Heat inactivation of leaf phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase: Protection by aspartate and malate in C4 plants

The activity of phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) carboxylase EC 4.1.1.31 in leaf extracts of Eleusine indica L. Gaertn., a C4 plant, exhibited a temperature optimum of 35-37° C with a complete loss of activity at 50° C. However, the enzyme was protected effectively from heat inactivation up to 55° C by L-aspartate. Activation energies (Ea) for the enzyme in the presence of aspartate were 2.5 times lower than that of the control enzyme. Arrhenius plots of PEP carboxylase activity (±aspartate) showed a break in the slope around 17-20° C with a 3-fold increase in the Ea below the break. The discontinuity in the slopes was abolished by treating the enzyme extracts with Triton X-100, suggesting that PEP carboxylase in C4 plants is associated with lipid and may be a membrane bound enzyme. Depending upon the species, the major C4 acid formed during photosynthesis (malate or aspartate) was found to be more protective than the minor C4 acid against the heat inactivation of their PEP carboxylase. Oxaloacetate, the reaction product, was less effective compared to malate or aspartate. Several allosteric inhibitors of PEP carboxylase were found to be moderately to highly effective in protecting the C4 enzyme while its activators showed no significant effect. PEP carboxylase from C3 species was not protected from thermal inactivation by the C4 acids. The physiological significance of these results is discussed in relation to the high temperature tolerance of C4 plants.

Phosphorus cycles of forest and upland grassland ecosystems and some effects of land management practices

The distribution of phosphorus capital and net annual transfers of phosphorus between the major components of two unfertilized phosphorus-deficient UK ecosystems, an oak--ash woodland in the Lake District and an Agrostis-Festuca grassland in Snowdonia (both on acid brown-earth soils), have been estimted in terms of kg P ha--1. In both ecosystems less than 3% of the phosphorus, totalling 1890 kg P ha--1 and 3040 kg P ha--1 for the woodland and grassland, respectively, is contained in the living biomass and half that is below ground level. Nearly all the phosphorus is in the soil matrix. Although the biomass phosphorus is mostly in the vegetation, the soil fauna and vegetation is slower (25%) than in the grassland vegetatation (208%). More than 85% of the net annual vegetation uptake of phosphorus from the soil is returned to the soil, mainly in organic debris, which in the grassland ecosystem is more than twice as rich in phosphorus (0.125% P) as in the woodland ecosystem (0.053% P). These concentrations are related to the rates of turnover (input/P content) of phosphorus in the litter layer on the soil surface; it is faster in the grassland (460%) than in the woodland (144%). In both cycles plant uptake of phosphorus largely depends on the release of phosphorus through decomposition of the organic matter returned to soil. In both the woodland and the grassland, the amount of cycling phosphorus is potentially reduced by its immobilization in tree and sheep production and in undecomposed organic matter accumulating in soil. It is assumed that the reductions are counterbalanced by the replenishment of cycling phosphorus by (i) some mineralization of organically bound phosphorus in the mineral soil, (ii) the income in rainfall and aerosols not being effectively lost in soil drainage waters and (iii) rock weathering. The effects of the growth of conifers and sheep grazing on the balance between decomposition and accumulation of organic matter returned to soil are considered in relation to the rate of phosphorus cycling and the pedogenetic changes in soil phosphorus condition leading to reduced fertility. Although controlled sheep grazing speeds up phosphorus cycling and may reverse the pedogenetic trend in favour of soil improvement, conifers may slow down phosphorus cycling and promote the pedogenetic trend towards infertility.

Pleistocene Volcanism and Glacial Initiation

During the past 2 million years, major Northern Hemisphere eruptions occurred within 0.01 million years before 22 of 24 maximum-temperature dates which preceded the ten European glacial stages and 42 of 60 maximum-temperature dates which preceded the 22 cooling episodes. Massive eruptions were even more closely associated with the glacial stages and the cooling episodes. Within the errors of Pleistocene dating, major eruptions apparently occurred at the crucial moments to have triggered each of the ice ages.

Plant species number, biomass accumulation and productivity of a differentially fertilized Michigan old-field

The response of old-field vegetation to fertilization at the rate of 450 kg·N·ha^-1 under different application schedules was evaluated using measurements of plant species number, biomass accumulation and structurefunction group productivity. Application of fertilizer under differing schedules at the same seasonal rate differentially affected plant species number, but not biomass accumulation. The structure-function groups productivities were differentially stimulated in response to fertilization under different schedules. These responses are discussed in terms of generated dominance and site resource availability.Structure-function groups are defined as a level of biological organization greater than the population, but less than the community. The use of such groupings is discussed as a means of viewing community interactions at a level higher than the population.

Aggregation, migration and population mechanics

A concept is developed for the regulation of populations by density-dependent movement, rather than by overt competition alone. Fitness is seen as maximising the reproductive advantage of a balance between migratory and congregatory behaviours. Population density is shown to be spatially, as well as temporally dynamic and a mechanism is proposed that accounts for observed spatial behaviour.

Components of water potential estimated from xylem pressure measurements in five tree species

Pressure volume curves were measured with a pressure bomb in leaves collected in the field from Ilex opaca, Acer rubrum, Liquidambar styraciflua, Liriodendron tulipifera and Cornus florida. Water potential components were calculated from the curves. The species differed in the relationships measured. In all species the trends from summer to fall were toward lower (more negative) osmotic potentials, lower matric potentials more rapid loss of turgor with increasing leaf water deficit, and the occurrence of incipient plasmolysis at lower values of leaf water deficit. Initial osmotic potentials ranged from-14.8 to-19.8 bars, similar to values reported in the literature for other mesophytic plants. These values, however, were much higher than those reported for halophytes and xerophytes. The fraction of leaf water which contributes to the osmotic potential ranged from 0.74 to 0.98 in this study. Values reported for other mesophytes and for halophytes and xerophytes all fall well within this range. Patterns of component water potentials are discussed in relation to potential growth rates and water flow in the total plant system.

Observations on the genetic structure and mating system of ponderosa pine in the Colorado front range

Variation of peroxidase enzymes is analyzed both in mature needle tissue and in open-pollinated seedling families of ponderosa pine, Pinus ponderosa, and is identified as being controlled by a single Mendelian locus. Variation at this locus, analyzed in 1, 386 individuals, is used in the analysis of population differentiation and the mating system. Significant variation of gene frequencies is detected over distances of several hundred meters, and is found to be associated with slopes of different aspects. Ponderosa pine is wind-pollinated, and an analysis of the mating system indicates that the level of outcrossing is greater than 90 %. Selection specific for different environments is evidently strong enough to overcome the homogenizing force of migration and produce population fissuring in ponderosa pine.

High Photosynthetic Capacity of a Winter Annual in Death Valley

Camissonia claviformis, a winter annual of Death Valley, California, that fixes carbon dioxide by the C(3) mechanism, has an in situ photosynthetic rate at midday in spring of nearly 6 nanomoles of carbon dioxide per square centimeter per second-an exceptionally high rate. Camissonia fixes absorbed noon sunlight in the 400- to 700-nanometer region into chemical energy with an efficiency of 8.5 percent, which is 80 percent of that theoretically possible for intact leaves. This performance is primarily due to an unusual capacity to utilize high irradiances. Factors associated with this include a high stomatal conductance to carbon dioxide and high levels of soluble protein and ribulose-1,5-diphosphate carboxylase.