草木本心 万物有情——李汉荣《植物记》的生态解读

李汉荣散文集《植物记》有大量关于自然的书写,可谓汇集了近百种植物的自然植物园。作者在与自然的亲密接触中,通过对植物特质的发掘,表达个人独特的生命体验和哲性思考。《植物记》不仅蕴含着人与自然和谐相处的生命追求和深切的人文关怀,还展现了当地独特的民俗风情。《植物记》丰厚的精神内蕴彰显出李汉荣散文独特的审美价值。

A Preliminary Survey on Pest of Bamboo in Yunnan Province

In order to improve the development step of bamboo industry, the pest investigation was done in Yunnan Province from 2000, and 1 500 specimens were collected. Basing on the investigation and the date of recordation, there had 224 species pests, belonging to 7 orders and 49 families. Among the pest, most done harm to the bamboo slightly, except Omphisa sp., Pantana phyllostachysae and Cyrtotrachelus buqueti. The disease and pest of bamboo should be investigated in whole province systematically.

Probing Lectin Receptors on the Plasma Membrane of Isolated Viable Generative Cells in Angiosperms by Means of Single Cell Manipulation

Fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) conjugated concanavalin agglutinin (Con A), wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) and soybean agglutinin (SBA) were used as probes to localize their specific receptors on the plasma membrane of generative cells (GCs) isolated from Vicia faba L., Iris tectorium Maxim. and Hippeastrum vittatum Herb. It is a further investigation on possible distributive dynamic of lectin receptors during the developmental process from generative cells to sperm cells. In the present study, all the three lectin receptors were found on the surface of generative cells of V faba and I. tectorium. However, on generative cells of H vittatum only Con A and WGA, but not SBA receptors were observed. The same lectin receptors on the generative cells from different species showed various distribution patterns. The distribution of various lectin receptors on the same generative cells also showed different characteristics. Lectin receptors were totally absent on some generative cells of all three investigated species. Polar distribution of lectin receptors was observed on tailed generative cells. The findings offer important clues to investigate sperm cell function and possible sperm dimorphism of surface glycoprotein.

Marker_Free: a Novel Tendency of Transgenic Plants

Marker free is a rapidly developed strategy that offers a new approach for the elimination of public concerns caused by the selectable marker genes conferring antibiotic or herbicide resistance and so on. Furthermore, marker_free transgenic plants (MFTPs) have a number of special advantages, such as decreasing the concerns about safety of selectable marker and stacking transgenes progressively into transgenic plants, which significantly owns potential application value. Major approaches developed recently for obtaining MFTPs were reviewed in this paper.

Genetic Relationships Among Soluble Carbohydrates, Anthocyanins and Growth Characteristics in Leymus (Gramineae) Detected with Molecular Markers

Low-temperature soluble carbohydrate accumulations are commonly associated with anthocyanin coloration, attenuated growth and cold adaptation of cool-season grasses. The vrn-1 gene has potent effects on vernalization requirement, growth, and soluble carbohydrate accumulations of the winter-annual Triticeae species. Two hundred and four unmapped AFLP markers and genome-specific DNA markers genetically linked to the vrn-1 gene were used to detect QTL controlling soluble carbohydrate accumulations, anthocyanin coloration and growth characteristics in a segregating population derived from open pollinated Leymus cinereus x L. triticoides hybrids. These perennial Triticeae grasses are distinguished by adaptation and growth habit. As expected, positive trait correlations and pleiotropic gene effects were detected for soluble carbohydrate accumulations and anthocyanin coloration. Likewise, positive trait correlations and pleiotropic gene effects were detected for tillering, leaf development, leaf growth, regrowth and rhizome spread. However, soluble carbohydrate accumulations were not associated with attenuated growth. In fact, several DNA marker alleles, including one near vrn-Ns1, had positive effects on soluble leaf carbohydrate concentrations and low temperature growth. The corresponding DNA marker near vrn-Ns1 had more specific effects on tillering. We speculate that vrn-1 exerts quantitative effects on low-temperature soluble leaf carbohydrate accumulations and growth habit of the perennial Leymus. However, a number of other DNA markers displayed highly significant effects on soluble carbohydrate accumulations and various growth characteristics. Findings indicate that anthocyanin coloration may be a useful phenotypic marker for soluble carbohydrate accumulation. Although variation for soluble carbohydrates was not associated with attenuated growth in this population, this trait was under genetic control.

Revision of Tribe Archipini (Tortricidae: Tortricinae) in Northeast China

This study was carried out to clarify the fauna of the tribe Archipini, which belongs to the family Tortricidae in Northeast China. In the present study, fifty-four species of the tribe were recognized and enumerated. Based on the present study, two species, Archips viola Falkovitsh and Choristoneura evanidana (Kennel), are reported for the first time from China. Also five species, Archips dichotomus Falkovitsh, Archips similis (Butler), Argyrotaenia angustilineata (Walsingham), Choristoneura longicellana (Walsingham), and Gnorismoneura orientis (Filipjev), are newly recorded from Northeast China. All available information, including host plant, distributional range, and biological information, are listed.

Applications of Three DNA Barcodes in Assorting Intertidal Red Macroalgal Flora in Qingdao, China

This study is part of the endeavor to construct a comprehensive DNA barcoding database for common seaweeds in China. Identifications of red seaweeds, which have simple morphology and anatomy, are sometimes difficult solely depending on morphological characteristics. In recent years, DNA barcode technique has become a more and more effective tool to help solve some of the taxonomic difficulties. Some DNA markers such as COI（cytochrome oxidase subunit I） are proposed as standardized DNA barcodes for all seaweed species. In this study, COI, UPA （universal plastid amplicon, domain V of 23S rRNA）, and ITS （nuclear internal transcribed spacer） were employed to analyze common species of intertidal red seaweeds in Qingdao （119.3°-121°E, 35.35°-37.09°N）. The applicability of using one or a few combined barcodes to identify red seaweed species was tested. The results indicated that COI is a sensitive marker at species level. However, not all the tested species gave PCR amplification products due to lack of the universal primers. The second barcode UPA had effective universal primers but needed to be tested for the effectiveness of resolving closely related species. More than one ITS sequence types were found in some species in this investigation, which might lead to confusion in further analysis. Therefore ITS sequence is not recommended as a universal barcode for seaweeds identification.

The Substance of Memory： Plants, Objects, and Affect

The purpose of this article is to develop the concept ＂botanical memory＂ through an analysis of interviews conducted with indigenous plant enthusiasts in the biodiverse Southwest corner of Western Australia. The topic of this article can be described as memory-based studies of plant diversity or botanically-focused oral histories; and the method is ethnographic. Attending to the everyday practices constituting botanical memory, the article posits a material-affective framework to foreground the dynamics between plants, people, objects, and remembrance. The writings of Henry David Thoreau and C. Nadia Seremetakis, in conjunction with affect and materiality theory, offer conceptual anchor points for this exploration of human recollection and flora. The interviews indicate that plant-based objects and living plants deepen human memory, particularly through their appeal to touch, taste, smell, and sensation.

木心致歌德

木心是一位不断创新的作家。他在美学尺度上借鉴了全球性的话语和意象。通过其作品当中灵巧多变的笔触,我们可以看到他极其广博的兴趣愿景和不受局限的精湛文风。木心的《魏玛早春》以散文诗向歌德致敬,并阐释艺术创造和大自然的创造和谐相通的歌德式主题。本文带领我们重温歌德的《浮士德》和《植物变形记》,回顾歌德关于现代化的思考、艺术和科学感知一体的自然观,以及他对植物变形的独特研究,并在此基础上,解读《魏玛早春》如何以不同而同的匀称结构,以遐想中的低声吟咏,在植物和自然笼罩的神圣气象中,礼赞歌德所代表的广义的艺术观。本文着重指出,木心以“植物性”比喻文化艺术,回应着歌德思想的深层境界。

Evaluating the Discriminatory Power of DNA Barcodes in Panicoideae, Poaceae

DNA barcoding is a powerful technique for species identification with little morphological knowledge, by using short sections of DNA from a specific region of the genome. Two core barcode markers, rbcL and matK, and a supplementary nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer region were used to examine the effectiveness of the markers for Poaceae barcoding using 133 individuals of 36 taxa across 23 genera of Korean Panicoideae. We also aimed to establish a DNA barcode database for the major weeds of Korean Panicoideae. All three markers revealed a good level of amplification and sequencing success. As a single DNA marker, the ITS region achieved the highest species resolution, followed by matK. Resolving power was increased when nrlTS was incorporated into the core barcode markers. The best resolving power was obtained with a combination of matK ＋ ITS with 89.7%, followed by rbcL ＋ matK ＋ ITS with 89.3%. Thus, rbcL may be not necessary as a DNA barcode for Panicoideae species identification, when considering cost and effectiveness. Instead, a combination of matK ＋ ITS is proposed as the most suitable DNA barcode for the species identification of Panicoideae, Poaceae. We conclude that DNA barcoding using a combination of matK ＋ ITS could be one of powerful techniques for the identification of Poaceae species, The barcode sequences were deposited to the National Center for Biotechnology Information （NCBI） database for public use.

Estimation of N_2 Fixation by Some Legumes Using ^（15）N－Labelled Soil in Greenhouse Experiment

Pot experimeats were carried out to estimate N2 fixation by vetch, milk vetch, sickle alfalfa and broadbean in pure stand using a 15N-labelled soil. Winter wheat was used as the non-fixing control. The 15N-labelled soil used was prepared by growing corn-wheat-corn successively on a nearly organic-matter-free Xiashu loess supplemented with adequate amounts of (15NH4)aSO4, P, K and micronutrients, then incorporating these 15N-labelled plant msterials into the soil after each harvest, and allowing the plant materials to be decomposed aerobically for 410 d after incorporation of the plant material of the third crop. The 15N enrichment of wheat plant-N varied slightly with organs,with a maximum difference of 9.8%. Based on 15N enrichment of soil N inferred from the mean value of the 15N enrichment in different organs of wheat 79%-91% of total N in the tops and 67%-74% of total N in the roots of legumes studied were derived from atmosphere. Estimate by isotope dilution method was in good agreement with that by the conventional difference method provided values obtained by the latter were corrected for seed N, and also with that from the measurement of N accumulated in the tops of the legumes.

Short-and Long-Term Response of Phytoplankton to ENSO in Prydz Bay, Antarctica: Evidences from Field Measurements, Remote Sensing Data and Stratigraphic Biomarker Records

The study provides one of the first lines of evidence showing linkages between Antarctic phytoplankton abundance and composition in response to ENSO, based on historical reconstruction of sediment biomarkers. In addition to sediment biomarkers, field measured and remote sensing data of phytoplankton abundance were also recorded from Prydz Bay, Eastern Antarctica. Com-munity structure of field measured phytoplankton showed significant El Ni？o/La Ni？a-related succession during 1990 to 2002. In general, the number of algae species decreased during El Ni？o and La Ni？a years compared to normal years. Austral summer monthly variation of remotely sensed chlorophyll-a （Chl-a）, particulate organic carbon （POC）, and sea surface temperature （SST） indicated that ENSO impacted the timing of phytoplankton blooms during 2007 to 2011. Phytoplankton blooms （indicated by Chl-a and POC） preceded the increases in SST during El Ni？o years, and lagged behind the SST increases during La Ni？a years. Stratigraphic record of marine sedimentary lipid （brassicasterol, dinosterol and alkenones） biomarkers inferred that the proportions of different algae （diatoms, dinoflagellates and haptophytes） changed significantly between El Ni？o and La Ni？a events. The relative proportion of diatoms increased, with that of dinoflagellates being decreased during El Ni？o years, while it was reversed during La Ni？a years.

Shifting towards a Mediterranean Diet in the US： How Far Do We Have to Go, What Are the Potential Health Benefits and Can We Get There？

In the public dialogue surrounding the development of the 2015 dietary guidelines for Americans, public health and environmental advocates converged around a simple theme of shifting towards a more plant-forward Mediterranean-style diet. A robust body of literature documenting the health benefits of this eating pattern provides compelling reasons to change our dietary habits in ways that also benefit our environment, but we also need to have the right foods available and affordable to support this modest shift. This commentary discusses the gaps in current US dietary intakes compared to recommendations for meat and protein versus plant-based foods and the potential health benefits of shifting towards a more plant-based diet, focusing on the complex role of Mediterranean crops, such as tree nuts and olive oils, needed to support this shift.

Statistical Methods for Classification of Medicinal Plants

Statistical classification methods are frequently applied to analyze metabolomics data, especially from medicinal plants. Combined with variable selection techniques, we are able to identify marker candidates, which can be used to discriminate the group to which unknown subjects belong. After preprocessing, such as outlier checking, normalization, missing value imputation and transformation, we then mainly utilized four novel classification methods： RF （random forest）, NSC （nearest shrunken centroid）, PLS-DA （partial least square discriminant analysis） and SAM （significant analysis ofmicroarrays）. Each method has its own device to measure the importance of single metabolite, so that, it is probable to choose highly ranked metabolites, which show the best prediction accuracy. Adapting above strategy, we have successfully analyzed several kinds of metabolomics data including Panax ginseng, Lespedeza species, Anemarrhean asphodeloides and Gastrodia elata.

Genetic Diversity of the Medicinal Plant Ocimum Gratissimum L. （mint） from Kenya Based on AFLP Markers

Ocimum gratissimum L. native to Africa is a shrubby essential oil containing plant with medicinal, antimicrobial and antihelminthic properties. It is an important herbal medicine not only among Kenyan communities but also in the sub-Saharan Africa. No systematic assessment of genetic variability in O. gratissimum of Kenya has been carried out. In this study, amplified fragment length polymorphism （AFLP） analysis was used to estimate genetic diversity and genetic differentiation in 139 samples from all the different provinces of Kenya. Seven primer pairs, the Eco＋ACT plus Mse＋CAA, Eco＋ACT plus Mse＋CTG, Eco＋ACA plus Mse＋CAA, Eco＋ACA plus Mse＋CTG, Eco＋AGC plus Mse＋CAA, Eco＋ACC plus Mse＋CAA, and Eco＋ACC plus Mse＋CAC were the best combinations and generated polymorphic 655 bands with fragment ranging in size from 50 - 473 bp in size. Populations from central Kenya had the highest levels gene diversity. Most of the variability was partitioned into within populations 71%; P 〈 0.001 implying that collection strategies for conservation should focus on a few populations with many individuals across the ecological amplitude of the population. Genetic differentiation was GST = 0.286, an indication of genetic variation among the populations.

Structure and mechanism of plant histone mark readers

In eukaryotes, epigenetic-based mechanisms are involved in almost all the important biological processes. Amongst different epigenetic regulation pathways, the dynamic covalent modifications on histones are the most extensively investigated and characterized types. The covalent modifications on histone can be "read" by specific protein domains and then subsequently trigger downstream signaling events. Plants generally possess epigenetic regulation systems similar to animals and fungi, but also exhibit some plant-specific features. Similar to animals and fungi, plants require distinct protein domains to specifically"read" modified histones in both modification-specific and sequence-specific manners. In this review, we will focus on recent progress of the structural studies on the recognition of the epigenetic marks on histones by plant reader proteins, and further summarize the general and exceptional features of plant histone mark readers.

New macroalgal fossils of the Kaili Biota in Guizhou Province, China

The Kaili Biota of Jianhe County, Guizhou Province is found in a Burgess Shale type of deposits, and as such it provides a key fossil record for studying biotic differentiation following the Cambrian explosion. Macroalgae represent several important groups of primary producers and yet have not been well studied. Here, we report two new forms of macroalgae from the Kaili Biota, including a new genus and species and an indeterminate genus and species. The new genus and species, Parallelphyton tipica, is a heterotrichous alga with thalli composed of a prostrate cardinal axis, and parallel bundles of erect trichomes on the axis. The bifurcation of the trichomes is somewhat similar to the living heterotrichous Fritschiella （Chlorophyta）, representing ＂architectonic differentiation＂ only known in higher plants as an adaptation to terrestri~ conditions. The indeterminate genus and species consists of an arched, thick, cylindrical major shaft and irregularly spaced, curved lateral branches attached to the major shaft and subdivided into subbranches. The characteristics of the thick and strong major shaft and the lateral branch subdivided branches are analogous to the dichotomous branching of Psilophyton in Protopteridophyta. Thus, the differentiation of the thalli in these two algal forms represents the expression of properties of some higher metaphytes, indicating that the eco- logical differentiation of the macroalgae was well underway at the time of the Kaili Biota.

Expression of pathogenesis-related genes in cotton roots in response to Verticillium dahliae PAMP molecules

Verticillium wilt disease becomes a major threat to many economically important crops. It is unclear whether and how plant immunity takes place during cotton-Verticillium interaction due to the lack of marker genes. Taking advantage of cotton （Gossypium hirsutum） genome, we discovered pathogenesis-related （PR） gene families, which have been widely used as markers of immune responses in plants. To profile the expression of G. hirsutum PR genes in the process of plant immunity, we treated cotton roots with two immunogenic peptides, fig22 and nlp20 known as pathogen-associated molecular patterns, as well as three Verticillium dahliae-derived peptides, nlp20vd2, nlp23vd3, and nlp23vd4 which are highly identical to nlp20. Quantitative real-time PCR results revealed that 14 G. hirsutum PR gene （GhPR） families were induced or suppressed independently in response to fig22, nip20, nlp20va2, nlp23vd3, and nlp23vd4. Most GhPR genes are expressed highest at 3 h post incubation of immunogenic peptides. Compared to fig22 and nlp20, nlp20vd2 is more effective to trigger up-regulated expression of GhPR genes. Notably, both nlp23vd3 and nlp23vd4 are able to induce GhPR gene up-regulation, although they do not induce necrosis on cotton leaves. Thus, our results provide marker genes and new immunogenic peptides for further investigation of cotton-V, dahliae interaction.

New records of Jurassic petrified wood in Jianchang of western Liaoning,China and their palaeoclimate implications

Diverse and rich fossil wood records have been documented from the Mesozoic of Liaoning Province, NE China. The Tiaojishan Formation(mainly distributed in Beipiao, Chaoyang, Fuxin and Jianchang regions) is one of the most significant horizons for the Jurassic petrified wood in Liaoning Province. Previously, wood fossils of this formation were mainly reported in Beipiao and Chaoyang regions, whereas fossil wood record was merely known in Jianchang region. Here we describe new fossil wood specimens from the Tiaojishan Formation in Jianchang County, western Liaoning. Two fossil wood taxa, i.e., Protaxodioxylon jianchangense Tian et Wang sp. nov. and Xenoxylon peidense Zheng et Zhang were recognized on the basis of anatomical features. These fossil wood records add new data for understanding the fossil wood diversity, floral composition and palaeoclimate of the Tiaojishan Formation. The occurrence of Xenoxylon and Protaxodioxylon implies a cool temperate, wet and seasonal climate condition with interannual variations during the Middle to Late Jurassic transition in western Liaoning region.