On the use of leaf water to determine plant water source: A proof of concept

Source water apportionment studies using the dual isotopes of oxygen and hydrogen have revolutionized our understanding of ecohydrology. But despite these developments—mostly over the past decade—many technical problems still exist in terms of linking xylem water to its soil water and groundwater sources. This is mainly due to sampling issues and possible fractionation of xylem water. Here we explore whether or not leaf water alone can be used to quantify the blend of rainfall event inputs from which the leaf water originates. Leaf water has historically been avoided in plant water uptake studies due to the extreme fractionation processes at the leaf surface. In our proof of concept work we embrace those processes and use the well-known Craig and Gordon model to map leaf water back to its individual precipitation event water sources. We also employ a Bayesian uncertainty estimation approach to quantify source apportionment uncertainties. We show this using a controlled, vegetated lysimeter experiment where we were able to use leaf water to correctly identify the mean seasonal rainfall that was taken up by the plant, with an uncertainty typically within ± 1‰ for δ¹⁸O. While not appropriate for all source water studies, this work shows that leaf water isotope composition may provide a new, relatively un-intrusive method for addressing questions about the plant water source.     

Eco-physiological mechanisms of Caragana korshinskii Kom. adaptation to extreme drought stress: Leaf abscission and maintaining stem chloroplast integrity

In order to study the eco-physiological mechanisms of C. korshinskii adaptation to extreme drought stress, we investigated the variations of water content in soil, leaves, and stems, the chlorophyll a and b and the carotenoid content in leaves and stems, as well as changes of chloroplast ultrastructure in 2-year-old C. korshinskii specimens during a progressive soil drought process (by ceasing watering until all leaves were shed) and a subsequent rehydration process. During the dehydration process, the chlorophyll a and b and carotenoid contents in the leaves decreased, as did the carotenoid content in the stems. During the 4-day rehydration process, the chlorophyll a and b and carotenoid contents in the leaves and stems increased and gradually returned to normal levels. During ongoing drought stress, chloroplasts in the leaves broke away from cell walls and appeared in the center of cells. Under severe drought stress, the mesophyll ultrastructure and chloroplast configuration in leaves were irreversibly disturbed, as manifested by the inner and outer membranes being destroyed; the thylakoid system disintegrated, the starch grain disappeared, and parts of cell tissue were dismantled into debris. However, the mesophyll ultrastructure and chloroplast configuration in the stems remained complete. This indicates that C. korshinskii utilizes leaf abscission to reduce the surface area to avoid damage from extreme drought stress, and maintains chloroplast integrity and a considerable amount of chlorophyll to enable a rapid recovery of photosynthesis under the rehydration process.     

Preconcentration/Separation of Gold and Palladium by a Microcolumn Packed with Azadirachta Indica Leaf Powder and Their Determination in Geological Samples by ICP‐OES

A new method using a microcolumn (20 mm length × 2.0 mm i.d.) packed with Azadirachta Indica leaf powder (Neem leaf) as an adsorbent for the preconcentration/separation of Au and Pd prior to their determination by ICP‐OES in geological samples is presented. Various factors affecting the separation and preconcentration of the target analytes such as pH, sample flow rate and volume, eluent concentration and volume and interfering ions were studied and the optimal experimental conditions were established. The adsorption capacity of Azadirachta Indica leaf for Au and Pd was found to be 39.2 and 9.8 mg g⁻¹, respectively. The detection limits (3s) of this method for Au and Pd with an enrichment factor of 50 were 47 ng l⁻¹ and 59 ng l⁻¹ and the relative standard deviations were 4.8% and 5.7% (n = 7, adsorption capacity C = 5 ng ml⁻¹), respectively. In order to validate the proposed method, the certified reference material, GBW07293, was analysed, and a good agreement was obtained between the certified and determined values.     

土壤水分胁迫对冬小麦旗叶光合特性的影响

以土壤水分适宜做对照(CK),轻度水分胁迫(50%～70%)、中度水分胁迫(小于50%)3种处理在河北固城可控式土壤水分试验场,选择冬小麦灌浆初期的晴朗天气,采用Li-Cor 6400便携式光合作用仪,观测了3种处理的冬小麦旗叶光合作用参数的日变化。试验结果表明:土壤水分适宜时冬小麦旗叶净光合速率的日变化为"单峰型",未出现明显的"午休"现象,水分胁迫的处理都呈"双峰型",中度胁迫反而比轻度胁迫光合"午休"要短2h;3种处理的蒸腾速率日变化都呈"双峰型",气孔导度是反映叶片气体交换的重要指标,蒸腾速率与气孔导度成极显著正相关;土壤水分适宜或土壤干旱时冬小麦旗叶对环境变化的应变性较迟钝;轻度水分胁迫时冬小麦旗叶净光合速率比CK高2.8%～9.0%,蒸腾速率与CK基本相近,水分利用效率(WUE)比CK高10.6%～12.9%,这可能是一定程度的水分胁迫下冬小麦节水增产的生理调节机理。     

Water uptake by saltcedar (Tamarix ramosissima) in a desert riparian forest: responses to intra‐annual water table fluctuation

There is considerable interest in naturalizing flow regime on managed rivers to slow the spread of saltcedar (Tamarix ramosissima) invasion in southwestern USA or to preserve riparian forests dominated by saltcedar and other species in northwestern China. However, little is known about the responses of established saltcedar in water sources to frequent intra‐annual fluctuation of water table resulting from this new, more dynamic flow regime. This study investigates how saltcedar at a riparian site in the middle reaches of the Heihe River, northwest China, responds in water sources use to intra‐annual water table fluctuations. Stable oxygen isotope was employed to determine accurate depth at which saltcedar obtains its water supply, and soil moisture monitoring was used to determine sources of plant‐available soil water. We found that the primary zone of water uptake by saltcedar were stable at 25–60 cm depth, but the water sources used by saltcedar switched between groundwater and soil moisture with the water table fluctuations. Saltcedar derived its water from groundwater when water table was at depth less than 60 cm but switched to soil moisture at 25–60 cm depth when water table declined. It is supposed that the well‐developed clay layer at 60–80 cm depth constrained lateral roots of saltcedar to the soil layers above 60 cm, while the fine‐textured soils at this site, which were periodically resaturated by rising groundwater before the stored soil moisture had become depleted, provided an important water reservoir for saltcedar when groundwater dropped below the primary zone of fine roots. The root distribution of saltcedar may also be related to local groundwater history. The quick decline in water table in the early 1980s when the riparian saltcedar had established may strand its roots in the shallow unsaturated zone. We suggested that raising the water table periodically instead of maintaining it invariably above the rooting depth could sustain desired facultative phreatophytes while maximizing water deliveries. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

3种不同生境芦苇叶表皮微形态和叶绿体结构特征分析

 以生长于中国西北腾格里沙漠边缘的3种芦苇,沙丘芦苇(沙芦)、戈壁盐湖芦苇(盐芦)和水生芦苇(水芦)为材料,通过扫描电子显微镜、透射电子显微镜的观测,对3种生境芦苇叶片上表皮表面形态结构、叶肉细胞以及叶绿体结构进行了研究。结果发现,3种芦苇在其长期适应各自生境的过程中,其叶片表面形态结构和叶肉细胞均发生了适应性改变。与水生芦苇相比较,两种陆生型在适应各自极端生境的过程中,通过气孔下陷、减少气孔密度、缩小气孔口径、并在表面形成高密度的绒毛状蜡质晶体结构等途径减少蒸腾,提高植物对各自干旱或盐渍生境的适应。盐芦比沙芦这种适应性特征更加明显, 并在表面形成有类似于盐腺的特殊结构。同时,沙芦和盐芦叶绿体主要以长梭状而非水芦的圆形或椭圆状形态存在,并且叶绿体中淀粉粒数量增多(特别是盐芦)。这些不同生境中发生的可塑性适应调整可能通过感受环境条件的变化而参与了芦苇对长期干旱或盐渍生境的适应。     

2011年龙江县玉米农田土壤湿度变化及其对玉米生长的影响

以黑龙江省龙江县玉米主栽品种葫科336为试材,采用自然条件下对比观测田间试验,研究分析不同土壤湿度对玉米生长的影响。结果表明：2011年龙江县试验田不同表层(0-30 cm)土壤湿度均呈下降趋势。试验田不同表层土壤湿度对玉米生长的影响存在差异,不同土壤湿度对玉米绿叶叶面积、植株干物重影响明显,在一定土壤湿度范围内,土壤相对湿度每升高1 %,叶面积增加28.338 cm²,土壤无旱对叶面积增加具有正效应,对玉米果实重量的增加也呈有利趋势。     

叶面积测量试验数据对比分析

以河南主要的粮食作物作为研究对象,采用试验对比的方法,对使用两种型号叶面积仪和手工方格纸方法测得的叶面积数据进行比较分析,并以方格纸法测量的叶面积数据为参考,对两种型号叶面积仪的测量精确度和准确度进行了比较。结果表明：采用不同方法测量的叶面积数据的差异随着作物植株叶面积的增加而增大;采用GStar-Ⅲ型叶面积仪测量的叶面积数据重复性更好,测定结果更为稳定,测量精确度和准确度更高。     

干旱胁迫下4种锦鸡儿属植物叶脉密度与最低水势关系

以内蒙古中间锦鸡儿(Caragana intermedia)、小叶锦鸡儿(Caragana microphylla),新疆北部粉刺锦鸡儿(Caragana pruinosa)、多刺锦鸡儿(Caragana spinosa)为材料,探讨4种植物叶脉特征是否存在差异,是否促进干旱胁迫下叶忍耐的最低水势的分化。结果表明:中间锦鸡儿、小叶锦鸡儿叶忍耐的最低水势分别为-6.0 MPa和-6.5 M Pa,粉刺锦鸡儿、多刺锦鸡儿忍耐的最低水势分别为-4.0 M Pa和-4.4 M Pa;最低水势与一级脉密度、二级脉密度无线性关系,但随三级叶脉密度和细脉密度的增加而线性增加;最低水势随一级脉、二级脉、三级脉和细脉导管壁厚与导管腔直径比值的三次方(t/b)3增加而增加,但只与细脉(t/b)3显著线性相关。和新疆分布种相比,内蒙古分布种三级脉和细脉密度的增加,细脉抗塌陷能力的增强促进了叶干旱胁迫下忍耐的最低水势的下降。     

黄土高原中部7～2Ma期间古植被变化的分子化石证据——以赵家川剖面为例

植物叶蜡正构烷烃组分能够在地质体中长久保存,并记录历史时期植被变化的信息。本研究通过对黄土高原中部董志塬西峰地区赵家川剖面古土壤中正构烷烃组分的分析,讨论7～2Ma期间黄土高原植被变化的植物叶蜡组分变化特征及其对气候变化的响应。结果表明:从7.0Ma至3.4Ma,正构烷烃C31/C27和C31/C29比值处于相对低值的波动范围,范围分别为0.5～1.9和0.6～1.3,表明该时期以木本植物占优势的生态格局;在3.4Ma前后,古土壤中保存的古植被叶蜡正构烷烃组分的C31/C27和C31/C29比值有一个明显的增加,分别从0.8变化到2.9,从0.7变化至1.6,即古生态系统中草本植物的相对比例突然增加;从3.4Ma至2.0Ma,正构烷烃C31/C27和C31/C29比值处于相对高值的波动范围,范围分别为1.7～3.3和1.1～1.6,指示该时期木本植物减少,草本植物增加的生态格局。我们推测这个生态系统的变化可能响应晚新生代3.5Ma左右的中国内陆干旱化,并形成了自此以后黄土高原塬面以草原或森林草原为主的自然生态格局。