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  • 1
    ISSN: 1432-1939
    Keywords: Patagonia-vegetation ; Root distribution ; 13C-, 18O-, D-Isotope composition ; Water ; Plant succession
    Source: Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
    Topics: Biology
    Notes: Abstract Above-and belowground biomass distribution, isotopic composition of soil and xylem water, and carbon isotope ratios were studied along an aridity gradient in Patagonia (44–45°S). Sites, ranging from those with Nothofagus forest with high annual rainfall (770 mm) to Nothofagus scrub (520 mm), Festuca (290 mm) and Stipa (160 mm) grasslands and into desert vegetation (125 mm), were chosen to test whether rooting depth compensates for low rainfall. Along this gradient, both mean above-and belowground biomass and leaf area index decreased, but average carbon isotope ratios of sun leaves remained constant (at-27‰), indicating no major differences in the ratio of assimilation to stomatal conductance at the time of leaf growth. The depth of the soil horizon that contained 90% of the root biomass was similar for forests and grasslands (about 0.80–0.50 m), but was shallower in the desert (0.30 m). In all habitats, roots reached water-saturated soils or ground water at 2–3 m depth. The depth profile of oxygen and hydrogen isotope ratios of soil water corresponded inversely to volumetric soil water contents and showed distinct patterns throughout the soil profile due to evaporation, water uptake and rainfall events of the past year. The isotope ratios of soil water indicated that high soil moisture at 2–3 m soil depth had originated from rainy periods earlier in the season or even from past rainy seasons. Hydrogen and oxygen isotope ratios of xylem water revealed that all plants used water from recent rain events in the topsoil and not from water-saturated soils at greater depth. However, this study cannot explain the vegetation zonation along the transect on the basis of water supply to the existing plant cover. Although water was accessible to roots in deeper soil layers in all habitats, as demonstrated by high soil moisture, earlier rain events were not fully utilized by the current plant cover during summer drought. The role of seedling establishment in determining species composition and vegetation type, and the indirect effect of seedling establishment on the use of water by fully developed plant cover, are discussed in relation to climate change and vegetation modelling.
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  • 2
    ISSN: 1432-1939
    Keywords: Carbohydrate ; Growth ; Nitrogen ; Phaseolus lunatus ; Storage
    Source: Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
    Topics: Biology
    Notes: Abstract Growth, photosynthesis, and storage of nitrogen (N) and total non-structural carbohydrates (TNC) of a perennial wild type and an annual cultivar of lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus) were examined at different light intensities and N supplies. Relative growth rate and photosynthesis increased with light and N availability. N limitation enhanced biomass allocation into root rather than into shoot, while light limitation enhanced growth of leaf area. The TNC concentrations increased with light intensity and thus with photosynthesis, while the concentrations of organic N and nitrate decreased. Increasing N supply had the opposite effect. Therefore, TNC and organic N concentrations were negatively correlated (r=−0.90). Pool size of N or TNC increased with N and light availability when either resource was non-limiting, but increased little or remained constant when either resource was limiting. Storage reached a minimum when both resources were supplied at an equal rate.
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  • 3
    ISSN: 1432-1939
    Keywords: Deep roots function ; Terrestrial vegetation ; Biomes ; Plant forms ; Root depth
    Source: Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
    Topics: Biology
    Notes: Abstract The depth at which plants are able to grow roots has important implications for the whole ecosystem hydrological balance, as well as for carbon and nutrient cycling. Here we summarize what we know about the maximum rooting depth of species belonging to the major terrestrial biomes. We found 290 observations of maximum rooting depth in the literature which covered 253 woody and herbaceous species. Maximum rooting depth ranged from 0.3 m for some tundra species to 68 m for Boscia albitrunca in the central Kalahari; 194 species had roots at least 2 m deep, 50 species had roots at a depth of 5 m or more, and 22 species had roots as deep as 10 m or more. The average for the globe was 4.6±0.5 m. Maximum rooting depth by biome was 2.0±0.3 m for boreal forest. 2.1±0.2 m for cropland, 9.5±2.4 m for desert, 5.2±0.8 m for sclerophyllous shrubland and forest, 3.9±0.4 m for temperate coniferous forest, 2.9±0.2 m for temperate deciduous forest, 2.6±0.2 m for temperate grassland, 3.7±0.5 m for tropical deciduous forest, 7.3±2.8 m for tropical evergreen forest, 15.0±5.4 m for tropical grassland/savanna, and 0.5±0.1 m for tundra. Grouping all the species across biomes (except croplands) by three basic functional groups: trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants, the maximum rooting depth was 7.0±1.2 m for trees, 5.1±0.8 m for shrubs, and 2.6±0.1 m for herbaceous plants. These data show that deep root habits are quite common in woody and herbaceous species across most of the terrestrial biomes, far deeper than the traditional view has held up to now. This finding has important implications for a better understanding of ecosystem function and its application in developing ecosystem models.
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  • 4
    Electronic Resource
    Electronic Resource
    Springer
    Oecologia 102 (1995), S. 361-370 
    ISSN: 1432-1939
    Keywords: Picea abies (L.) Karst ; Ammonium ; Nitrate ; 15N ; Tracer
    Source: Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
    Topics: Biology
    Notes: Abstract Throughfall nitrogen of a 15-year-old Picea abies (L.) Karst. (Norway spruce) stand in the Fichtelgebirge, Germany, was labeled with either 15N-ammonium or 15N-nitrate and uptake of these two tracers was followed during two successive growing seasons (1991 and 1992). 15N-labeling (62 mg 15N m-2 under conditions of 1.5 g N m-2 atmospheric nitrogen deposition) did not increase N concentrations in plant tissues. The 15N recovery within the entire stand (including soils) was 94%±6% of the applied 15N-ammonium tracer and 100%±6% of the applied 15N-nitrate tracer during the 1st year of investigation. This decreased to 80%±24% and 83%±20%, respectively, during the 2nd year. After 11 days, the 15N tracer was detectable in 1-year-old spruce needles and leaves of understory species. After 1 month, tracer was detectable in needle litter fall. At the end of the first growing season, more than 50% of the 15N taken up by spruce was assimilated in needles, and more than 20% in twigs. The relative distribution of recovered tracer of both 15N-ammonium and 15N-nitrate was similar within the different foliage age classes (recent to 11-year-old) and other compartments of the trees. 15N enrichment generally decreased with increasing tissue age. Roots accounted for up to 20% of the recovered 15N in spruce; no enrichment could be detected in stem wood. Although 15N-ammonium and 15N-nitrate were applied in the same molar quantities (15NH 4 + : 15NO 3 - =1:1), the tracers were diluted differently in the inorganic soil N pools (15NH 4 + /NH 4 + : 15NO 3 - /NO 3 - =1:9). Therefore the measured 15N amounts retained by the vegetation do not represent the actual fluxes of ammonium and nitrate in the soil solution. Use of the molar ammonium-to-nitrate ratio of 9:1 in the soil water extract to estimate 15N uptake from inorganic N pools resulted in a 2–4 times higher ammonium than nitrate uptake by P. abies.
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  • 5
    ISSN: 1432-1939
    Keywords: Terrestrial biomes ; Cumulative root fraction ; Root biomass ; Rooting density ; Soil depth
    Source: Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
    Topics: Biology
    Notes: Abstract Understanding and predicting ecosystem functioning (e.g., carbon and water fluxes) and the role of soils in carbon storage requires an accurate assessment of plant rooting distributions. Here, in a comprehensive literature synthesis, we analyze rooting patterns for terrestrial biomes and compare distributions for various plant functional groups. We compiled a database of 250 root studies, subdividing suitable results into 11 biomes, and fitted the depth coefficient β to the data for each biome (Gale and Grigal 1987). β is a simple numerical index of rooting distribution based on the asymptotic equation Y=1-βd, where d = depth and Y = the proportion of roots from the surface to depth d. High values of β correspond to a greater proportion of roots with depth. Tundra, boreal forest, and temperate grasslands showed the shallowest rooting profiles (β=0.913, 0.943, and 0.943, respectively), with 80–90% of roots in the top 30 cm of soil; deserts and temperate coniferous forests showed the deepest profiles (β=0.975 and 0.976, respectively) and had only 50% of their roots in the upper 30 cm. Standing root biomass varied by over an order of magnitude across biomes, from approximately 0.2 to 5 kg m-2. Tropical evergreen forests had the highest root biomass (5 kg m-2), but other forest biomes and sclerophyllous shrublands were of similar magnitude. Root biomass for croplands, deserts, tundra and grasslands was below 1.5 kg m-2. Root/shoot (R/S) ratios were highest for tundra, grasslands, and cold deserts (ranging from 4 to 7); forest ecosystems and croplands had the lowest R/S ratios (approximately 0.1 to 0.5). Comparing data across biomes for plant functional groups, grasses had 44% of their roots in the top 10 cm of soil. (β=0.952), while shrubs had only 21% in the same depth increment (β=0.978). The rooting distribution of all temperate and tropical trees was β=0.970 with 26% of roots in the top 10 cm and 60% in the top 30 cm. Overall, the globally averaged root distribution for all ecosystems was β=0.966 (r 2=0.89) with approximately 30%, 50%, and 75% of roots in the top 10 cm, 20 cm, and 40 cm, respectively. We discuss the merits and possible shortcomings of our analysis in the context of root biomass and root functioning.
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  • 6
    ISSN: 1432-1939
    Keywords: Key words Water transport ; Grass roots ; Hydraulic lift ; Deserts
    Source: Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
    Topics: Biology
    Notes: Abstract Downward transport of water in roots, in the following termed “inverse hydraulic lift,” has previously been shown with heat flux techniques. But water flow into deeper soil layers was demonstrated in this study for the first time when investigating several perennial grass species of the Kalahari Desert under field conditions. Deuterium labelling was used to show that water acquired by roots from moist sand in the upper profile was transported through the root system to roots deeper in the profile and released into the dry sand at these depths. Inverse hydraulic lift may serve as an important mechanism to facilitate root growth through the dry soil layers underlaying the upper profile where precipitation penetrates. This may allow roots to reach deep sources of moisture in water-limited ecosystems such as the Kalahari Desert.
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  • 7
    ISSN: 1432-1939
    Keywords: Key wordsPinus sylvestris ; Siberia ; Biomass ; Self-thinning ; Forest fire
    Source: Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
    Topics: Biology
    Notes: Abstract The study presents a data set of above-ground biomass (AGB), structure, spacing and fire regime, for 24 stands of pristine Siberian Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) forests with lichens (n = 20) or Vaccinium/mosses (n = 4) as ground cover, along four chronosequences. The stands of the “lichen” site type (LT) were stratified into three chronosequences according to stand density and fire history. Allometric equations were established from 90 sample trees for stem, coarse branch, fine branch, twig and needle biomass. The LT stands exhibited a low but sustained biomass accumulation until a stand age of 383 years. AGB reached only 6–10 kgdw m−2 after 200 years depending on stand density and fire history compared to 20 kgdw m−2 in the “Vaccinium” type (VT) stands. Leaf area index (LAI) in the LT stands remained at 0.5–1.5 and crown cover was 30–60%, whereas LAI reached 2.5 and crown cover was 〉100% in the VT stands. Although nearest-neighbour analyses suggested the existence of density-dependent mortality, fire impact turned out to have a much stronger effect on density dynamics. Fire scar dating and calculation of mean and initial fire return intervals revealed that within the LT stands differences in structure and biomass were related to the severity of fire regimes, which in turn was related to the degree of landscape fragmentation by wetlands. Self-thinning analysis was used to define the local carrying capacity for biomass. A series of undisturbed LT stands was used to characterise the upper self-thinning boundary. Stands that had experienced a moderate fire regime were positioned well below the self-thinning boundary in a distinct fire-thinning band of reduced major axis regression slope −0.26. We discuss how this downward shift resulted from alternating phases of density reduction by fire and subsequent regrowth. We conclude that biomass in Siberian Scots pine forests is strongly influenced by fire and that climate change will affect ecosystem functions predominantly via changes in fire regimes.
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  • 8
    ISSN: 1432-1939
    Keywords: Key words Carnivorous plants ; Pitcher plants ; Insect nitrogen ; Nitrogen partitioning
    Source: Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
    Topics: Biology
    Notes: Abstract This study investigated the nitrogen (N) acquisition from soil and insect capture during the growth of three species of pitcher plants, Nepenthes mirabilis, Cephalotus follicularis and Darlingtonia californica. 15N/14N natural abundance ratios (δ15N) of plants and pitchers of different age, non-carnivorous reference plants, and insect prey were used to estimate proportional contributions of insects to the N content of leaves and whole plants. Young Nepenthes leaves (phyllodes) carrying closed pitchers comprised major sinks for N and developed mainly from insect N captured elsewhere on the plant. Their δ15N values of up to 7.2‰ were higher than the average δ15N value of captured insects (mean δ15N value = 5.3‰). In leaves carrying old pitchers that are acting as a N source, the δ15N decreased to 3.0‰ indicating either an increasing contribution of soil N to those plant parts which in fact captured the insects or N gain from N2 fixation by microorganisms which may exist in old pitchers. The δ15N value of N in water collected from old pitchers was 1.2‰ and contained free amino acids. The fraction of insect N in young and old pitchers and their associated leaves decreased from 1.0 to 0.3 mg g−1. This fraction decreased further with the size of the investigated tiller. Nepenthes contained on average 61.5 ± 7.6% (mean ± SD, range 50–71%) insect N based on the N content of a whole tiller. In the absence of suitable non-carnivorous reference plants for Cephalotus, δ15N values were assessed across a developmental sequence from young plants lacking pitchers to large adults with up to 38 pitchers. The data indicated dependence on soil N until 4 pitchers had opened. Beyond that stage, plant size increased with the number of catching pitchers but the fraction of soil N remained high. Large Cephalotus plants were estimated to derive 26 ± 5.9% (mean ± SD of the three largest plants; range: 19–30%) of the N from insects. In Cephalotus we observed an increased δ15N value in sink versus source pitchers of about 1.2‰ on average. Source and sink pitchers of Darlingtonia had a similar δ15N value, but plant N in this species showed δ15N signals closer to that of insect N than in either Cephalotus or Nepenthes. Insect N contributed 76.4 ± 8.4% (range 57–90%) to total pitcher N content. The data suggest complex patterns of partitioning of insect and soil-derived N between source and sink regions in pitcher plants and possibly higher dependence on insect N than recorded elsewhere for Drosera species.
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  • 9
    ISSN: 1432-1939
    Keywords: C4 photosynthesis ; δ13C values ; Grass flora of Namibia ; Poaceae ; Geographic distribution
    Source: Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
    Topics: Biology
    Notes: Abstract The grass flora of Namibia (374 species in 110 genera) shows surprisingly little variation in δ13C values along a rainfall gradient (50–600 mm) and in different habitat conditions. However, there are significant differences in the δ13C values between the metabolic types of the C4 photosynthetic pathway. NADP-ME-type C4 species exhibit the highest δ13C values (−11.7 ‰) and occur mainly in regions with high rainfall. NAD-ME-type C4 species have significantly lower δ13C values (−13.4 ‰) and dominate in the most arid part of the precipitation regime. PCK-type C4 species play an intermediate role (−12.5 ‰) and reach a maximum abundance in areas of intermediate precipitation. This pattern is also evident in genera containing species of different metabolic types. Within the same genus NAD species reach more negative δ13C values than PCK species and δ13C values decreased with rainfall. Also in Aristida, with NADP-ME-type photosynthesis, δ13C values decreased from −11 ‰ in the inland region (600 mm precipitation) to −15 ‰ near the coast (150 mm precipitation), which is a change in discrimination which is otherwise associated by a change in metabolism. The exceptional C3 species Eragrostis walteri and Panicum heterostachyum are coastal species experiencing 50 mm precipitation only. Many of the rare species and monotypic genera grow in moist habitats rather than in the desert, and they are not different in their carbon isotope ratios from the more common flora. The role of species diversity with respect to habitat occupation and carbon metabolism is discussed.
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  • 10
    ISSN: 1432-119X
    Source: Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
    Topics: Biology , Medicine
    Notes: Abstract  Until now, many extracellular matrix proteins, e.g. osteopontin and osteonectin, have been used to determine a cell’s osteogenic maturation. The disadvantage in evaluation of these proteins is their relative wide-ranging appearance throughout the osteogenic differentiation process. Thus, the aim of this study was to establish an immunohistochemical setup using E11, a marker that binds selectively to cells of the late osteogenic cell lineage. In addition, the histochemical expression of the bone matrix proteins osteonectin, osteopontin and fibronectin was compared to that of E11 using monoclonal antibodies. For light microscopical detection of osteogenic markers in cultured cells we developed a simple paraffin technique using a fibrin glue as embedding medium. This allows the handling of cultured cells such as a tissue sample and includes the use of stored biological specimens for further immunohistochemical experiments. We used newborn rat calvariae for whole tissue preparations and for isolation and cultivation of bone cells. In addition, we included the rat osteosarcoma cell line ROS 17/2.8 in this study. For the first time, we have localised E11 in osteocytes of rat calvaria preparations at the electron microscopical level. E11 was detected at plasma membranes of osteocytes and their processes, but not at those of osteoblasts. Accompanying experiments with cultured newborn rat calvaria cells and ROS 17/2.8 cells revealed E11 reactivity on a subset of cells. The results obtained confirm the suitability of the differentiation marker E11 as a sensitive instrument for the characterisation of bone cell culture systems.
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