation can be calculated. For uranium exposed leaves, it was observed that the potential photosynthetic efficiency (measured as Fv/Fm) remained maximal while the effective efficiency of photosystem II (φPSII), which is a measure for the proportion of light absorbed by PSII used in photochemistry, even increased. The increase of φPSII could be related to a decrease in non-photochemical quenching (NPQ), which reflects the protective mechanism against excess light intensity by converting energy into heat, but no alterations in non-regulated energy dissipation (NO). A high NO value would indicate the inefficiency of photochemistry and heat conversion and the plant's inability to regulate the radiation energy. In plants exposed to uranium, NO levels were similar to the control. Under gamma irradiation, the capacity of PSII remained intact and plants started optimizing their photosynthetic process by increasing φPSII and decreasing NPQ. When comparing the NPQ kinetic responses of gamma radiation and uranium exposure, a remarkable difference can be highlighted. While gamma radiation exposure

Accuracy of non-arthrographic 3T MR imaging in evaluation of intra-articular pathology of the hip in femoroacetabular impingement

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Linda, Dorota D. [University of Toronto, Department of Medical Imaging, Joint Department of Medical Imaging, Division of Musculoskeletal Imaging, Toronto (Canada); Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, ON (Canada); Naraghi, Ali; White, Lawrence M. [University of Toronto, Department of Medical Imaging, Joint Department of Medical Imaging, Division of Musculoskeletal Imaging, Toronto (Canada); Murnaghan, Lucas; Whelan, Daniel [University of Toronto, Department of Surgery, Division of Orthopedics, Toronto (Canada)

2017-03-15

To investigate the accuracy of non-arthrographic 3-T MRI compared to hip arthroscopy in the assessment of labral and cartilaginous pathology in patients with suspected FAI. Following IRB approval and waived consent, 42 consecutive cases of suspected FAI with non-arthrographic 3-T MRI and arthroscopy of the hip were reviewed. High-resolution TSE MR imaging was evaluated in consensus by two musculoskeletal radiologists, blinded to arthroscopic findings, for the presence of labral tears and articular cartilage lesions. Acetabular cartilage was categorized as normal, degeneration/fissuring, delamination, or denudation. MRI findings were compared to arthroscopy. Sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and predictive values for MRI were calculated using arthroscopy as the standard of reference. Forty-two hips in 38 patients with a mean age of 29 (range 13-45 years) were assessed. Mean interval between MRI and arthroscopy was 154 days (range 27-472 days). MRI depicted 41 cases with labral tears (sensitivity 100%, specificity 50%, accuracy 98%, PPV 98%, NPV 100%), 11 cases with femoral cartilage abnormalities (sensitivity 85%, specificity 100%, accuracy 95%, PPV 100%, NPV 94%), and 36 cases with acetabular cartilage lesions (sensitivity 94% specificity 67%, accuracy 90%, PPV 94%, NPV 67%). Of the 36 cases with acetabular cartilage lesions on MRI, 7 were characterized as degeneration/fissuring, 26 as delamination, and 3 as denudation, with discordant results between MRI and arthroscopy for grading of articular cartilage in ten cases. Non-arthrographic 3-T MR imaging is a highly accurate technique for evaluation of the labrum and cartilage in patients with clinically suspected FAI. (orig.)

Accuracy of non-arthrographic 3T MR imaging in evaluation of intra-articular pathology of the hip in femoroacetabular impingement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Linda, Dorota D.; Naraghi, Ali; White, Lawrence M.; Murnaghan, Lucas; Whelan, Daniel

2017-01-01

To investigate the accuracy of non-arthrographic 3-T MRI compared to hip arthroscopy in the assessment of labral and cartilaginous pathology in patients with suspected FAI. Following IRB approval and waived consent, 42 consecutive cases of suspected FAI with non-arthrographic 3-T MRI and arthroscopy of the hip were reviewed. High-resolution TSE MR imaging was evaluated in consensus by two musculoskeletal radiologists, blinded to arthroscopic findings, for the presence of labral tears and articular cartilage lesions. Acetabular cartilage was categorized as normal, degeneration/fissuring, delamination, or denudation. MRI findings were compared to arthroscopy. Sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and predictive values for MRI were calculated using arthroscopy as the standard of reference. Forty-two hips in 38 patients with a mean age of 29 (range 13-45 years) were assessed. Mean interval between MRI and arthroscopy was 154 days (range 27-472 days). MRI depicted 41 cases with labral tears (sensitivity 100%, specificity 50%, accuracy 98%, PPV 98%, NPV 100%), 11 cases with femoral cartilage abnormalities (sensitivity 85%, specificity 100%, accuracy 95%, PPV 100%, NPV 94%), and 36 cases with acetabular cartilage lesions (sensitivity 94% specificity 67%, accuracy 90%, PPV 94%, NPV 67%). Of the 36 cases with acetabular cartilage lesions on MRI, 7 were characterized as degeneration/fissuring, 26 as delamination, and 3 as denudation, with discordant results between MRI and arthroscopy for grading of articular cartilage in ten cases. Non-arthrographic 3-T MR imaging is a highly accurate technique for evaluation of the labrum and cartilage in patients with clinically suspected FAI. (orig.)

Vegetation anomalies caused by antecedent precipitation in most of the world

Science.gov (United States)

Papagiannopoulou, C.; Miralles, D. G.; Dorigo, W. A.; Verhoest, N. E. C.; Depoorter, M.; Waegeman, W.

2017-07-01

Quantifying environmental controls on vegetation is critical to predict the net effect of climate change on global ecosystems and the subsequent feedback on climate. Following a non-linear Granger causality framework based on a random forest predictive model, we exploit the current wealth of multi-decadal satellite data records to uncover the main drivers of monthly vegetation variability at the global scale. Results indicate that water availability is the most dominant factor driving vegetation globally: about 61% of the vegetated surface was primarily water-limited during 1981-2010. This included semiarid climates but also transitional ecoregions. Intra-annually, temperature controls Northern Hemisphere deciduous forests during the growing season, while antecedent precipitation largely dominates vegetation dynamics during the senescence period. The uncovered dependency of global vegetation on water availability is substantially larger than previously reported. This is owed to the ability of the framework to (1) disentangle the co-linearities between radiation/temperature and precipitation, and (2) quantify non-linear impacts of climate on vegetation. Our results reveal a prolonged effect of precipitation anomalies in dry regions: due to the long memory of soil moisture and the cumulative, non-linear, response of vegetation, water-limited regions show sensitivity to the values of precipitation occurring three months earlier. Meanwhile, the impacts of temperature and radiation anomalies are more immediate and dissipate shortly, pointing to a higher resilience of vegetation to these anomalies. Despite being infrequent by definition, hydro-climatic extremes are responsible for up to 10% of the vegetation variability during the 1981-2010 period in certain areas, particularly in water-limited ecosystems. Our approach is a first step towards a quantitative comparison of the resistance and resilience signature of different ecosystems, and can be used to benchmark Earth

Distribution of 14C-photosynthetate in the shoot of Vitis vinifera L. cv Cabernet Sauvignon: Pt. II

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hunter, J.J.; Visser, J.H.

1988-01-01

The effect of partial defoliation of Vitis vinifera L. cv Cabernet Sauvignon on the distribution of photosynthetates, originating in leaves in different positions on the shoot at berry set, pea size, veraison and ripeness stages, was investigated. Partial defoliation (33% and 66%) resulted in a higher apparent photosynthetic effectivity for all the remaining leaves on the shoot. The pattern of distribution of photosynthetates would seem to stay the same between the defoliation treatments. The control vines were found to carry excess foliage. Optimal photosynthetic activity of all the leaves on the vine was therefore not reached

Photosynthetic Responses of Seedlings of two Indigenous Plants ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Bheema

ABSTRACT. The potential role of exotic tree plantations in facilitating successional processes on degraded areas was evaluated in southern Ethiopia, Munessa-Shashemene forest, by examining photosynthetic responses of Bersamaabyssinica Fres. and Croton macrostachyusDel. seedlings naturally grown inside ...

Reconstructed Solar-Induced Fluorescence: A Machine Learning Vegetation Product Based on MODIS Surface Reflectance to Reproduce GOME-2 Solar-Induced Fluorescence

Science.gov (United States)

Gentine, P.; Alemohammad, S. H.

2018-04-01

Solar-induced fluorescence (SIF) observations from space have resulted in major advancements in estimating gross primary productivity (GPP). However, current SIF observations remain spatially coarse, infrequent, and noisy. Here we develop a machine learning approach using surface reflectances from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) channels to reproduce SIF normalized by clear sky surface irradiance from the Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment-2 (GOME-2). The resulting product is a proxy for ecosystem photosynthetically active radiation absorbed by chlorophyll (fAPARCh). Multiplying this new product with a MODIS estimate of photosynthetically active radiation provides a new MODIS-only reconstruction of SIF called Reconstructed SIF (RSIF). RSIF exhibits much higher seasonal and interannual correlation than the original SIF when compared with eddy covariance estimates of GPP and two reference global GPP products, especially in dry and cold regions. RSIF also reproduces intense productivity regions such as the U.S. Corn Belt contrary to typical vegetation indices and similarly to SIF.

Study the effect of insecticide dimethoate on photosynthetic pigments and photosynthetic activity of pigeon pea: Laser-induced chlorophyll fluorescence spectroscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Pandey, Jitendra Kumar; Dubey, Gunjan; Gopal, R

2015-10-01

Pigeon pea is one of the most important legume crops in India and dimethoate is a widely used insecticide in various crop plants. We studied the effect of dimethoate on growth and photosynthetic activity of pigeon pea plants over a short and long term exposure. Plant growth parameters, photosynthetic pigment content and chlorophyll fluorescence response of pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan L.) plants treated with various concentrations of the insecticide dimethoate (10, 20, 40 and 80 ppm) have been compared for 30 days at regular intervals of 10 days each. Laser induced chlorophyll fluorescence spectra and fluorescence-induction kinetics (FIK) curve of dimethoate treated pigeon pea plants were recorded after 10, 20 and 30 days of treatment. Fluorescence intensity ratio at the two fluorescence maxima (F685/F730) was calculated by evaluating curve-fitted parameters. The variable chlorophyll fluorescence decrease ratio (Rfd) was determined from the FIK curves. Our study revealed that after 10 days of treatment, 10 ppm of dimethoate showed stimulatory response whereas 20, 40 and 80 ppm of dimethoate showed inhibitory response for growth and photosynthetic activity of pigeon pea plants, but after 20 and 30 days of treatment all the tested concentrations of dimethoate became inhibitory. This study clearly shows that dimethoate is highly toxic to the pigeon pea plant, even at very low concentration (10 ppm), if used for a prolonged duration. Our study may thus be helpful in determining the optimal dose of dimethoate in agricultural practices. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Assessing the Influence of Precipitation Variability on the Vegetation Dynamics of the Mediterranean Rangelands using NDVI and Machine Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Daliakopoulos, Ioannis; Tsanis, Ioannis

2017-04-01

Mitigating the vulnerability of Mediterranean rangelands against degradation is limited by our ability to understand and accurately characterize those impacts in space and time. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) is a radiometric measure of the photosynthetically active radiation absorbed by green vegetation canopy chlorophyll and is therefore a good surrogate measure of vegetation dynamics. On the other hand, meteorological indices such as the drought assessing Standardised Precipitation Index (SPI) are can be easily estimated from historical and projected datasets at the global scale. This work investigates the potential of driving Random Forest (RF) models with meteorological indices to approximate NDVI-based vegetation dynamics. A sufficiently large number of RF models are trained using random subsets of the dataset as predictors, in a bootstrapping approach to account for the uncertainty introduced by the subset selection. The updated E-OBS-v13.1 dataset of the ENSEMBLES EU FP6 program provides observed monthly meteorological input to estimate SPI over the Mediterranean rangelands. RF models are trained to depict vegetation dynamics using the latest version (3g.v1) of the third generation GIMMS NDVI generated from NOAA's Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) sensors. Analysis is conducted for the period 1981-2015 at a gridded spatial resolution of 25 km. Preliminary results demonstrate the potential of machine learning algorithms to effectively mimic the underlying physical relationship of drought and Earth Observation vegetation indices to provide estimates based on precipitation variability.

Dynamics of photosynthetic activity of cyanobacteria after gut ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

African Journal of Biotechnology ... carp and goldfish, whereas there was a significant stimulation of photosynthetic activity of diatom and green algae following the depressed cyanobacteria during cultivation. The mainly stimulated eukaryotic algae species were Fragilariaceae and Scenedesmus obliquus by microscopy.

Counting viruses and bacteria in photosynthetic microbial mats

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Carreira, C; Staal, M.; Middelboe, M.; Brussaard, C.P.D.

2015-01-01

Viral abundances in benthic environments are the highest found in aquatic systems. Photosynthetic microbial mats represent benthic environments with high microbial activity and possibly high viral densities, yet viral abundances have not been examined in such systems. Existing extraction procedures

Observational Quantification of Climatic and Human Influences on Vegetation Greening in China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wenjian Hua

2017-04-01

Full Text Available This study attempts to quantify the relative contributions of vegetation greening in China due to climatic and human influences from multiple observational datasets. Satellite measured vegetation greenness, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI, and relevant climate, land cover, and socioeconomic data since 1982 are analyzed using a multiple linear regression (MLR method. A statistically significant positive trend of average growing-season (April–October NDVI is found over more than 34% of the vegetated areas, mainly in North China, while significant decreases in NDVI are only seen in less than 5% of the areas. The relationships between vegetation and climate (temperature, precipitation, and radiation vary by geographical location and vegetation type. We estimate the NDVI changes in association with the non-climatic effects by removing the climatic effects from the original NDVI time series using the MLR analysis. Our results indicate that land use change is the dominant factor driving the long-term changes in vegetation greenness. The significant greening in North China is due to the increase in crops, grasslands, and forests. The socioeconomic datasets provide consistent and supportive results for the non-climatic effects at the provincial level that afforestation and reduced fire events generally have a major contribution. This study provides a basis for quantifying the non-climatic effects due to possible human influences on the vegetation greening in China.

Photosynthetic efficiency of Pedunculate oak seedlings under simulated water stress

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Popović Zorica

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Photosynthetic performance of seedlings of Quercus robur exposed to short-term water stress in the laboratory conditions was assessed through the method of induced fluorometry. The substrate for seedlings was clayey loam, with the dominant texture fraction made of silt, followed by clay and fine sand, with total porosity 68.2%. Seedlings were separated in two groups: control (C (soil water regime in pots was maintained at the level of field water capacity and treated (water-stressed, WS (soil water regime was maintained in the range of wilting point and lentocapillary capacity. The photosynthetic efficiency was 0.642±0.25 and 0.522±0.024 (WS and C, respectively, which was mostly due to transplantation disturbances and sporadic leaf chlorosis. During the experiment Fv/Fm decreased in both groups (0.551±0.0100 and 0.427±0.018 in C and WS, respectively. Our results showed significant differences between stressed and control group, in regard to both observed parameters (Fv/Fm and T½. Photosynthetic efficiency of pedunculate oak seedlings was significantly affected by short-term water stress, but to a lesser extent than by sufficient watering.

Construction of hybrid photosynthetic units using peripheral and core antennae from two different species of photosynthetic bacteria: detection of the energy transfer from bacteriochlorophyll a in LH2 to bacteriochlorophyll b in LH1.

Science.gov (United States)

Fujii, Ritsuko; Shimonaka, Shozo; Uchida, Naoko; Gardiner, Alastair T; Cogdell, Richard J; Sugisaki, Mitsuru; Hashimoto, Hideki

2008-01-01

Typical purple bacterial photosynthetic units consist of supra-molecular arrays of peripheral (LH2) and core (LH1-RC) antenna complexes. Recent atomic force microscopy pictures of photosynthetic units in intact membranes have revealed that the architecture of these units is variable (Scheuring et al. (2005) Biochim Bhiophys Acta 1712:109-127). In this study, we describe methods for the construction of heterologous photosynthetic units in lipid-bilayers from mixtures of purified LH2 (from Rhodopseudomonas acidophila) and LH1-RC (from Rhodopseudomonas viridis) core complexes. The architecture of these reconstituted photosynthetic units can be varied by controlling ratio of added LH2 to core complexes. The arrangement of the complexes was visualized by electron-microscopy in combination with Fourier analysis. The regular trigonal array of the core complexes seen in the native photosynthetic membrane could be regenerated in the reconstituted membranes by temperature cycling. In the presence of added LH2 complexes, this trigonal symmetry was replaced with orthorhombic symmetry. The small lattice lengths for the latter suggest that the constituent unit of the orthorhombic lattice is the LH2. Fluorescence and fluorescence-excitation spectroscopy was applied to the set of the reconstituted membranes prepared with various proportions of LH2 to core complexes. Remarkably, even though the LH2 complexes contain bacteriochlorophyll a, and the core complexes contain bacteriochlorophyll b, it was possible to demonstrate energy transfer from LH2 to the core complexes. These experiments provide a first step along the path toward investigating how changing the architecture of purple bacterial photosynthetic units affects the overall efficiency of light-harvesting.

Relationship between photosynthetic pigments and chlorophyll fluorescence in soybean under varying phosphorus nutrition at ambient and elevated CO2

Science.gov (United States)

Photosynthetic pigments such as chlorophyll (Chl) a, Chl b and carotenoids concentration, and chlorophyll fluorescence (CF) have widely been used as indicators of stress and photosynthetic performance in plants. Although photosynthetic pigments and CF are partly interdependent due to absorption and ...

Difference in leaf water use efficiency/photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency of Bt-cotton and its conventional peer.

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Ruqing; Sun, Shucun; Liu, Biao

2016-09-15

This study is to test the effects of Bt gene introduction on the foliar water/nitrogen use efficiency in cotton. We measured leaf stomatal conductance, photosynthetic rate, and transpiration rate under light saturation condition at different stages of a conventional cultivar (zhongmian no. 16) and its counterpart Bt cultivar (zhongmian no. 30) that were cultured on three levels of fertilization, based on which leaf instantaneous water use efficiency was derived. Leaf nitrogen concentration was measured to calculate leaf photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency, and leaf δ(13)C was used to characterize long term water use efficiency. Bt cultivar was found to have lower stomatal conductance, net photosynthetic rates and transpiration rates, but higher instantaneous and long time water use efficiency. In addition, foliar nitrogen concentration was found to be higher but net photosynthetic rate was lower in the mature leaves of Bt cultivar, which led to lower photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency. This might result from the significant decrease of photosynthetic rate due to the decrease of stomatal conductance. In conclusion, our findings show that the introduction of Bt gene should significantly increase foliar water use efficiency but decrease leaf nitrogen use efficiency in cotton under no selective pressure.

Organic and conventional vegetables: Comparison of the physical ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Five representative samples of conventional vegetables, certified organic and non-certified organic vegetables were gotten from farms and supermarkets in the city of Rio de Janeiro. The result shows that the organic carrot showed higher acidity (0.11 g % citric acid) and total sugar (5.68 g %) than those found in standard ...

TOTAL NON-STRUCTURAL CARBOHYDRATE (TNC OF THREE CULTIVARS OF NAPIER GRASS (Pennisetum purpureum AT VEGETATIVE AND REPRODUCTIVE PHASE

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B. Budiman

2014-10-01

Full Text Available An experiment was conducted to determine Total Non-structural carbohydrates (TNC of threecultivars of napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum harvested at vegetative and reproductive phases. Thecultivars tested were Taiwan (Gt, King (Gk and Mott (Gm and arranged in a 3 x 2 of treatments withfour replicates following nested design. The results showed that the highest sugar content (P<0.01 wasfound in Gt cultivar and the lowest was in Gm cultivar. The highest starch content (P<0.01 was found inGk cultivar and the lowest was in Gt cultivar. TNC content of Gt and Gk cultivars were not significantlydifferent, but both were significantly higher (P<0.01 compared with the Gm cultivar. It can beconcluded, that there were differences in TNC between cultivars, however, the TNC content in Gkcultivar was not different with Gt cultivar, while Gm cultivar have the lowest (P<0.01 TNC content. Atreproductive phase all cultivars have higher (P<0.01 TNC and starch content than at vegetative phase

Monitoring post-fire vegetation rehabilitation projects: A common approach for non-forested ecosystems

Science.gov (United States)

Wirth, Troy A.; Pyke, David A.

2007-01-01

Emergency Stabilization and Rehabilitation (ES&R) and Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) treatments are short-term, high-intensity treatments designed to mitigate the adverse effects of wildfire on public lands. The federal government expends significant resources implementing ES&R and BAER treatments after wildfires; however, recent reviews have found that existing data from monitoring and research are insufficient to evaluate the effects of these activities. The purpose of this report is to: (1) document what monitoring methods are generally used by personnel in the field; (2) describe approaches and methods for post-fire vegetation and soil monitoring documented in agency manuals; (3) determine the common elements of monitoring programs recommended in these manuals; and (4) describe a common monitoring approach to determine the effectiveness of future ES&R and BAER treatments in non-forested regions. Both qualitative and quantitative methods to measure effectiveness of ES&R treatments are used by federal land management agencies. Quantitative methods are used in the field depending on factors such as funding, personnel, and time constraints. There are seven vegetation monitoring manuals produced by the federal government that address monitoring methods for (primarily) vegetation and soil attributes. These methods vary in their objectivity and repeatability. The most repeatable methods are point-intercept, quadrat-based density measurements, gap intercepts, and direct measurement of soil erosion. Additionally, these manuals recommend approaches for designing monitoring programs for the state of ecosystems or the effect of management actions. The elements of a defensible monitoring program applicable to ES&R and BAER projects that most of these manuals have in common are objectives, stratification, control areas, random sampling, data quality, and statistical analysis. The effectiveness of treatments can be determined more accurately if data are gathered using

Deriving C4 photosynthetic parameters from combined gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence using an Excel tool: theory and practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Bellasio, Chandra; Beerling, David J; Griffiths, Howard

2016-06-01

The higher photosynthetic potential of C4 plants has led to extensive research over the past 50 years, including C4 -dominated natural biomes, crops such as maize, or for evaluating the transfer of C4 traits into C3 lineages. Photosynthetic gas exchange can be measured in air or in a 2% Oxygen mixture using readily available commercial gas exchange and modulated PSII fluorescence systems. Interpretation of these data, however, requires an understanding (or the development) of various modelling approaches, which limit the use by non-specialists. In this paper we present an accessible summary of the theory behind the analysis and derivation of C4 photosynthetic parameters, and provide a freely available Excel Fitting Tool (EFT), making rigorous C4 data analysis accessible to a broader audience. Outputs include those defining C4 photochemical and biochemical efficiency, the rate of photorespiration, bundle sheath conductance to CO2 diffusion and the in vivo biochemical constants for PEP carboxylase. The EFT compares several methodological variants proposed by different investigators, allowing users to choose the level of complexity required to interpret data. We provide a complete analysis of gas exchange data on maize (as a model C4 organism and key global crop) to illustrate the approaches, their analysis and interpretation. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Seasonal variation of photosynthetic model parameters and leaf area index from global Fluxnet eddy covariance data

Science.gov (United States)

Groenendijk, M.; Dolman, A. J.; Ammann, C.; Arneth, A.; Cescatti, A.; Dragoni, D.; Gash, J. H. C.; Gianelle, D.; Gioli, B.; Kiely, G.; Knohl, A.; Law, B. E.; Lund, M.; Marcolla, B.; van der Molen, M. K.; Montagnani, L.; Moors, E.; Richardson, A. D.; Roupsard, O.; Verbeeck, H.; Wohlfahrt, G.

2011-12-01

Global vegetation models require the photosynthetic parameters, maximum carboxylation capacity (Vcm), and quantum yield (α) to parameterize their plant functional types (PFTs). The purpose of this work is to determine how much the scaling of the parameters from leaf to ecosystem level through a seasonally varying leaf area index (LAI) explains the parameter variation within and between PFTs. Using Fluxnet data, we simulate a seasonally variable LAIF for a large range of sites, comparable to the LAIM derived from MODIS. There are discrepancies when LAIF reach zero levels and LAIM still provides a small positive value. We find that temperature is the most common constraint for LAIF in 55% of the simulations, while global radiation and vapor pressure deficit are the key constraints for 18% and 27% of the simulations, respectively, while large differences in this forcing still exist when looking at specific PFTs. Despite these differences, the annual photosynthesis simulations are comparable when using LAIF or LAIM (r2 = 0.89). We investigated further the seasonal variation of ecosystem-scale parameters derived with LAIF. Vcm has the largest seasonal variation. This holds for all vegetation types and climates. The parameter α is less variable. By including ecosystem-scale parameter seasonality we can explain a considerable part of the ecosystem-scale parameter variation between PFTs. The remaining unexplained leaf-scale PFT variation still needs further work, including elucidating the precise role of leaf and soil level nitrogen.

The adaptive response of lichens to mercury exposure involves changes in the photosynthetic machinery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nicolardi, Valentina; Cai, Giampiero; Parrotta, Luigi; Puglia, Michele; Bianchi, Laura; Bini, Luca; Gaggi, Carlo

2012-01-01

Lichens are an excellent model to study the bioaccumulation of heavy metals but limited information is available on the molecular mechanisms occurring during bioaccumulation. We investigated the changes of the lichen proteome during exposure to constant concentrations of mercury. We found that most of changes involves proteins of the photosynthetic pathway, such as the chloroplastic photosystem I reaction center subunit II, the oxygen-evolving protein and the chloroplastic ATP synthase β-subunit. This suggests that photosynthesis is a target of the toxic effects of mercury. These findings are also supported by changes in the content of photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll a and b, and β-carotene). Alterations to the photosynthetic machinery also reflect on the structure of thylakoid membranes of algal cells. Response of lichens to mercury also involves stress-related proteins (such as Hsp70) but not cytoskeletal proteins. Results suggest that lichens adapt to mercury exposure by changing the metabolic production of energy. - Highlights: ► Lichens exposed to Hg° vapors accumulate this metal irreversibly. ► Hg° interferes with physiological processes of the epiphytic lichen Evernia prunastri. ► Hg° promotes changes in the concentration of photosynthetic pigments. ► Hg° treatment causes changes in the ultrastructure of the photobiont plastids. ► Hg° induces changes in the protein machinery involved in the photosynthesis pathway. - Mercury affects the photosynthetic protein machinery of lichens.

Influence of thermal light correlations on photosynthetic structures

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de Mendoza, Adriana; Manrique, Pedro; Caycedo-Soler, Felipe; Johnson, Neil F.; Rodríguez, Ferney J.; Quiroga, Luis

2014-03-01

The thermal light from the sun is characterized by both classical and quantum mechanical correlations. These correlations have left a fingerprint on the natural harvesting structures developed through five billion years of evolutionary pressure, specially in photosynthetic organisms. In this work, based upon previous extensive studies of spatio-temporal correlations of light fields, we hypothesize that structures involving photosensitive pigments like those present in purple bacteria vesicles emerge as an evolutionary response to the different properties of incident light. By using burstiness and memory as measures that quantify higher moments of the photon arrival statistics, we generate photon-time traces. They are used to simulate absorption on detectors spatially extended over regions comparable to these light fields coherence length. Finally, we provide some insights into the connection between these photo-statistical features with the photosynthetic membrane architecture and the lights' spatial correlation. Facultad de Ciencias Uniandes.

Changes in photosynthetic performance and antioxidative strategies during maturation of Norway maple (Acer platanoides L.) leaves.

Science.gov (United States)

Lepeduš, Hrvoje; Gaća, Vlatka; Viljevac, Marija; Kovač, Spomenka; Fulgosi, Hrvoje; Simić, Domagoj; Jurković, Vlatka; Cesar, Vera

2011-04-01

Different structural and functional changes take place during leaf development. Since some of them are highly connected to oxidative metabolism, regulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) abundance is required. Most of the reactive oxygen species ROS in plant cells are produced in chloroplasts as a result of highly energetic reactions of photosynthesis. The aim of our study was to examine the changes in concentration of oxidative stress parameters (TBARS - thiobarbituric acid-reacting substances and protein carbonyls) as well as antioxidative strategies during development of maple (Acer platanoides L.) leaves in the light of their enhanced photosynthetic performance. We reveal that biogenesis of the photosynthetic apparatus during maple leaf maturation corresponded with oxidative damage of lipids, but not proteins. In addition, antioxidative responses in young leaves differed from that in older leaves. Young leaves had high values of non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) and catalase (CAT, EC 1.11.1.6) activity which declined during the maturation process. Developing leaves were characterized by an increase in TBARS level, the content of non-enzymatic antioxidants as well as ascorbate peroxidase activity (APX, EC 1.11.1.11), while the content of protein carbonyls decreased with leaf maturation. Fully developed leaves had the highest lipid peroxidation level accompanied by a maximum in ascorbic acid content and superoxide dismutase activity (SOD, EC1.15.1.1). These observations imply completely different antioxidative strategies during leaf maturation enabling them to perform their basic function. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Fiber-optic fluorometer for microscale mapping of photosynthetic pigments in microbial communities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thar, Roland Matthias; Kühl, Michael; Holst, Gerhard

2001-01-01

Microscale fluorescence measurements were performed in photosynthetic biofilms at a spatial resolution of 100 to 200 µm with a new fiber-optic fluorometer which allowed four different excitation and emission wavelengths and was configured for measuring phycobiliproteins, chlorophylls, and bacteri......Microscale fluorescence measurements were performed in photosynthetic biofilms at a spatial resolution of 100 to 200 µm with a new fiber-optic fluorometer which allowed four different excitation and emission wavelengths and was configured for measuring phycobiliproteins, chlorophylls...

Chlorophyll fluorescence, photochemical reflective index and normalized difference vegetative index during plant senescence.

Science.gov (United States)

Cordon, Gabriela; Lagorio, M Gabriela; Paruelo, José M

2016-07-20

The relationship between the Photochemical Reflectance Index (PRI), Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and chlorophyll fluorescence along senescence was investigated in this work. Reflectance and radiance measurements were performed at canopy level in grass species presenting different photosynthetic metabolism: Avena sativa (C3) and Setaria italica (C4), at different stages of the natural senescence process. Sun induced-chlorophyll fluorescence at 760nm (SIF 760 ) and the apparent fluorescence yield (SIF 760 /a, with a=irradiance at time of measurement) were extracted from the radiance spectra of canopies using the Fraunhofer Line Discrimination-method. The photosynthetic parameters derived from Kautsky kinetics and pigment content were also calculated at leaf level. Whilst stand level NDVI patterns were related to changes in the structure of canopies and not in pigment content, stand level PRI patterns suggested changes both in terms of canopy and of pigment content in leaves. Both SIF 760 /a and Φ PSII decreased progressively along senescence in both species. A strong increment in NPQ was evident in A. sativa while in S. italica NPQ values were lower. Our most important finding was that two chlorophyll fluorescence signals, Φ PSII and SIF 760 /a, correlated with the canopy PRI values in the two grasses assessed, even when tissues at different ontogenic stages were present. Even though significant changes occurred in the Total Chlr/Car ratio along senescence in both studied species, significant correlations between PRI and chlorophyll fluorescence signals might indicate the usefulness of this reflectance index as a proxy of photosynthetic RUE, at least under the conditions of this study. The relationships between stand level PRI and the fluorescence estimators (Φ PSII and SIF 760 /a) were positive in both cases. Therefore, an increase in PRI values as in the fluorescence parameters would indicate higher RUE. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All

Photoelectrochemical cells based on photosynthetic systems: a review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Roman A. Voloshin

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Photosynthesis is a process which converts light energy into energy contained in the chemical bonds of organic compounds by photosynthetic pigments such as chlorophyll (Chl a, b, c, d, f or bacteriochlorophyll. It occurs in phototrophic organisms, which include higher plants and many types of photosynthetic bacteria, including cyanobacteria. In the case of the oxygenic photosynthesis, water is a donor of both electrons and protons, and solar radiation serves as inexhaustible source of energy. Efficiency of energy conversion in the primary processes of photosynthesis is close to 100%. Therefore, for many years photosynthesis has attracted the attention of researchers and designers looking for alternative energy systems as one of the most efficient and eco-friendly pathways of energy conversion. The latest advances in the design of optimal solar cells include the creation of converters based on thylakoid membranes, photosystems, and whole cells of cyanobacteria immobilized on nanostructured electrode (gold nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes, nanoparticles of ZnO and TiO2. The mode of solar energy conversion in photosynthesis has a great potential as a source of renewable energy while it is sustainable and environmentally safety as well. Application of pigments such as Chl f and Chl d (unlike Chl a and Chl b, by absorbing the far red and near infrared region of the spectrum (in the range 700-750 nm, will allow to increase the efficiency of such light transforming systems. This review article presents the last achievements in the field of energy photoconverters based on photosynthetic systems.

RNA function and phosphorus use by photosynthetic organisms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John Albert Raven

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Phosphorus (P in RNA accounts for half or more of the total non-storage P in oxygenic photolithotrophs grown in either P-replete or P-limiting growth conditions. Since many natural environments are P-limited for photosynthetic primary productivity, and peak phosphorus fertilizer production is forecast for the next few decades, the paper analyses what economies in P allocation to RNA could, in principle, increase P use efficiency of growth (rate of dry matter production per unit organism P. The possibilities of decreasing P allocation to RNA without decreasing growth rate include a more widespread down-regulation of RNA production in P-limited organisms (as in the growth rate hypothesis, optimal allocation of P to RNA spatially among cell compartments and organs, and temporally depending on the stage of growth, and, for exponentially growing organisms with a constant fraction of P in RNA, a constant rate of protein synthesis through the diel cycle. Acting on these suggestions would be technically demanding, and could have unintended consequences for other aspect of metabolism.

The peculiarities of the accumulation of Cs-137 and the content of photosynthetic pigments and protein in plants of natural associations of south-east Belarus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gaponenko, V. I.; Kravchenko, V. A; Matsko, V. P.; Grushevskaya, O. M.

1994-01-01

The peculiarities of accumulation of Cs-137 by various components of meadow associations of Polesky State radioecological reserve (PSRER) were studied. The specific radioactivity of soil totalled 12000-290000 Bq/kg, and specific radioactivity of overground phytomass was 200-252000 Bq/kg. The inverse dependence between the specific radioactivity and the coefficient of accumulation of plants was observed, and the direct dependence between the acidity of salt extract (1H KCL) and the coefficient of accumulation. The content of photosynthetic pigments of Agropyron repens L. was less in the phase of florescence and fruitage than at the beginning of vegetation. That is said about the principal decrease of the content of chlorophyll b comparing with chlorophyll a and the both green pigments comparing with carotenoids. The fourth month's period of vegetation of plants in the conditions of increased radiation background was not observed the changing neither by the of chlorophyll a and b and carotinoids nor by the content of total protein that was testified about the high stability of pigmental system. (author)

Suppression of vegetation in LANDSAT ETM+ remote sensing images

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Le; Porwal, Alok; Holden, Eun-Jung; Dentith, Michael

2010-05-01

value and scaling all pixels at each vegetation index level by an amount that shifts the curve to the target digital number (DN). The main drawback of their algorithm is severe distortions of the DN values of non-vegetated areas, a suggested solution is masking outliers such as cloud, water, etc. We therefore extend this algorithm by masking non-vegetated areas. Our algorithm comprises the following three steps: (1) masking of barren or sparsely vegetated areas using a threshold based on a vegetation index that is calculated after atmosphere correction (dark pixel correction and ACTOR were compared) in order to conserve their original spectral information through the subsequent processing; (2) applying Crippen and Blom's forced invariance algorithm to suppress the spectral response of vegetation only in vegetated areas; and (3) combining the processed vegetated areas with the masked barren or sparsely vegetated areas followed by histogram equalization to eliminate the differences in color-scales between these two types of areas, and enhance the integrated image. The output images of both study areas showed significant improvement over the original images in terms of suppression of vegetation reflectance and enhancement of the underlying geological information. The processed images show clear banding, probably associated with lithological variations in the underlying rock formations. The colors of non-vegetated pixels are distorted in the unmasked results but in the same location the pixels in the masked results show regions of higher contrast. We conclude that the algorithm offers an effective way to enhance geological information in LANDSAT TM/ETM+ images of terrains with significant vegetation cover. It is also suitable to other multispectral satellite data have bands in similar wavelength regions. In addition, an application of this method to hyperspectral data may be possible as long as it can provide the vegetation band ratios.

Importance of structure and density of macroalgae communities (Fucus serratus) for photosynthetic production and light utilisation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Binzer, Thomas; Sand-Jensen, Kaj

2002-01-01

at high light depended on community density. Therefore, while the determination of the production of individual algal thalli is useful for evaluating differences in acclimatisation and adaptation between species and stands, it is not useful for evaluating production rates for entire plants and communities......Determination of photosynthetic production in plant communities is essential for evaluating plant growth rates and carbon fluxes in ecosystems, but it cannot easily be derived from the photosynthetic response of individual leaves or thalli, which has been the focus of virtually all previous aquatic...... studies. To evaluate the regulation of aquatic community production, we measured the photosynthetic production of thallus parts and entire communities of Fucus serratus (L.) of different density and spatial structure exposed to varying photon flux density and dissolved CO2 concentration. Photosynthetic...

Effects of silicon on photosynthetic characteristics of maize (Zea mays L.) on alluvial soil.

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Zhiming; Song, Fengbin; Xu, Hongwen; Shao, Hongbo; Song, Ri

2014-01-01

The objectives of the study were to determine the effects of silicon on photosynthetic characteristics of maize on alluvial soil, including total chlorophyll contents, photosynthetic rate (P n), stomatal conductance (g s), transpiration rate (E), and intercellular CO2 concentration (C i ) using the method of field experiment, in which there were five levels (0, 45, 90, 150, and 225 kg · ha(-1)) of silicon supplying. The results showed that certain doses of silicon fertilizers can be used successfully in increasing the values of total chlorophyll contents, P n, and g s and decreasing the values of E and C i of maize leaves, which meant that photosynthetic efficiency of maize was significantly increased in different growth stages by proper doses of Si application on alluvial soil, and the optimal dose of Si application was 150 kg · ha(-1). Our results indicated that silicon in proper amounts can be beneficial in increasing the photosynthetic ability of maize, which would be helpful for the grain yield and growth of maize.

Fruit and vegetable consumption and anemia among adult non-pregnant women: Ghana Demographic and Health Survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Ghose, Bishwajit; Yaya, Sanni

2018-01-01

Anemia is the most widely prevalent form of micronutrient deficiency that affects over a quarter of the global population. Evidence suggests that the burden of anemia is higher in the developing countries with women of reproductive age and children being the most at-risk groups. The most common causes are believed to be malnutrition and low bioavailability of micronutrients, which usually result from poor dietary habits and inadequate intake of food rich in micronutrients such as fresh fruits and vegetables. Regular consumption of F&V was shown to have protective effect against NCDs; however, evidence on this protective effect against micronutrient deficiency diseases are limited. (1) To measure the prevalence of anemia among adult non-pregnant women in Ghana, and (2) to investigate if there is any cross-sectional relationship between F&V consumption and anemia. This is a cross-sectional study based on data extracted from the Ghana Demographic and Health Survey, 2008. Subjects were 4,290 non-pregnant women aged between 15 and 49 years. Hemoglobin levels were measured by HemoCue ® hemoglobin-meter. Association between anemia and F&V consumption was assessed by multivariable regression methods. Findings indicate that well over half (57.9%) of the women were suffering from anemia of some level. The percentage of women consuming at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day were 5.4% and 2.5% respectively. Results of multivariable analysis indicated that among urban women, consumption of 5 servings/day. The findings indicate that urban women who did not maintain WHO recommended level of F&V consumption bear a significantly higher likelihood of being moderate to severely anemic.

Diurnal Reflectance Changes in Vegetation Observed with AVIRIS

Science.gov (United States)

Vanderbilt, V. C.; Ambrosia, V. G.; Ustin, S. L.

1998-01-01

Among the most important short-term dynamic biological processes are diurnal changes in canopy water relations. Plant regulation of water transport through stomatal openings affects other gaseous transport processes, often dramatically decreasing photosynthetic fixation of carbon dioxide during periods of water stress. Water stress reduces stomatal conductance of water vapor through the leaf surface and alters the diurnal timing of stomatal opening. Under non-water stressed conditions, stomates typically open soon after dawn and transpire water vapor throughout the daylight period. During stress periods, stomates may close for part of the day, generally near mid-day. Under prolonged stress conditions, stomatal closure shifts to earlier times during the day; stomates may close by mid-morning and remain closed until the following morning - or remain closed entirely. Under these conditions the relationship between canopy greenness (e.g., measured with a vegetation index or by spectral mixture analysis) and photosynthetic fixation of carbon is lost and the remotely sensed vegetation metric is a poor predictor of gas exchange. Prediction of stomatal regulation and exchange of water and trace gases is critical for ecosystem and climate models to correctly estimate budgets of these gases and understand or predict other processes like gross and net ecosystem primary production. Plant gas exchange has been extensively studied by physiologists at the leaf and whole plant level and by biometeorologists at somewhat larger scales. While these energy driven processes follow a predictable if somewhat asymmetric diurnal cycle dependent on soil water availability and the constraints imposed by the solar energy budget, they are nonetheless difficult to measure at the tree and stand levels using conventional methods. Ecologists have long been interested in the potential of remote sensing for monitoring physiological changes using multi-temporal images. Much of this research has

Variability of photosynthetic pigments in the Colombian Pacific ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Home; Journals; Journal of Earth System Science; Volume 111; Issue 3. Variability of photosynthetic pigments in the Colombian Pacific Ocean and its relationship with the wind field using ADEOS-I data. Efrain Rodriguez-Rubio Jose Stuardo. Volume 111 Issue 3 September 2002 pp 227-236 ...

Health Risk of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in Drinking Water and Meat and Meat Products and Vegetables to Diarrhoeic Confirmed and Non-Confirmed HIV/AIDS Patients

Science.gov (United States)

Abong`O, B. O.; Momba, M. N. B.; Rodda, N.

The current study explored the health risk of E. coli O157:H7 to diarrhoeic confirmed and non-confirmed HIV/AIDS patients due to their exposure to presumed ingestion of water, meat products and vegetables ostensibly contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. Strains of E. coli O157:H7 were isolated by enrichment culture and on Cefixime-Telurite Sorbitol MacConkey agar. Average counts of presumptive E. coli O157 were used for dose-response assessment. Probability of infection to confirmed and non-confirmed HIV/AIDS patients was 20 and 27% from meat and meat products, 21% and 15% from vegetables and 100% due to ingestion of 1500 mL person-1 day-1 of water. Drinking water had higher probability of transmitting E. coli O157:H7 infections than meat and meat products and vegetables. Probability of E. coli O157:H7 infections were high for confirmed HIV/AIDS patients than for non-confirmed patients. Water and foods consumed by HIV/AIDS patients should be safe of any microbial contaminants, these waters and foods should as well be investigated for other enteric pathogens to establish their safety.

Relationships between soil parameters and vegetation in abandoned terrace fields vs. non-terraced fields in arid lands (Lanzarote, Spain): An opportunity for restoration

Science.gov (United States)

Arévalo, José Ramón; Fernández-Lugo, Silvia; Reyes-Betancort, J. Alfredo; Tejedor, Marisa; Jiménez, Concepción; Díaz, Francisco J.

2017-11-01

Over 90% of terraced fields have been abandoned on the island of Lanzarote in the last 40 years. The present work analyses the effects of abandonment on the soil and vegetation recovery of terraced field agroecosystems by comparing them with adjacent non-terraced fields in Lanzarote, Canary Islands (Spain). This information is necessary to take the appropriate management actions to achieve goals such as soil protection and biodiversity conservation. Results indicate that terraced fields display better soil quality than non-terraced ones, as shown by the significant differences found in parameters such as SAR, exchangeable Na, CaCO3, B content, moisture content or soil depth. Moreover, the terraced fields' plant community has more species similarities with the native plant community when compared with non-terraced areas. Owing to characteristics such as deeper soils, more water capacity, lower salinity and less sodic soils, terraced soils provide better conditions for passive restoration of both soil and vegetation. Therefore, the recovery and maintenance of wall structures and revegetation with native/endemic species are proposed to promote the restoration of native systems and preserve a landscape with cultural and aesthetic value.

Mathematical Modeling of Acclimation Processes of the Photosynthetic Chain

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S Heidari

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Introduction Photosynthetic energy conversion efficiency is characteristic of a system which is determined by interactions between various components of the system. The complex process of photosynthesis has been studied as a whole system which enables in silico examination of a large number of candidate genes for genetic engineering for a higher photosynthetic energy conversion efficiency. One of the most important environmental factors which influence the photosynthesis efficiency is light regime which can cause producing ROS components. To acclimate to such fluctuations, plants have evolved adaptive mechanisms to minimize damage of the photosynthetic apparatus excess light. A fast compatibility response to high light stresses is non-photochemical quenching process (NPQ, dissipating excessive energy to heat. Light harvested state switches into a quenched state by a conformational change of light harvesting complex (LHCII that regulated by xanthophylls and the PsbS protein within seconds. Low lumen pH activates xanthophyll synthesis via a xanthophyll cycle which consists of the de-epoxidation of violaxanthin to zeaxanthin by violaxanthin de-epoxidase in high light and inversely by zeaxanthin epoxidase in low light which occurs more slowly. Materials and Methods Thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana (Chlombia-0 were grown on soil at 25/22 °C day/night temperature, with a 16/8 h photoperiod, and 40-70% (depend of plant species relative humidity. The light intensity was 150–200 µE m-2s-1 white light. Intensity of chlorophyll fluorescence was measured with PAM-2000 fluorometer (Heinz Walz, Germany and the manufacturer’s software (PamWin v.2. Results and Discussion In the present study, a dynamic kinetics amplified mathematical model was developed based on differential equations in order to predict short-term changes in NPQ in the process of adaptation to different light conditions. We investigated the stationary and dynamic behavior of the model

Overlapping toxic effect of long term thallium exposure on white mustard (Sinapis alba L.) photosynthetic activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Mazur, Radosław; Sadowska, Monika; Kowalewska, Łucja; Abratowska, Agnieszka; Kalaji, Hazem M; Mostowska, Agnieszka; Garstka, Maciej; Krasnodębska-Ostręga, Beata

2016-09-02

photosynthetic complexes were responsible for disappearance of the chloroplast grana. Based on the presented results we postulate two phases of thallium toxicity on photosynthesis: the non-destructive phase at early stages of toxicant accumulation and the destructive phase that is restricted to the discolored leaf areas containing high toxicant content. There was no distinct border between the two phases of thallium toxicity in leaves and the degree of toxicity was proportional to the migration rate of the toxicant outside the vascular bundles. The three-fold (nearly linear) increase of Tl(I) concentration was observed in damaged tissue and the damage appears to be associated with the presence of the oxidized form of thallium - Tl(III).

Chromerid genomes reveal the evolutionary path from photosynthetic algae to obligate intracellular parasites

KAUST Repository

Woo, Yong

2015-07-15

The eukaryotic phylum Apicomplexa encompasses thousands of obligate intracellular parasites of humans and animals with immense socio-economic and health impacts. We sequenced nuclear genomes of Chromera velia and Vitrella brassicaformis, free-living non-parasitic photosynthetic algae closely related to apicomplexans. Proteins from key metabolic pathways and from the endomembrane trafficking systems associated with a free-living lifestyle have been progressively and non-randomly lost during adaptation to parasitism. The free-living ancestor contained a broad repertoire of genes many of which were repurposed for parasitic processes, such as extracellular proteins, components of a motility apparatus, and DNA- and RNA-binding protein families. Based on transcriptome analyses across 36 environmental conditions, Chromera orthologs of apicomplexan invasion-related motility genes were co-regulated with genes encoding the flagellar apparatus, supporting the functional contribution of flagella to the evolution of invasion machinery. This study provides insights into how obligate parasites with diverse life strategies arose from a once free-living phototrophic marine alga. © Woo et al.

Chromerid genomes reveal the evolutionary path from photosynthetic algae to obligate intracellular parasites

KAUST Repository

Woo, Yong; Ansari, Hifzur Rahman; Otto, Thomas D.; Linger, Christen M K; Olisko, Martin K.; Michá lek, Jan; Saxena, Alka; Shanmugam, Dhanasekaran; Tayyrov, Annageldi; Veluchamy, Alaguraj; Ali, Shahjahan; Bernal, Axel; Del Campo, Javier; Cihlá ř, Jaromí r; Flegontov, Pavel; Gornik, Sebastian G.; Hajdušková , Eva; Horá k, Aleš; Janouškovec, Jan; Katris, Nicholas J.; Mast, Fred D.; Miranda-Saavedra, Diego; Mourier, Tobias; Naeem, Raeece; Nair, Mridul; Panigrahi, Aswini Kumar; Rawlings, Neil D.; Padron Regalado, Eriko; Ramaprasad, Abhinay; Samad, Nadira; Tomčala, Aleš; Wilkes, Jon; Neafsey, Daniel E.; Doerig, Christian; Bowler, Chris; Keeling, Patrick J.; Roos, David S.; Dacks, Joel B.; Templeton, Thomas J.; Waller, Ross F.; Lukeš, Julius; Oborní k, Miroslav; Pain, Arnab

2015-01-01

The eukaryotic phylum Apicomplexa encompasses thousands of obligate intracellular parasites of humans and animals with immense socio-economic and health impacts. We sequenced nuclear genomes of Chromera velia and Vitrella brassicaformis, free-living non-parasitic photosynthetic algae closely related to apicomplexans. Proteins from key metabolic pathways and from the endomembrane trafficking systems associated with a free-living lifestyle have been progressively and non-randomly lost during adaptation to parasitism. The free-living ancestor contained a broad repertoire of genes many of which were repurposed for parasitic processes, such as extracellular proteins, components of a motility apparatus, and DNA- and RNA-binding protein families. Based on transcriptome analyses across 36 environmental conditions, Chromera orthologs of apicomplexan invasion-related motility genes were co-regulated with genes encoding the flagellar apparatus, supporting the functional contribution of flagella to the evolution of invasion machinery. This study provides insights into how obligate parasites with diverse life strategies arose from a once free-living phototrophic marine alga. © Woo et al.

The effect of temperature on photosynthetic induction under fluctuating light in Chrysanthemum morifolium

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Öztürk, Isik; Ottosen, Carl-Otto; Ritz, Christian

2013-01-01

for photosynthetic induction. Gas exchange measurements were used to investigate the rate of induction and the opening of stomata. It was determined that induction equilibrium for C. morifolium at varying temperatures under dynamic light conditions was reached within 15 to 45 minutes except at saturating light...... intensity. For the same photon irradiance, the momentary state of induction equilibrated was higher approximately at 30° C and it decreased as temperature increased. The interaction effect of irradiance and temperature on induction equilibrium was not significant. The rate of photosynthetic induction...... and the time that it reached its 90% value (t90) was influenced by irradiance significantly. The light history of a leaf had a significant effect on t90, which indicated that an equilibrium state of induction will not always be reached within the same time. The effect of temperature on photosynthetic induction...

Electrochemical studies of a reconstituted photosynthetic electron-transfer chain or towards a biomimetic photoproduction of hydrogen

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fourmond, V.

2007-04-01

The aim of this work is to find an efficient process to convert solar energy into hydrogen. The electrons transfers in reconstituted photosynthetic chains have been particularly studied with the aims 1)in one hand, to better understand the interactions of the different molecules of the photosynthetic chain in order to optimize the changes of the entire organisms for hydrogen production 2)in another hand, to insert the hydrogenases in a photosynthetic chain and then to photo reduce them in order to obtain kinetic data to better understand how it works. (O.M.)

Effect of gamma radiation on photosynthetic metabolism of Chlorella pyrenoidosa studied by 14CO2 assimilation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martin Moreno, C.; Fernandez Gonzalez, J.

1983-01-01

The effect of five dose of gamma radiation (10, 100, 500, 1000 and 5000 Gy) on photosynthetic activity and metabolism of the primary products of photosynthesis has been studied, on Chlorella pyrenoidoBa cultures, by 14 C O 2 assimilation. The photosynthetic assimilation rate is remarkably depressed after irradiation at 500, 1000 and 5000 Gy dose, which also produce a significant change in radioactivity distribution pattern of primary compounds from photosynthesis. No significant effects have been observed on photosynthetic metabolism after irradiation at 10 and 100 Gy. (Author) 19 refs

Estimating Photosynthetic Radiation Use Efficiency Using Incident Light and Photosynthesis of Individual Leaves

OpenAIRE

ROSATI, A.; DEJONG, T. M.

2003-01-01

It has been theorized that photosynthetic radiation use efficiency (PhRUE) over the course of a day is constant for leaves throughout a canopy if leaf nitrogen content and photosynthetic properties are adapted to local light so that canopy photosynthesis over a day is optimized. To test this hypothesis, ‘daily’ photosynthesis of individual leaves of Solanum melongena plants was calculated from instantaneous rates of photosynthesis integrated over the daylight hours. Instantaneous photosynthes...

Extraction and properties of starches from the non-traditional vegetables Yam and Taro

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Andrade, Luan Alberto; Barbosa, Natalia Alves; Pereira, Joelma, E-mail: luandrade87@yahoo.com.br [Universidade Federal de Lavras (UFLA), Lavras, MG (Brazil)

2017-04-15

The objective of this study was to assess the chemical, physical, morphological, crystalline and thermal properties of starch from two non-traditional vegetables, yam and taro. The analyses included proximate composition percent, amylose and mineral content, water absorption capacity, absolute density, morphological properties, X-ray diffractometry, thermal properties, pasting properties and infrared spectrum. The extracted starch exhibited a high purity level with low lipid, fiber and ash contents. The electron micrographs suggested that the taro starch granules were smaller than the yam starch granules. The results for the experimental conditions used in this study indicated that the studied starches differed, especially the amylose content, granule size and crystallinity degree and the pattern of the starches. Due to the high amylose content of yam starch, this type of starch can be used for film preparation, whereas the taro starch can be used as a fat substitute due to its small granule size. (author)

Changes in growth, photosynthetic activities, biochemical parameters and amino acid profile of Thompson Seedless grapes (Vitis vinifera L.).

Science.gov (United States)

Somkuwar, R G; Bahetwar, Anita; Khan, I; Satisha, J; Ramteke, S D; Itroutwar, Prerna; Bhongale, Aarti; Oulkar, Dashrath

2014-11-01

The study on photosynthetic activity and biochemical parameters in Thompson Seedless grapes grafted on Dog Ridge rootstock and its impact on growth, yield and amino acid profile at various stages of berry development was conducted during the year 2012-2013. Leaf and berry samples from ten year old vines of Thompson Seedless were collected at different growth and berry developmental stages. The analysis showed difference in photosynthetic activity, biochemical parameters and amino acid status with the changes in berry development stage. Higher photosynthetic rate of 17.39 umol cm(-2) s(-1) was recorded during 3-4mm berry size and the lowest (10.08 umol cm(-2) s(-1)) was recorded during the veraison stage. The photosynthetic activity showed gradual decrease with the onset of harvest while the different biochemical parameters showed increase and decrease from one stage to another in both berry and leaves. Changes in photosynthetic activity and biochemical parameters thereby affected the growth, yield and amino acid content of the berry. Positive correlation of leaf area and photosynthetic rate was recorded during the period of study. Reducing sugar (352.25 mg g(-1)) and total carbohydrate (132.52 mg g(-1)) was more in berries as compared to leaf. Amino acid profile showed variations in different stages of berry development. Marked variations in photosynthetic as well as biochemical and amino acid content at various berry development stages was recorded and thereby its cumulative effect on the development of fruit quality.

Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program and Requests for Fruits and Vegetables Outside School Settings.

Science.gov (United States)

Ohri-Vachaspati, Punam; Dachenhaus, Elizabeth; Gruner, Jessie; Mollner, Kristina; Hekler, Eric B; Todd, Michael

2018-01-08

Consumption of fruits and vegetables (F/V) among elementary school-aged children remains inadequate, especially among low-income children. The US Department of Agriculture's Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) provides F/V as snacks to children during the school day, outside of school meals. School-based initiatives are successful in changing behaviors in school settings; however, their influence on behaviors outside of schools needs investigation. To examine whether FFVP participation is associated with F/V requests at stores, self-efficacy to ask for and choose F/V at home, and F/V consumption. Cross-sectional study. Fourth graders in six classrooms (n=296) from three urban, low-income school districts in Phoenix, AZ, were surveyed during 2015; one FFVP and one non-FFVP school from each district that were similar in school size, percent free/reduced-price meal eligibility, and race/ethnicity of enrolled students were selected. Children's self-reported F/V requests during shopping, their self-efficacy to ask for and choose F/V at home, and F/V consumption on the previous day (non-FFVP school day) were measured using questions adapted from validated surveys. Multivariable mixed-effect regression models, adjusting for clustering of students within classes and classes within schools were explored. In models adjusting for individual-level factors (ie, age and sex) only, several significant positive associations were observed between school FFVP participation and healthier F/V outcomes. After additionally adjusting for school-level factors (ie, total enrollment and % Hispanic/Latino students) significant associations were observed between school FFVP participation and more requests for vegetables during shopping (Pvegetables at home (P=0.004), stronger preferences for vegetables (Pfruit (P=0.006). School FFVP participation was associated with more requests for vegetables during shopping and higher self-efficacy to make healthy choices at home, suggesting the

[Effects of light intensities after anthesis on the photosynthetic characteristics and chloroplast ultrastructure in mesophyll cell of summer maize (Zea mays L. )].

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Jia; Cui, Hai Yan; Shi, Jian Guo; Dong, Shu Ting; Liu, Peng; Zhao, Bin; Zhang, Ji Wang

2018-03-01

We examined the changes of photosynthetic characteristics and chloroplast ultrastructure in mesophyll cell of summer maize in response to different light intensities in the field, with the summer maize hybrid Denghai 605 as experimental material. Two treatments of both shading (S) and increasing light (L) from flowering to physiological maturity stage were designed, with the ambient sunlight treatment as control (CK). Under shading treatment, poorly developed thylakoid structure, blurry lamellar structure, loose granum, large gap between slices and warping granum were the major characteristics in chloroplast. Meanwhile, photosynthetic rate (P n ), transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, chlorophyll content, and actual photo-chemical efficiency (Φ PSII ) decreased, whereas the maximal photochemical efficiency and non-photochemical quenching increased, which resulted in decreases in grain yield under shading treatment. However, a better development was observed in chloroplasts for L treatment, with the number of grana and lamellae increased and lamellae arranged compactly. In addition, P n and Φ PSII increased under L treatment, which increased grain yield. The chloroplast arrangement dispersed in mesophyll cells and chloroplast ultrastructure was destroyed after shading, and then chlorophyll synthesis per unit leaf area and photosynthetic capacity decreased. In contrast, the number of grana and lamellae increased and lamellae arranged compactly after increasing light, which are beneficial for corn yield.

LBA-ECO CD-34 Landsat Fractional Land Cover Analysis, Manaus, Brazil: 2004-2005

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — This data set provides the results of fractional land cover analysis for nonphotosynthetic vegetation (NPV) from two Landsat images of Manaus, Brazil, for October...

Transmission System Vegetation Management Program. Draft Environmental Impact Statement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1999-01-01

Bonneville is responsible for maintaining a network of 24,000 kilometers (km) or 15,000 miles (mi.) of electric transmission lines and 350 substations in a region of diverse vegetation. This vegetation can interfere with electric power flow, pose safety problems for Bonneville and the public, and interfere with their ability to maintain these facilities. They need to (1) keep vegetation away from the electric facilities; (2) increase their program efficiency and consistency; (3) review herbicide use (under increased public scrutiny); and (4) maximize the range of tools they can use while minimizing environmental impact (Integrated Vegetation Management). This DEIS establishes Planning Steps for managing vegetation for specific projects (to be tiered to this EIS). In addition to No Action (current practice), alternatives are presented for Rights-of-way, Electric Yards, and Non-electric Facilities (landscaping, work yards). Four vegetation control methods are analyzed: manual, mechanical, herbicide, and biological. Also evaluated are 24 herbicide active ingredients and 4 herbicide application techniques (spot, localized, broadcast, and aerial). For rights-of-way, they consider three sets of alternatives: alternative management approaches (time-driven or establishing low-growing plant communities); alternative method packages; and, if herbicides are in a methods package, alternative vegetation selections (noxious weeds, deciduous, or any vegetation). For electric yards, one herbicide-use alternative is considered. For non-electric facilities, two method package alternatives are considered. For rights-of-way, the environmentally preferred alternative(s) would use manual, mechanical, and biological control methods, as well as spot and localized herbicide applications for noxious and deciduous plant species; the BPA-preferred alternative(s) would add broadcast and aerial herbicide applications, and would use herbicides on any vegetation. Both would favor a management

Internal and external factors affecting photosynthetic pigment composition in plants: a meta-analytical approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Esteban, Raquel; Barrutia, Oihana; Artetxe, Unai; Fernández-Marín, Beatriz; Hernández, Antonio; García-Plazaola, José Ignacio

2015-04-01

Photosynthetic pigment composition has been a major study target in plant ecophysiology during the last three decades. Although more than 2000 papers have been published, a comprehensive evaluation of the responses of photosynthetic pigment composition to environmental conditions is not yet available. After an extensive survey, we compiled data from 525 papers including 809 species (subkingdom Viridiplantae) in which pigment composition was described. A meta-analysis was then conducted to assess the ranges of photosynthetic pigment content. Calculated frequency distributions of pigments were compared with those expected from the theoretical pigment composition. Responses to environmental factors were also analysed. The results revealed that lutein and xanthophyll cycle pigments (VAZ) were highly responsive to the environment, emphasizing the high phenotypic plasticity of VAZ, whereas neoxanthin was very stable. The present meta-analysis supports the existence of relatively narrow limits for pigment ratios and also supports the presence of a pool of free 'unbound' VAZ. Results from this study provide highly reliable ranges of photosynthetic pigment contents as a framework for future research on plant pigments. © 2014 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2014 New Phytologist Trust.

Photosynthetic performance in Sphagnum transplanted along a latitudinal nitrogen deposition gradient.

Science.gov (United States)

Granath, Gustaf; Strengbom, Joachim; Breeuwer, Angela; Heijmans, Monique M P D; Berendse, Frank; Rydin, Håkan

2009-04-01

Increased N deposition in Europe has affected mire ecosystems. However, knowledge on the physiological responses is poor. We measured photosynthetic responses to increasing N deposition in two peatmoss species (Sphagnum balticum and Sphagnum fuscum) from a 3-year, north-south transplant experiment in northern Europe, covering a latitudinal N deposition gradient ranging from 0.28 g N m(-2) year(-1) in the north, to 1.49 g N m(-2) year(-1) in the south. The maximum photosynthetic rate (NP(max)) increased southwards, and was mainly explained by tissue N concentration, secondly by allocation of N to the photosynthesis, and to a lesser degree by modified photosystem II activity (variable fluorescence/maximum fluorescence yield). Although climatic factors may have contributed, these results were most likely attributable to an increase in N deposition southwards. For S. fuscum, photosynthetic rate continued to increase up to a deposition level of 1.49 g N m(-2) year(-1), but for S. balticum it seemed to level out at 1.14 g N m(-2) year(-1). The results for S. balticum suggested that transplants from different origin (with low or intermediate N deposition) respond differently to high N deposition. This indicates that Sphagnum species may be able to adapt or physiologically adjust to high N deposition. Our results also suggest that S. balticum might be more sensitive to N deposition than S. fuscum. Surprisingly, NP(max) was not (S. balticum), or only weakly (S. fuscum) correlated with biomass production, indicating that production is to a great extent is governed by factors other than the photosynthetic capacity.

The 2010 Russian Drought Impact on Satellite Measurements of Solar-Induced Chlorophyll Fluorescence: Insights from Modeling and Comparisons with the Normalized Differential Vegetation Index (NDVI)

Science.gov (United States)

Yoshida, Y.; Joiner, J.; Tucker, C.; Berry, J.; Lee, J. -E.; Walker, G.; Reichle, R.; Koster, R.; Lyapustin, A.; Wang, Y.

2015-01-01

We examine satellite-based measurements of chlorophyll solar-induced fluorescence (SIF) over the region impacted by the Russian drought and heat wave of 2010. Like the popular Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) that has been used for decades to measure photosynthetic capacity, SIF measurements are sensitive to the fraction of absorbed photosynthetically-active radiation (fPAR). However, in addition, SIF is sensitive to the fluorescence yield that is related to the photosynthetic yield. Both SIF and NDVI from satellite data show drought-related declines early in the growing season in 2010 as compared to other years between 2007 and 2013 for areas dominated by crops and grasslands. This suggests an early manifestation of the dry conditions on fPAR. We also simulated SIF using a global land surface model driven by observation-based meteorological fields. The model provides a reasonable simulation of the drought and heat impacts on SIF in terms of the timing and spatial extents of anomalies, but there are some differences between modeled and observed SIF. The model may potentially be improved through data assimilation or parameter estimation using satellite observations of SIF (as well as NDVI). The model simulations also offer the opportunity to examine separately the different components of the SIF signal and relationships with Gross Primary Productivity (GPP).

Comparison of the current state of non-forest woody vegetation in two contrasted case study areas in Central Europe

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Demková Katarína

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Non-forest woody vegetation (NFWV, as a part of green infrastructure, has gained a great deal of attention in recent years. Despite its importance in many productive and non-productive functions, an inventory (collection of quantitative and qualitative data on a national or even on a local level is not available in many European countries. The main aim of this study is to carry out a comparison of two study areas (lowland and upland from the perspective of the current state of NFWV. We investigate qualitative attributes of NFWV, its relation to environmental conditions and its spatial pattern. After manual vectorization of orthophotos, qualitative data were collected in the field. Using statistical and landscape-ecological methods, the relation between NFWV and environmental conditions, as well as its spatial pattern were assessed. Substantial differences in character and in the spatial pattern of NFWV were identified between the study areas. NFWV in the upland area has a higher proportion (2.6% than in lowland study area (1.5%, and it also has a more heterogeneous spatial structure. Statistical analysis points to a significant relation between the NFWV and land cover types in both study areas. A significant relation between NFWV and soil types was identified only in the upland area, however, while an association with potential natural vegetation was found in the lowland study area.

Photosynthetic carbon reduction by seagrasses exposed to ultraviolet A radiation

Science.gov (United States)

1979-01-01

The seagrasses Halophila engelmannii, Halodule wrightii, and Syringodium filiforme were examined for their intrinsic sensitivity to ultraviolet-A-UV-A and ultraviolet-B-UV-B radiation. The effect of UV-A on photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) was also determined. Ultraviolet-A and ultraviolet-B were studied with emphasis on the greater respective environmental consequence in terms of seagrass distribution and abundance. Results indicate that an intrinsic sensitivity to UV-A alone is apparent only in Halophila, while net photosynthesis in Halodule and Syringodium seems unaffected by the level of UV-A provided. The sensitivity of Halophila to UV-A in the absense of (PAR) indicates that the photosynthetic reaction does not need to be in operation for damage to occur. Other significant results are reported.

BOREAS TE-9 NSA Photosynthetic Capacity and Foliage Nitrogen Data

Science.gov (United States)

Hall, Forrest G. (Editor); Curd, Shelaine (Editor); Dang, Qinglai; Margolis, Hank; Coyea, Marie

2000-01-01

The Boreal Ecosystem-Atmospheric Study (BOREAS) TE-9 (Terrestrial Ecology) team collected several data sets related to chemical and photosynthetic properties of leaves in boreal forest tree species. This data set describes the spatial and temporal relationship between foliage nitrogen concentration and photosynthetic capacity in the canopies of black spruce, jack pine, and aspen located within the Northern Study Area (NSA). The data were collected from June to September 1994 and are useful for modeling the vertical distribution of carbon fixation for different forest types in the boreal forest. The data are available in tabular ASCII files. The data files are available on a CD-ROM (see document number 20010000884), or from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC).

PS2013 Satellite Workshop on Photosynthetic Light-Harvesting Systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Niederman, Robert A. [Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, NJ (United States); Blankenship, Robert E. [Washington Univ., St. Louis, MO (United States); Frank, Harry A. [Univ. of Connecticut, Storrs, CT (United States)

2015-02-07

These funds were used for partial support of the PS2013 Satellite Workshop on Photosynthetic Light-Harvesting Systems, that was held on 8-11 August, 2013, at Washington University, St. Louis, MO. This conference, held in conjunction with the 16th International Congress on Photosynthesis/St. Louis, continued a long tradition of light-harvesting satellite conferences that have been held prior to the previous six international photosynthesis congresses. In this Workshop, the basis was explored for the current interest in replacing fossil fuels with energy sources derived form direct solar radiation, coupled with light-driven electron transport in natural photosynthetic systems and how they offer a valuable blueprint for conversion of sunlight to useful energy forms. This was accomplished through sessions on the initial light-harvesting events in the biological conversion of solar energy to chemically stored energy forms, and how these natural photosynthetic processes serve as a guide to the development of robust bio-hybrid and artificial systems for solar energy conversion into both electricity or chemical fuels. Organized similar to a Gordon Research Conference, a lively, informal and collegial setting was established, highlighting the exchange of exciting new data and unpublished results from ongoing studies. A significant amount of time was set aside for open discussion and interactive poster sessions, with a special session devoted to oral presentations by talented students and postdoctoral fellows judged to have the best posters. This area of research has seen exceptionally rapid progress in recent years, with the availability of a number of antenna protein structures at atomic resolution, elucidation of the molecular surface architecture of native photosynthetic membranes by atomic force microscopy and the maturing of ultrafast spectroscopic and molecular biological techniques for the investigation and manipulation of photosynthetic systems. The conferees

Application of heat stress in situ demonstrates a protective role of irradiation on photosynthetic performance in alpine plants

OpenAIRE

Buchner, Othmar; STOLL, Magdalena; Karadar, Matthias; Kranner, Ilse; Neuner, Gilbert

2014-01-01

The impact of sublethal heat on photosynthetic performance, photosynthetic pigments and free radical scavenging activity was examined in three high mountain species, R hododendron ferrugineum, S enecio incanus and R anunculus glacialis using controlled in situ applications of heat stress, both in darkness and under natural solar irradiation. Heat treatments applied in the dark reversibly reduced photosynthetic performance and the maximum quantum efficiency of photosystem II (Fv/Fm), which rem...

Estimation of the fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (fPAR) in maize canopies using LiDAR data and hyperspectral imagery.

Science.gov (United States)

Qin, Haiming; Wang, Cheng; Zhao, Kaiguang; Xi, Xiaohuan

2018-01-01

Accurate estimation of the fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (fPAR) for maize canopies are important for maize growth monitoring and yield estimation. The goal of this study is to explore the potential of using airborne LiDAR and hyperspectral data to better estimate maize fPAR. This study focuses on estimating maize fPAR from (1) height and coverage metrics derived from airborne LiDAR point cloud data; (2) vegetation indices derived from hyperspectral imagery; and (3) a combination of these metrics. Pearson correlation analyses were conducted to evaluate the relationships among LiDAR metrics, hyperspectral metrics, and field-measured fPAR values. Then, multiple linear regression (MLR) models were developed using these metrics. Results showed that (1) LiDAR height and coverage metrics provided good explanatory power (i.e., R2 = 0.81); (2) hyperspectral vegetation indices provided moderate interpretability (i.e., R2 = 0.50); and (3) the combination of LiDAR metrics and hyperspectral metrics improved the LiDAR model (i.e., R2 = 0.88). These results indicate that LiDAR model seems to offer a reliable method for estimating maize fPAR at a high spatial resolution and it can be used for farmland management. Combining LiDAR and hyperspectral metrics led to better performance of maize fPAR estimation than LiDAR or hyperspectral metrics alone, which means that maize fPAR retrieval can benefit from the complementary nature of LiDAR-detected canopy structure characteristics and hyperspectral-captured vegetation spectral information.

Energy transfer from natural photosynthetic complexes to single-wall carbon nanotubes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wiwatowski, Kamil [Institute of Physics, Faculty of Physics, Astronomy and Informatics, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Grudziadzka 5, 87-100 Torun (Poland); Dużyńska, Anna; Świniarski, Michał [Faculty of Physics, Warsaw University of Technology, Koszykowa 75, 00-662 Warsaw (Poland); Szalkowski, Marcin [Institute of Physics, Faculty of Physics, Astronomy and Informatics, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Grudziadzka 5, 87-100 Torun (Poland); Zdrojek, Mariusz; Judek, Jarosław [Faculty of Physics, Warsaw University of Technology, Koszykowa 75, 00-662 Warsaw (Poland); Mackowski, Sebastian, E-mail: mackowski@fizyka.umk.pl [Institute of Physics, Faculty of Physics, Astronomy and Informatics, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Grudziadzka 5, 87-100 Torun (Poland); Wroclaw Research Center EIT+, Stablowicka 147, Wroclaw (Poland); Kaminska, Izabela [Institute of Physics, Faculty of Physics, Astronomy and Informatics, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Grudziadzka 5, 87-100 Torun (Poland)

2016-02-15

Combination of fluorescence imaging and spectroscopy results indicates that single-walled carbon nanotubes are extremely efficient quenchers of fluorescence emission associated with chlorophylls embedded in a natural photosynthetic complex, peridinin-chlorophyll-protein. When deposited on a network of the carbon nanotubes forming a thin film, the emission of the photosynthetic complexes diminishes almost completely. This strong reduction of fluorescence intensity is accompanied with dramatic shortening of the fluorescence lifetime. Concluding, such thin films of carbon nanotubes can be extremely efficient energy acceptors in structures involving biologically functional complexes. - Highlights: • Fluorescence imaging of carbon nanotube - based hybrid structure. • Observation of efficient energy transfer from chlorophylls to carbon nanotubes.

Fruit and vegetable consumption and anemia among adult non-pregnant women: Ghana Demographic and Health Survey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bishwajit Ghose

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Background Anemia is the most widely prevalent form of micronutrient deficiency that affects over a quarter of the global population. Evidence suggests that the burden of anemia is higher in the developing countries with women of reproductive age and children being the most at-risk groups. The most common causes are believed to be malnutrition and low bioavailability of micronutrients, which usually result from poor dietary habits and inadequate intake of food rich in micronutrients such as fresh fruits and vegetables. Regular consumption of F&V was shown to have protective effect against NCDs; however, evidence on this protective effect against micronutrient deficiency diseases are limited. Objectives (1 To measure the prevalence of anemia among adult non-pregnant women in Ghana, and (2 to investigate if there is any cross-sectional relationship between F&V consumption and anemia. Methods This is a cross-sectional study based on data extracted from the Ghana Demographic and Health Survey, 2008. Subjects were 4,290 non-pregnant women aged between 15 and 49 years. Hemoglobin levels were measured by HemoCue® hemoglobin-meter. Association between anemia and F&V consumption was assessed by multivariable regression methods. Results Findings indicate that well over half (57.9% of the women were suffering from anemia of some level. The percentage of women consuming at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day were 5.4% and 2.5% respectively. Results of multivariable analysis indicated that among urban women, consumption of 5 servings/day. Conclusion The findings indicate that urban women who did not maintain WHO recommended level of F&V consumption bear a significantly higher likelihood of being moderate to severely anemic.

Melatonin Improves the Photosynthetic Carbon Assimilation and Antioxidant Capacity in Wheat Exposed to Nano-ZnO Stress

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhiyu Zuo

2017-10-01

Full Text Available The release of nanoparticles into the environment is inevitable, which has raised global environmental concern. Melatonin is involved in various stress responses in plants. The present study investigated the effects of melatonin on photosynthetic carbon (C assimilation and plant growth in nano-ZnO stressed plants. It was found that melatonin improved the photosynthetic C assimilation in nano-ZnO stressed wheat plants, mainly due to the enhanced photosynthetic energy transport efficiency, higher chlorophyll concentration and higher activities of Rubisco and ATPases. In addition, melatonin enhanced the activities of antioxidant enzymes to protect the photosynthetic electron transport system in wheat leaves against the oxidative burst caused by nano-ZnO stress. These results suggest that melatonin could improve the tolerance of wheat plants to nano-ZnO stress.

Biotechnological Approaches to Enhance Halotolerance and Photosynthetic Efficacy in the Cyanobacterium, Fremyella diplosiphon

Science.gov (United States)

Tabatabai, Ben

Growing concerns over dwindling energy supplies linked to nonrenewable fossil fuels have driven profound interest in biofuels as a clean and sustainable alternative. Cyanobacteria are a promising source of third-generation biofuel due to their fast generation time and high net biomass conversion. In this study, the effect of salinity stress on Fremyella diplosiphon, a model organism for studying photosynthetic pathways, was investigated and nanobiotechnological approaches undertaken to enhance its halotolerance and photosynthetic efficacy. Heat-induced mutagenesis resulted in a mutant strain that could survive in 20 g L-1 sodium chloride (NaCl) with no loss in pigmentation. To further enhance F. diplosiphon halotolerance, expression plasmids harboring the hlyB and mdh genes were overexpressed in the wild type resulting in two transformants that thrived in 35 g L-1 NaCl, the average salinity of sea water. In addition, no significant reduction in photosynthetic efficacy was detected in the halotolerant strains relative to the wild type. Total lipid content and fatty acid methyl ester composition of wild type and halotolerant strains were assessed for their potential as a production-scale biofuel agent. Methyl palmitate, the methyl ester of hexodeconoate (C16:0), was found to be most abundant in the wild type and transformants accounting for 60-70% of total FAMEs produced. Efforts to enhance the photosynthetic efficiency of the strains revealed that gold nanoparticle-derived surface plasmon resonance augmented culture growth and pigment accumulation. Cell-nanoparticles interactions were visualized using scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Our findings address two key challenges that cyanobacterial biofuel agents need to overcome: enhanced halotolerance and photosynthetic efficacy to minimize freshwater input and artificial light supply. These innovations have paved the way for an efficient cyanobacterial cultivation system for large-scale production of

Autumn photosynthetic decline and growth cessation in seedlings of white spruce are decoupled under warming and photoperiod manipulations.

Science.gov (United States)

Stinziano, Joseph R; Way, Danielle A

2017-08-01

Climate warming is expected to increase the seasonal duration of photosynthetic carbon fixation and tree growth in high-latitude forests. However, photoperiod, a crucial cue for seasonality, will remain constant, which may constrain tree responses to warming. We investigated the effects of temperature and photoperiod on weekly changes in photosynthetic capacity, leaf biochemistry and growth in seedlings of a boreal evergreen conifer, white spruce [Picea glauca (Moench) Voss]. Warming delayed autumn declines in photosynthetic capacity, extending the period when seedlings had high carbon uptake. While photoperiod was correlated with photosynthetic capacity, short photoperiods did not constrain the maintenance of high photosynthetic capacity under warming. Rubisco concentration dynamics were affected by temperature but not photoperiod, while leaf pigment concentrations were unaffected by treatments. Respiration rates at 25 °C were stimulated by photoperiod, although respiration at the growth temperatures was increased in warming treatments. Seedling growth was stimulated by increased photoperiod and suppressed by warming. We demonstrate that temperature is a stronger control on the seasonal timing of photosynthetic down-regulation than is photoperiod. Thus, while warming can stimulate carbon uptake in boreal conifers, the extra carbon may be directed towards respiration rather than biomass, potentially limiting carbon sequestration under climate change. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Complete plastid genome sequences suggest strong selection for retention of photosynthetic genes in the parasitic plant genus Cuscuta.

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McNeal, Joel R; Kuehl, Jennifer V; Boore, Jeffrey L; de Pamphilis, Claude W

2007-10-24

Plastid genome content and protein sequence are highly conserved across land plants and their closest algal relatives. Parasitic plants, which obtain some or all of their nutrition through an attachment to a host plant, are often a striking exception. Heterotrophy can lead to relaxed constraint on some plastid genes or even total gene loss. We sequenced plastid genomes of two species in the parasitic genus Cuscuta along with a non-parasitic relative, Ipomoea purpurea, to investigate changes in the plastid genome that may result from transition to the parasitic lifestyle. Aside from loss of all ndh genes, Cuscuta exaltata retains photosynthetic and photorespiratory genes that evolve under strong selective constraint. Cuscuta obtusiflora has incurred substantially more change to its plastid genome, including loss of all genes for the plastid-encoded RNA polymerase. Despite extensive change in gene content and greatly increased rate of overall nucleotide substitution, C. obtusiflora also retains all photosynthetic and photorespiratory genes with only one minor exception. Although Epifagus virginiana, the only other parasitic plant with its plastid genome sequenced to date, has lost a largely overlapping set of transfer-RNA and ribosomal genes as Cuscuta, it has lost all genes related to photosynthesis and maintains a set of genes which are among the most divergent in Cuscuta. Analyses demonstrate photosynthetic genes are under the highest constraint of any genes within the plastid genomes of Cuscuta, indicating a function involving RuBisCo and electron transport through photosystems is still the primary reason for retention of the plastid genome in these species.

Complete plastid genome sequences suggest strong selection for retention of photosynthetic genes in the parasitic plant genus Cuscuta

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Kuehl Jennifer V

2007-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Plastid genome content and protein sequence are highly conserved across land plants and their closest algal relatives. Parasitic plants, which obtain some or all of their nutrition through an attachment to a host plant, are often a striking exception. Heterotrophy can lead to relaxed constraint on some plastid genes or even total gene loss. We sequenced plastid genomes of two species in the parasitic genus Cuscuta along with a non-parasitic relative, Ipomoea purpurea, to investigate changes in the plastid genome that may result from transition to the parasitic lifestyle. Results Aside from loss of all ndh genes, Cuscuta exaltata retains photosynthetic and photorespiratory genes that evolve under strong selective constraint. Cuscuta obtusiflora has incurred substantially more change to its plastid genome, including loss of all genes for the plastid-encoded RNA polymerase. Despite extensive change in gene content and greatly increased rate of overall nucleotide substitution, C. obtusiflora also retains all photosynthetic and photorespiratory genes with only one minor exception. Conclusion Although Epifagus virginiana, the only other parasitic plant with its plastid genome sequenced to date, has lost a largely overlapping set of transfer-RNA and ribosomal genes as Cuscuta, it has lost all genes related to photosynthesis and maintains a set of genes which are among the most divergent in Cuscuta. Analyses demonstrate photosynthetic genes are under the highest constraint of any genes within the plastid genomes of Cuscuta, indicating a function involving RuBisCo and electron transport through photosystems is still the primary reason for retention of the plastid genome in these species.

Molecular diagnosis for the silk worm Bombyx Mori L. Viral and bacterial diseases in the irradiated and non-irradiated individuals

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Abulyazid, I.; Elshafei, A.; El-Said, E.; Mousa, S.; Taha, R.

2007-01-01

Genetic maps for the Bombyx Mori infectious flacherrie virus (BmlFV) causing flacherrie (Fl) disease and nuclear polyhedrosis virus (BmNPV) causing grasserie (Gr) disease were built up in an attempt to diagnose diseases early in young larval stages. For the non-irradiated and irradiated viral RNA of IFV, no amplification was obtained by using RT-PCR and RAPD-PCR techniques. HcoRI, EcoRV, BamHI, Hind III and BamHI restriction enzymes were used to digest the non-irradiated and irradiated viral DNA of BmNPV. It was found that, the two viral DNA samples were genetically different; the similarity indexes were 0.14, 0, 0, 0.18 and 0.15, respectively. At the biochemical level, native protein electrophoresis showed 4 and 3 new proteins in non-irradiated and irradiated Fl diseased larvae, respectively, while Gr diseased larvae showed 1 and 3 new protein types. The similarity index (S.I) between all the tested samples was not exceeded 44%. For lipoprotein pattern, 2 and 3 new lipoprotein types were appeared due to Fl disease in the non-irradiated and irradiated haemolymph samples, respectively, while Gr disease showed 3 new lipoproteins in the non-irradiated samples only. The highest S.I recorded was 56%. Glycoprotein pattern revealed 3 and 5 new glycoprotein types appeared due to Fl disease while Gr disease showed 4 and 6 new types in the non-irradiated and irradiated samples, respectively. The highest S.I was 77%. Fractionated protein with SDS revealed 2 common bands shared between the tested samples with R f values 0.28 and 0.71. Fl disease increased the number of protein bands with the appearance of 5 and 4 new proteins types. Gr disease reduced the total number of proteins with the appearance of 2 and 3 new types. The highest S.I was 59%. Both diseases and irradiation may be mutagenic through the epigenetic level in silkworm larvae leading to death. Thus, the results of the biochemical and genetic characterization of IFV and BmNPV enable us to conclude that the

Carbon isotopic composition of legumes with photosynthetic stems from Mediterranean and desert habitats

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Nilsen, E.T.; Sharifi, M.R.

1997-01-01

The carbon isotopic compositions of leaves and stems of woody legumes growing in coastal mediterranean and inland desert sites in California were compared. The overall goal was to determine what factors were most associated with the carbon isotope composition of photosynthetic stems in these habitats. The carbon isotope signature (delta 13C) of photosynthetic stems was less negative than that of leaves on the same plants by an average of 1.51 +/- 0.42 per thousand. The delta 13C of bark (cortical chlorenchyma and epidermis) was more negative than that of wood (vascular tissue and pith) from the same plant for all species studied on all dates. Desert woody legumes had a higher delta 13C (less negative) and a lower intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci) (for both photosynthetic tissues) than that of woody legumes from mediterranean climate sites. Differences in the delta 13C of stems among sites could be entirely accounted for by differences among site air temperatures. Thus, the delta 13C composition of stems did not indicate a difference in whole-plant integrated water use efficiency (WUE) among sites. In contrast, stems on all plants had a lower stem Ci and a higher delta 13C than leaves on the same plant, indicating that photosynthetic stems improve long-term, whole-plant water use efficiency in a diversity of species

Continuous cultivation of photosynthetic microorganisms: Approaches, applications and future trends.

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Fernandes, Bruno D; Mota, Andre; Teixeira, Jose A; Vicente, Antonio A

2015-11-01

The possibility of using photosynthetic microorganisms, such as cyanobacteria and microalgae, for converting light and carbon dioxide into valuable biochemical products has raised the need for new cost-efficient processes ensuring a constant product quality. Food, feed, biofuels, cosmetics and pharmaceutics are among the sectors that can profit from the application of photosynthetic microorganisms. Biomass growth in a photobioreactor is a complex process influenced by multiple parameters, such as photosynthetic light capture and attenuation, nutrient uptake, photobioreactor hydrodynamics and gas-liquid mass transfer. In order to optimize productivity while keeping a standard product quality, a permanent control of the main cultivation parameters is necessary, where the continuous cultivation has shown to be the best option. However it is of utmost importance to recognize the singularity of continuous cultivation of cyanobacteria and microalgae due to their dependence on light availability and intensity. In this sense, this review provides comprehensive information on recent breakthroughs and possible future trends regarding technological and process improvements in continuous cultivation systems of microalgae and cyanobacteria, that will directly affect cost-effectiveness and product quality standardization. An overview of the various applications, techniques and equipment (with special emphasis on photobioreactors) in continuous cultivation of microalgae and cyanobacteria are presented. Additionally, mathematical modeling, feasibility, economics as well as the applicability of continuous cultivation into large-scale operation, are discussed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Quantum measurement corrections to CIDNP in photosynthetic reaction centers

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Kominis, Iannis K

2013-01-01

Chemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization is a signature of spin order appearing in many photosynthetic reaction centers. Such polarization, significantly enhanced above thermal equilibrium, is known to result from the nuclear spin sorting inherent in the radical pair mechanism underlying long-lived charge-separated states in photosynthetic reaction centers. We will show here that the recently understood fundamental quantum dynamics of radical-ion-pair reactions open up a new and completely unexpected pathway toward obtaining chemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization signals. The fundamental decoherence mechanism inherent in the recombination process of radical pairs is shown to produce nuclear spin polarizations of the order of 10 4 times (or more) higher than the thermal equilibrium value at the Earth's magnetic field relevant to natural photosynthesis. This opens up the possibility of a fundamentally new exploration of the biological significance of high nuclear polarizations in photosynthesis. (paper)

A theoretical approach to photosynthetically active radiation silicon sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tamasi, M.J.L.; Martínez Bogado, M.G.

2013-01-01

This paper presents a theoretical approach for the development of low cost radiometers to measure photosynthetically active radiation (PAR). Two alternatives are considered: a) glass optical filters attached to a silicon sensor, and b) dielectric coating on a silicon sensor. The devices proposed are based on radiometers previously developed by the Argentine National Atomic Energy Commission. The objective of this work is to adapt these low cost radiometers to construct reliable instruments for measuring PAR. The transmittance of optical filters and sensor response have been analyzed for different dielectric materials, number of layers deposited, and incidence angles. Uncertainties in thickness of layer deposition were evaluated. - Highlights: • Design of radiometers to measure photosynthetically active radiation • The study has used a filter and a Si sensor to modify spectral response. • Dielectric multilayers on glass and silicon sensor • Spectral response related to different incidence angles, materials and spectra

Species composition and diversity of non-forest woody vegetation along roads in the agricultural landscape

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Tóth Attila

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Non-forest woody vegetation represents an important component of green infrastructure in the agricultural landscape, where natural and semi-natural forest cover has only a low land use proportion. This paper focuses on linear woody vegetation structures along roads in the agricultural landscape and analyses them in three study areas in the Nitra Region, Slovakia. We evaluate species composition and diversity, species occurrence frequency or spatial distribution, their structure according to relatively achievable age and origin. For the evaluation of occurrence frequency, a Frequency Factor was proposed and applied. This factor allows a better comparison of different study areas and results in more representative findings. The study areas were divided into sectors based on visual landscape features, which are easily identifiable in the field, such as intersections and curves in roads, and intersections of roads with other features, such as cadastral or land boundaries, watercourses, etc. Based on the species abundance, woody plants present within the sectors were categorised into 1 predominant, 2 complementary and 3 mixed-in species; and with regard to their origin into 1 autochthonous and 2 allochthonous. Further, trees were categorised into 1 long-lived, 2 medium-lived and 3 short-lived tree species. The main finding is that among trees, mainly allochthonous species dominated. Robinia pseudoacacia L. was the predominant tree species in all three study areas. It was up to 4 times more frequent than other predominant tree species. Introduced tree species prevailed also among complementary and mixed-in species. Among shrubs, mainly native species dominated, while non-native species had a significantly lower proportion and spatial distribution. Based on these findings, several measures have been proposed to improve the overall ecological stability, the proportion and spatial distribution of native woody plant species. The recommendations and

Assessing the relationship between microwave vegetation optical depth and gross primary production

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Teubner, Irene E.; Forkel, Matthias; Jung, Martin; Liu, Yi Y.; Miralles, Diego G.; Parinussa, Robert; van der Schalie, Robin; Vreugdenhil, Mariette; Schwalm, Christopher R.; Tramontana, Gianluca; Camps-Valls, Gustau; Dorigo, Wouter A.

2018-03-01

At the global scale, the uptake of atmospheric carbon dioxide by terrestrial ecosystems through photosynthesis is commonly estimated through vegetation indices or biophysical properties derived from optical remote sensing data. Microwave observations of vegetated areas are sensitive to different components of the vegetation layer than observations in the optical domain and may therefore provide complementary information on the vegetation state, which may be used in the estimation of Gross Primary Production (GPP). However, the relation between GPP and Vegetation Optical Depth (VOD), a biophysical quantity derived from microwave observations, is not yet known. This study aims to explore the relationship between VOD and GPP. VOD data were taken from different frequencies (L-, C-, and X-band) and from both active and passive microwave sensors, including the Advanced Scatterometer (ASCAT), the Soil Moisture Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission, the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for Earth Observation System (AMSR-E) and a merged VOD data set from various passive microwave sensors. VOD data were compared against FLUXCOM GPP and Solar-Induced chlorophyll Fluorescence (SIF) from the Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment-2 (GOME-2). FLUXCOM GPP estimates are based on the upscaling of flux tower GPP observations using optical satellite data, while SIF observations present a measure of photosynthetic activity and are often used as a proxy for GPP. For relating VOD to GPP, three variables were analyzed: original VOD time series, temporal changes in VOD (ΔVOD), and positive changes in VOD (ΔVOD≥0). Results show widespread positive correlations between VOD and GPP with some negative correlations mainly occurring in dry and wet regions for active and passive VOD, respectively. Correlations between VOD and GPP were similar or higher than between VOD and SIF. When comparing the three variables for relating VOD to GPP, correlations with GPP were higher for the original VOD time

Mycorrhiza Symbiosis Increases the Surface for Sunlight Capture in Medicago truncatula for Better Photosynthetic Production

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Adolfsson, Lisa; Keresztes, Áron; Uddling, Johan; Schoefs, Benoît; Spetea, Cornelia

2015-01-01

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi play a prominent role in plant nutrition by supplying mineral nutrients, particularly inorganic phosphate (Pi), and also constitute an important carbon sink. AM stimulates plant growth and development, but the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. In this study, Medicago truncatula plants were grown with Rhizophagus irregularis BEG141 inoculum (AM), mock inoculum (control) or with Pi fertilization. We hypothesized that AM stimulates plant growth through either modifications of leaf anatomy or photosynthetic activity per leaf area. We investigated whether these effects are shared with Pi fertilization, and also assessed the relationship between levels of AM colonization and these effects. We found that increased Pi supply by either mycorrhization or fertilization led to improved shoot growth associated with increased nitrogen uptake and carbon assimilation. Both mycorrhized and Pi-fertilized plants had more and longer branches with larger and thicker leaves than the control plants, resulting in an increased photosynthetically active area. AM-specific effects were earlier appearance of the first growth axes and increased number of chloroplasts per cell section, since they were not induced by Pi fertilization. Photosynthetic activity per leaf area remained the same regardless of type of treatment. In conclusion, the increase in growth of mycorrhized and Pi-fertilized Medicago truncatula plants is linked to an increase in the surface for sunlight capture, hence increasing their photosynthetic production, rather than to an increase in the photosynthetic activity per leaf area. PMID:25615871

Mycorrhiza symbiosis increases the surface for sunlight capture in Medicago truncatula for better photosynthetic production.

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Lisa Adolfsson

Full Text Available Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM fungi play a prominent role in plant nutrition by supplying mineral nutrients, particularly inorganic phosphate (Pi, and also constitute an important carbon sink. AM stimulates plant growth and development, but the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. In this study, Medicago truncatula plants were grown with Rhizophagus irregularis BEG141 inoculum (AM, mock inoculum (control or with P(i fertilization. We hypothesized that AM stimulates plant growth through either modifications of leaf anatomy or photosynthetic activity per leaf area. We investigated whether these effects are shared with P(i fertilization, and also assessed the relationship between levels of AM colonization and these effects. We found that increased P(i supply by either mycorrhization or fertilization led to improved shoot growth associated with increased nitrogen uptake and carbon assimilation. Both mycorrhized and P(i-fertilized plants had more and longer branches with larger and thicker leaves than the control plants, resulting in an increased photosynthetically active area. AM-specific effects were earlier appearance of the first growth axes and increased number of chloroplasts per cell section, since they were not induced by P(i fertilization. Photosynthetic activity per leaf area remained the same regardless of type of treatment. In conclusion, the increase in growth of mycorrhized and P(i-fertilized Medicago truncatula plants is linked to an increase in the surface for sunlight capture, hence increasing their photosynthetic production, rather than to an increase in the photosynthetic activity per leaf area.

Warming delays autumn declines in photosynthetic capacity in a boreal conifer, Norway spruce (Picea abies).

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Stinziano, Joseph R; Hüner, Norman P A; Way, Danielle A

2015-12-01

Climate change, via warmer springs and autumns, may lengthen the carbon uptake period of boreal tree species, increasing the potential for carbon sequestration in boreal forests, which could help slow climate change. However, if other seasonal cues such as photoperiod dictate when photosynthetic capacity declines, warmer autumn temperatures may have little effect on when carbon uptake capacity decreases in these species. We investigated whether autumn warming would delay photosynthetic decline in Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) H. Karst.) by growing seedlings under declining weekly photoperiods and weekly temperatures either at ambient temperature or a warming treatment 4 °C above ambient. Photosynthetic capacity was relatively constant in both treatments when weekly temperatures were >8 °C, but declined rapidly at lower temperatures, leading to a delay in the autumn decline in photosynthetic capacity in the warming treatment. The decline in photosynthetic capacity was not related to changes in leaf nitrogen or chlorophyll concentrations, but was correlated with a decrease in the apparent fraction of leaf nitrogen invested in Rubisco, implicating a shift in nitrogen allocation away from the Calvin cycle at low autumn growing temperatures. Our data suggest that as the climate warms, the period of net carbon uptake will be extended in the autumn for boreal forests dominated by Norway spruce, which could increase total carbon uptake in these forests. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Ionizing radiation and photosynthetic ability of cyanobacteria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Agarwal, Rachna; Sainis, Jayashree K.

2006-01-01

Unicellular photoautotrophic cyanobacteria, Anacystis nidulans when exposed to lethal dose of 1.5 kGy of 60 Co γ- radiation (D 10 = 257.32 Gy) were as effective photosynthetical as unirradiated controls immediately after irradiation although level of ROS was higher by several magnitudes in these irradiated cells. The results suggested the preservation of the functional integrity of thylakoids even after exposure to lethal dose of ionizing radiation. (author)

Coherent memory functions for finite systems: hexagonal photosynthetic unit

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Barvik, I.; Herman, P.

1990-10-01

Coherent memory functions entering the Generalized Master Equation are presented for an hexagonal model of a photosynthetic unit. Influence of an energy heterogeneity on an exciton transfer is an antenna system as well as to a reaction center is investigated. (author). 9 refs, 3 figs

Two Year Field Study to Evaluate the Efficacy of Mamestra brassicae Nucleopolyhedrovirus Combined with Proteins Derived from Xestia c-nigrum Granulovirus

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Chie Goto

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Japan has only three registered baculovirus biopesticides despite its long history of studies on insect viruses. High production cost is one of the main hindrances for practical use of baculoviruses. Enhancement of insecticidal effect is one possible way to overcome this problem, so there have been many attempts to develop additives for baculoviruses. We found that alkaline soluble proteins of capsules (GVPs of Xestia c-nigrum granulovirus can increase infectivity of some viruses including Mamestra brassicae nucleopolyhedrovirus (MabrNPV, and previously reported that MabrNPV mixed with GVPs was highly infectious to three important noctuid pests of vegetables in the following order, Helicoverpa armigera, M. brassicae, and Autographa nigrisigna. In this study, small-plot experiments were performed to assess concentrations of MabrNPV and GVPs at three cabbage fields and a broccoli field for the control of M. brassicae. In the first experiment, addition of GVPs (10 µg/mL to MabrNPV at 106 OBs/mL resulted in a significant increase in NPV infection (from 53% to 66%. In the second experiment, the enhancing effect of GVP on NPV infection was confirmed at 10-times lower concentrations of MabrNPV. In the third and fourth experiments, a 50% reduction in GVPs (from 10 µg/mL to 5 µg/mL did not result in a lowering of infectivity of the formulations containing MabrNPV at 105 OBs/mL. These results indicate that GVPs are promising additives for virus insecticides.

Plastid genome structure and loss of photosynthetic ability in the parasitic genus Cuscuta.

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Revill, Meredith J W; Stanley, Susan; Hibberd, Julian M

2005-09-01

The genus Cuscuta (dodder) is composed of parasitic plants, some species of which appear to be losing the ability to photosynthesize. A molecular phylogeny was constructed using 15 species of Cuscuta in order to assess whether changes in photosynthetic ability and alterations in structure of the plastid genome relate to phylogenetic position within the genus. The molecular phylogeny provides evidence for four major clades within Cuscuta. Although DNA blot analysis showed that Cuscuta species have smaller plastid genomes than tobacco, and that plastome size varied significantly even within one Cuscuta clade, dot blot analysis indicated that the dodders possess homologous sequence to 101 genes from the tobacco plastome. Evidence is provided for significant rates of DNA transfer from plastid to nucleus in Cuscuta. Size and structure of Cuscuta plastid genomes, as well as photosynthetic ability, appear to vary independently of position within the phylogeny, thus supporting the hypothesis that within Cuscuta photosynthetic ability and organization of the plastid genome are changing in an unco-ordinated manner.

Effect of different levels of air pollution on photosynthetic activity of some lichens

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Ewa Niewiadomska

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Four lichen species: Hypogymnia physodes, Pseudevernia furfuracea, Parmelia saxatilis, and Platismatia glauca were collected from two sites (S. Poland with a different air pollution level: "Kamienica valley" (less polluted and "Kopa" (more polluted. The thalli were compared with respect to their: net photosynthetic rate (PN, fluorescence parameters (Fv/Fm, Fm, Fm/Fo, chlorophyll a+b content, and phaeophytinization quotient (O.D.435/O.D.415. PN intensity, chlorophyll a+b and O.D.435/O.D.415 were reduced only in Pa furfuracea collected from Kopa, which is in agreement with the Hawksworth-Rose scale of sensitivity of lichens to air pollution. Fluorescence parameters were significantly lowered in all lichens coming from the more polluted site (except of Fv/Fm and Fm/F0 in P. saxatilis. Parameters based on chlorophyll fluorescence measurements enable to reveal the very early signs of decreased photosynthetical capacity of the thalli, caused by air pollution, before changes in the other photosynthetic parameters become mesurable.

Photosynthetic functions of Synechococcus in the ocean microbiomes of diverse salinity and seasons.

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Kim, Yihwan; Jeon, Jehyun; Kwak, Min Seok; Kim, Gwang Hoon; Koh, InSong; Rho, Mina

2018-01-01

Synechococcus is an important photosynthetic picoplankton in the temperate to tropical oceans. As a photosynthetic bacterium, Synechococcus has an efficient mechanism to adapt to the changes in salinity and light intensity. The analysis of the distributions and functions of such microorganisms in the ever changing river mouth environment, where freshwater and seawater mix, should help better understand their roles in the ecosystem. Toward this objective, we have collected and sequenced the ocean microbiome in the river mouth of Kwangyang Bay, Korea, as a function of salinity and temperature. In conjunction with comparative genomics approaches using the sequenced genomes of a wide phylogeny of Synechococcus, the ocean microbiome was analyzed in terms of their composition and clade-specific functions. The results showed significant differences in the compositions of Synechococcus sampled in different seasons. The photosynthetic functions in such enhanced Synechococcus strains were also observed in the microbiomes in summer, which is significantly different from those in other seasons.

Height-related changes in leaf photosynthetic traits in diverse Bornean tropical rain forest trees.

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Kenzo, Tanaka; Inoue, Yuta; Yoshimura, Mitsunori; Yamashita, Megumi; Tanaka-Oda, Ayumi; Ichie, Tomoaki

2015-01-01

Knowledge of variations in morphophysiological leaf traits with forest height is essential for quantifying carbon and water fluxes from forest ecosystems. Here, we examined changes in leaf traits with forest height in diverse tree species and their role in environmental acclimation in a tropical rain forest in Borneo that does not experience dry spells. Height-related changes in leaf physiological and morphological traits [e.g., maximum photosynthetic rate (Amax), stomatal conductance (gs), dark respiration rate (Rd), carbon isotope ratio (δ(13)C), nitrogen (N) content, and leaf mass per area (LMA)] from understory to emergent trees were investigated in 104 species in 29 families. We found that many leaf area-based physiological traits (e.g., A(max-area), Rd, gs), N, δ(13)C, and LMA increased linearly with tree height, while leaf mass-based physiological traits (e.g., A(max-mass)) only increased slightly. These patterns differed from other biomes such as temperate and tropical dry forests, where trees usually show decreased photosynthetic capacity (e.g., A(max-area), A(max-mass)) with height. Increases in photosynthetic capacity, LMA, and δ(13)C are favored under bright and dry upper canopy conditions with higher photosynthetic productivity and drought tolerance, whereas lower R d and LMA may improve shade tolerance in lower canopy trees. Rapid recovery of leaf midday water potential to theoretical gravity potential during the night supports the idea that the majority of trees do not suffer from strong drought stress. Overall, leaf area-based photosynthetic traits were associated with tree height and the degree of leaf drought stress, even in diverse tropical rain forest trees.

Global sampling of the seasonal changes in vegetation biophysical properties and associated carbon flux dynamics: using the synergy of information captured by spectral time series

Science.gov (United States)

Campbell, P. K. E.; Huemmrich, K. F.; Middleton, E.; Voorhis, S.; Landis, D.

2016-12-01

Spatial heterogeneity and seasonal dynamics in vegetation function contribute significantly to the uncertainties in regional and global CO2 budgets. High spectral resolution imaging spectroscopy ( 10 nm, 400-2500 nm) provides an efficient tool for synoptic evaluation of the factors significantly affecting the ability of the vegetation to sequester carbon and to reflect radiation, due to changes in vegetation chemical and structural composition. EO-1 Hyperion has collected more than 15 years of repeated observations for vegetation studies, and currently Hyperion time series are available for study of vegetation carbon dynamics at a number of FLUX sites. This study presents results from the analysis of EO-1 Hyperion and FLUX seasonal composites for a range of ecosystems across the globe. Spectral differences and seasonal trends were evaluated for each vegetation type and specific phenology. Evaluating the relationships between CO2 flux parameters (e.g., Net ecosystem production - NEP; Gross Ecosystem Exchange - GEE, CO2 flux, μmol m-2 s-1) and spectral parameters for these very different ecosystems, high correlations were established to parameters associated with canopy water and chlorophyll content for deciduous, and photosynthetic function for conifers. Imaging spectrometry provided high spatial resolution maps of CO2 fluxes absorbed by vegetation, and was efficient in tracing seasonal flux dynamics. This study will present examples for key ecosystem tipes to demonstrate the ability of imaging spectrometry and EO-1 Hyperion to map and compare CO2 flux dynamics across the globe.

Nucleopolyhedrovirus detection and distribution in terrestrial, freshwater, and marine habitats of Appledore Island, Gulf of Maine.

Science.gov (United States)

Hewson, Ian; Brown, Julia M; Gitlin, Shari A; Doud, Devin F

2011-07-01

Viruses in aquatic ecosystems comprise those produced by both autochthonous and allochthonous host taxa. However, there is little information on the diversity and abundance of viruses of allochthonous origin, particularly from non-anthropogenic sources, in freshwater and marine ecosystems. We investigated the presence of nucleopolyhedroviruses (NPV) (Baculovirus), which commonly infect terrestrial lepidopteran taxa, across the landscape of Appledore Island, Gulf of Maine. PCR and qPCR primers were developed around a 294-bp fragment of the polyhedrin (polH) gene, which is the major constituent protein of NPV multivirion polyhedral occlusion bodies. polH was successfully amplified from several aquatic habitats, and recovered polH sequences were most similar to known lepidopteran NPV. Using quantitative PCR designed around a cluster of detected sequences, we detected polH in Appledore Island soils, supratidal freshwater ponds, nearshore sediments, near- and offshore plankton, and in floatsam. This diverse set of locations suggests that NPVs are widely dispersed along the terrestrial--marine continuum and that free polyhedra may be washed into ponds and eventually to sea. The putative hosts of detected NPVs were webworms (Hyphantria sp.) which form dense nests in late summer on the dominant Appledore Island vegetation (Prunus virginiana). Our data indicate that viruses of terrestrial origin (i.e., allochthonous viruses) may be dispersed widely in coastal marine habitats. The dispersal of NPV polH and detection within offshore net plankton (>64 μm) demonstrates that terrestrial viruses may interact with larger particles and plankton of coastal marine ecosystem, which further suggests that viral genomic information may be transported between biomes.

Assessing the impact of climate variability on catchment water balance and vegetation cover

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X. Xu

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Understanding the interactions among climate, vegetation cover and the water cycle lies at the heart of the study of watershed ecohydrology. Recently, considerable attention is being paid to the effect of climate variability on catchment water balance and also associated vegetation cover. In this paper, we investigate the general pattern of long-term water balance and vegetation cover (as reflected by fPAR among 193 study catchments in Australia through statistical analysis. We then employ the elasticity analysis approach for quantifying the effects of climate variability on hydrologic partitioning (including total, surface and subsurface runoff and on vegetation cover (including total, woody and non-woody vegetation cover. Based on the results of statistical analysis, we conclude that annual runoff (R, evapotranspiration (E and runoff coefficient (R/P increase with vegetation cover for catchments in which woody vegetation is dominant and annual precipitation is relatively high. Control of water available on annual evapotranspiration in non-woody dominated catchments is relatively stronger compared to woody dominated ones. The ratio of subsurface runoff to total runoff (R_g/R also increases with woody vegetation cover. Through the elasticity analysis of catchment runoff, it is shown that precipitation (P in current year is the most important factor affecting the change in annual total runoff (R, surface runoff (R_s and subsurface runoff (R_g. The significance of other controlling factors is in the order of annual precipitation in previous years (P₋₁ and P₋₂, which represents the net effect of soil moisture and annual mean temperature (T in current year. Change of P by +1% causes a +3.35% change of R, a +3.47% change of R_s and a +2.89% change of

Effects of 1-butanol, neomycin and calcium on the photosynthetic ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

ajl yemi

2011-10-31

Oct 31, 2011 ... (Shanghai Jierui Bio-Engineering Co., Ltd.) were used in the total. RNA extraction of ..... PC and reverse through calcium removal agent. EGTA indicating .... Photosynthetic characteristics and tolerance to photo- oxidation of ...

Isotopic exchange between CO2 and H2O and labelling kinetics of photosynthetic oxygen

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gerster, Richard

1971-01-01

The reaction of carbon dioxide with water has been studied by measuring the rate of oxygen exchange between C 18 O 2 and H 2 16 O. The mathematical treatment of the kinetics allows to determine with accuracy the diffusion flow between the gas and the liquid phase, in the same way as the CO 2 hydration rate. The velocity constant of this last process, whose value gives the in situ enzymatic activity of carbonic anhydrase, has been established in the case of chloroplast and Euglena suspensions and of aerial leaves. The study of the isotopic exchange between C 18 O 2 and a vegetable submitted to alternations of dark and light has allowed to calculate the isotopic abundance of the metabolized CO 2 whose value has been compared to that of the intracellular water and that of photosynthetic oxygen. In addition, a new method using 13 C 18 O 2 gives the means to measure with accuracy eventual isotopic effects. The labelling kinetics of the oxygen evolved by Euglena suspensions whose water has been enriched with 18 O have been established at different temperatures. (author) [fr

Relationship between photosynthetic phosphorus-use efficiency and foliar phosphorus fractions in tropical tree species

OpenAIRE

Hidaka, Amane; Kitayama, Kanehiro

2013-01-01

How plants develop adaptive strategies to efficiently use nutrients on infertile soils is an important topic in plant ecology. It has been suggested that, with decreasing phosphorus (P) availability, plants increase photosynthetic P-use efficiency (PPUE) (i.e., the ratio of instantaneous photosynthetic carbon assimilation rate per unit foliar P). However, the mechanism to increase PPUE remains unclear. In this study, we tested whether high PPUE is explained by an optimized allocation of P in ...

Effects of the pear tree canopy on photosynthetically active radiation availability