Photoprotective Effects of D1 Protein Turnover and the Lutein Cycle on Three Ephemeral Plants under Heat Stress

To clarify the characteristics of photoinhibition and the primary defense mechanisms of ephemeral plant leaves against photodestruction under high temperature stress,inhibitors and the technology to determine chlorophyll fluorescence were used to explore the protective effects of D1 protein turnover and the lutein cycle in the high temperature stress of the leaves of three ephemeral plants.The results showed that the maximum light conversion efficiency(Fv/Fm)of the ephemeral plant leaves decreased,and the initial fluorescence(Fo)increased under 35℃±1℃ heat stress for 1-4 h or on sunny days in the summer.Both Fv/Fm and Fo could be recovered after 8 h of darkness or afternoon weakening of the external temperature.Streptomycin sulfate(SM)or dithiothreitol(DTT)accelerated the decrease of Fv/Fm and the photochemical quenching coefficient(qP)in the leaves of three ephemeral plants at high temperature,and the decrease was greater in the SM than in the DTT treatment.When the high temperature stress was prolonged,the Y(II)values of light energy distribution parameters of PSII decreased,and the Y(NPQ)and Y(NO)values increased gradually in all the treatment groups of the three ephemeral plants.The results showed that the leaves of the three ephemeral plants had their own highly advanced mechanisms to protect against photodamage,which inhibited the turnover of D1 protein and xanthophyll cycle.This can damage the PSII reaction center in the leaves of the three ephemeral plants under high temperature.The protective effect of D1 protein turnover on heat stress in Erodium oxyrrhynchum and Senecio subdentatus was greater than that of the lutein cycle,while the protective effect of lutein cycle was greater than that of D1 protein turnover in Heliotropium acutiflorum subjected to heat damage.

Distribution of ephemeral plants and their significance in dune stabilization in Gurbantunggut Desert

Based on systematically monitoring plants on dune ridges in the southern part of the Gurbantunggut Desert in 2002, this paper, from the angle of dune stabilization by vegetation, describes the temporal and spatial distribution patterns of ephemeral plants on isolated sand dunes, analyses the natural invasion processes of ephemeral plants on human-disturbed sand surface and expounds the importance of ephemeral plants in stabilizing sand dune surface. A total of 45 plant species were identified in the study area, 29 of which are ephemeral plants. Ephemeral plants sprouted in early April and completed their life-circle within about two months. Just as aeolian sand activities came to the strongest stage from April to June in desert regions of northern Xinjiang, the total coverage of trees, shrubs and herbs of long vegetational period on most dune ridges was less than 10%, while the mean coverage of ephemeral plants reached 13.9% in April, 40.2% in May and 14.1% in June. Therefore ephemeral plants acted as the major contributor to dune surface stabilization in the Gurbantunggut Desert. Investigations of vegetation restoration on engineering-disturbed dune surface show that ephemeral plants first recolonized the disturbed dune surface.

Dynamics of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi associated with desert ephemeral plants in Gurbantunggut Desert

Previous studies documented that most desert plants can be colonized by arbuscular mycorrhizal （AM） fungi, however, little is known about how the dynamics of AM fungi are related to ephemerals in desert ecosystems. The dynamics of AM fungi with desert ephemerals were examined to determine the effects of host plant life stages on the development of AM fungi. Mean colonization of ephemeral annual plants was 45% lower than that of ephemeral perennial plants. The colonizations were much higher in the early part of the growing season than in later parts, peaking at flowering times. The phenology of AM fungi in root systems varied among different ephem- erals. The density of AM fungal spores increased with the development of ephemeral annual plants, reached its maximum at flowering times, and then plateaued about 20 days after the aboveground senescence. A significant positive correlation was found between AM fungi spore density and biomass of ephemeral annual plants. The life cycles of AM fungi associated with desert ephemerals were very shod, being about 60-70 days. Soil temperature and water content had no direct influence on the development of AM fungal spores. We concluded that the development of AM fungi was in response to desert ephemeral phenology and life history strategy.

Combined effects of snow depth and nitrogen addition on ephemeral growth at the southern edge of the Gurbantunggut Desert,China

Water and nitrogen （N） inputs are considered as the two main limiting factors affecting plant growth.Changes in these inputs are expected to alter the structure and composition of the plant community,thereby influencing biodiversity and ecosystem function.Snowfall is a form of precipitation in winter,and snow melting can recharge soil water and result in a flourish of ephemerals during springtime in the Gurbantunggut Desert,China.A bi-factor experiment was designed and deployed during the snow-covering season from 2009 to 2010.The experiment aimed to explore the effects of different snow-covering depths and N addition levels on ephemerals.Findings indicated that deeper snow cover led to the increases in water content in topsoil as well as density and coverage of ephemeral plants in the same N treatment; by contrast,N addition sharply decreased the density of ephemerals in the same snow treatment.Meanwhile,N addition exhibited a different effect on the growth of ephemeral plants：in the 50％ snow treatment,N addition limited the growth of ephemeral plants,showing that the height and the aboveground biomass of the ephemeral plants were lower than in those without N addition; while with the increases in snow depth （100％ and 150％ snow treatments）,N addition benefited the growth of the dominant individual plants.Species richness was not significantly affected by snow in the same N treatment.However,N addition significantly decreased the species richness in the same snow-covering depth.The primary productivity of ephemerals in the N addition increased with the increase of snow depth.These variations indicated that the effect of N on the growth of ephemerals was restricted by water supply.With plenty of water （100％ and 150％ snow treatments）,N addition contributed to the growth of ephemeral plants; while with less water （50％ snow treatment）,N addition restricted the growth of ephemeral plants.

Effects of Different Treatments on Seed Germination of Gagea nigra

According to different mechanisms of dormancy,seeds of Gagea nigra L.Z.Shue were treated with different methods so as to investigate the effects of different treatments on seed germination of G.nigra.The results showed that at 4 ℃,the seeds of G.nigra began to germinate on day 32 with germination period of 80 d and germination rate of 72%;room temperature（25 ℃） and acid and alkali treatments were all unsuitable for the germination of G.nigra seeds;no significant differences were found in germination rate of G.nigra seeds among warm water（50℃）,ultrasound and 200 mg/L GA_3treatments（P 0.05）;seed coat-removing treatment effectively promoted the germination of G.nigra seeds（P =0.002 0.01） with germination rate of 88%;seed coat piercing ＋ 200 mg/L GA_3 and 500 mg/L GA_3＋15% H_2O_2 treatments effectively promoted the germination of G.nigra seeds with germination rates of 84% and 82%,respectively（P0.05）;the germination vigor of G.nigra seeds in the seed coat piercing ＋ 200 mg/L GA_3 treatment was highest,and it was significantly higher than those in the other treatments.