Sensitivity of Four Yeasts to Fungicides and CO2 Concentrations and Their Antagonistic Ability in Combination with Fungicide to Pathogenic Fungi in vitro

The yeasts Cryptococcus laurentii, Trichosporon pullulans, Rhodotorula glutinis andTrichosporon sp.were used to investigate their sensitivity to four fungicides anddifferent concentrations of CO2, as well as their antagonistic ability to Penicilliumexpansumand Alternariaalternata in vitro when applied with fungicide. There were significantdifferences in sensitivity to the fungicides among the different yeasts(P=0.05). R.glutinis was more sensitive to Deccocil, Iprodione and Stroby as compared to otheryeasts. Combination antagonistic yeasts with fungicide could more significantly enhancebiocontrol ability of the yeasts against the pathogenic fungi in vitro(P = 0.05). C.laurentii was the most effective antagonist among the four yeasts and could completelycontrol spore germination of P.expansum and A.alternata when combined with Stroby at theconcentration of 100 L L-1. The yeasts, except R.glutinis, could grow well on nutrientyeast dextrose agar (NYDA) after 8 d incubation even at 20% CO2 concentration at 25℃.Particularly Trichosporon sp. showeda better adaptability to low temperature as comparedto other antagonists.

Effects of elevated atmospheric CO2 and nitrogen fertilization on nitrogen cycling in experimental riparian wetlands

Studies on the relationship between plant nitrogen content and soil nitrogen reduction under elevated CO2 conditions and with different nitrogen additions in wetland ecosystems are lacking. This study was meant to assess the effects of elevated CO2 concentrations and inorganic nitrogen additions on soil and plant nitrogen cycling. A cultured riparian wetland, alligator weeds, and two duplicated open top chambers （OTCs） with ambient （380μmol/mol） and elevated （700 μmol/mol） CO2 concentrations at low （4 mg/L） and high （6 mg/L） nitrogen fertilization levels were used. The total plant biomass increased by 30.77% and 31.37% at low and high nitrogen fertilization levels, respectively, under elevated CO2 conditions. Plant nitrogen content decreased by 6.54% and 8.86% at low and high nitrogen fertilization levels, respectively. The coefficient of determination （R2） of soil nitrogen contents ranged from 0.81 to 0.96. Under elevated CO2 conditions, plants utilized the assimilated inorganic nitrogen （from the soil） for growth and other internal physiological transformations, which might explain the reduction in plant nitrogen content. A reduction in soil dissolved inorganic nitrogen （DIN） under elevated CO2 conditions might have also caused the reduction in plant nitrogen content. Reduced plant and soil nitrogen contents are to be expected due to the potential exhaustive use of inorganic nitrogen by soil microorganisms even before it can be made available to the soil and plants. The results from this study provide important information to help policy makers make informed decisions on sustainable management of wetlands. Larger-scale field work is recommended in future research.

Seasonal dynamics and impact factors of urban forest CO2 concentration in Harbin,China

CO2 concentrations in different plant communities （larch, birch, lilac, and grassland） were measured during the growing season in the Heilongjiang Forest Botanical Garden to study diurnal variation, seasonal and annual dynamics and factors that impact CO2 concentration in different spaces. CO2 concentration in different communities in green lands had an obvious diurnal variation, chronically decreasing, and temperature influenced the lilac area and the grassland. Seasonally, CO2 was lowest in the larch green land （344.03 ±23.03 μmol/mol） and highest in the grassland （360.13 ± 22.43 μmol/mol）. The overall trend in CO2 concentration was autumn 〉 spring 〉 summer; temperature is the main factor controlling variation in CO2 concentrations during the growing season; the CO2 concentration at the larch, birch, lilac, and grassland types of sites was negatively correlated with land surface temperature and air temperature, and the CO2 concentration at the larch and birch sites was positively correlated with atmospheric pressure. Without any obvious annual change law, further study and observation are needed.

Effects of elevated CO_2 concentration and nitrogen supply on biomass and active carbon of freshwater marsh after two growing seasons in Sanjiang Plain, Northeast China

An experiments were carried out with treatments differing in nitrogen supply （0, 5 and 15 g N/m^2） and CO2 levels （350 and 700 μmol/mol） using OTC （open top chamber） equipment to investigate the biomass of Calamagrostis angustifolia and soil active carbon contents after two years. The results showed that elevated CO2 concentration increased the biomass of C. angustifolia and the magnitude of response varied with each growth period. Elevated CO2 concentration has increased aboveground biomass by 16.7% and 17.6% during the jointing and heading periods and only 3.5% and 9.4% during dough and maturity periods. The increases in belowground biomass due to CO2 elevation was 26.5%, 34.0% and 28.7% during the heading, dough and maturity periods, respectively. The responses of biomass to enhanced CO2 concentrations are differed in N levels. Both the increase of aboveground biomass and belowground biomass were greater under high level of N supply （15 g N/m^2）. Elevated CO2 concentration also increased the allocation of biomass and carbon in root. Under elevated CO2 concentration, the average values of active carbon tended to increase. The increases of soil active soil contents followed the sequence of microbial biomass carbon （10.6%） 〉 dissolved organic carbon （7.5%） 〉 labile oxidable carbon （6.6%） 〉 carbohydrate carbon （4.1%）. Stepwise regressions indicated there were significant correlations between the soil active carbon contents and plant biomass. Particularly, microbial biomass carbon, labile oxidable carbon and carbohydrate carbon were found to be correlated with belowground biomass, while dissolved organic carbon has correlation with aboveground biomass. Therefore, increased biomass was regarded as the main driving force for the increase in soil active organic carbon under elevated CO2 concentration.

Carbon Dioxide Concentration and Flux in an Urban Residential Area in Seoul,Korea

The carbon dioxide （CO2） concentrations and fluxes measured at a height of 17.5 m above the ground by a sonic anemometer and an open-path gas analyzer at an urban residential site in Seoul, Korea from February 2011 to January 2012 were analyzed. The annual mean CO2 concentration was found to be 750 mg m-3, with a maximum monthly mean concentration of 827 mg m-3 in January and a minimum value of 679 mg m-3 in August. Meanwhile, the annual mean CO2 flux was found to be 0.45 mg m-2 s-1, with a maximum monthly mean flux of 0.91 mg m-2 s-1 in January and a minimum value of 0.19 mg m-2 s-1 in June. The hourly mean CO2 concentration was found to show a significant diurnal variation; a maximum at 0700-0900 LST and a minimum at 1400-1600 LST, with a large diurnal range in winter and a small one in summer, mainly caused by diurnal changes in mixing height, CO2 flux, and surface complexity. The hourly mean CO2 flux was also found to show a significant diurnal variation, but it showed two maxima at 0700-0900 LST and 2100-2400 LST, and two minima at 1100-1500 LST and 0300-0500 LST, mainly caused by a diurnal pattern in CO2 emissions and sinks from road traffic, domestic heating and cooking by liquefied natural gas use, and the different horizontal distribution of CO2 sources and sinks near the site. Differential advection with respect to wind direction was also found to be a cause of diurnal variations in both the CO2 concentration and flux.

Effect of CO_2 Concentration on Nitrogen Metabolism of Winter Wheat

Hoagland＇s solution was used as water culture medium to study the effect of CO2 concentration on nitrate metabolism of wheat under natural light and light-shaded conditions. NO3^-N, NH4^＋-N, nitrate reductase activity, total uptake N by wheat plants during solution cultural period and total N in plants were determined for comprehensive evaluation of the effect. Results showed that under both natural light and light-shaded conditions, addition of CO2 increased NO3^-N uptake and its assimilative capabilities by plants. However, there were some difference between shoots and roots. With increase of CO2 concentration, the concentration of NO3^-N and NH4^＋-N as well as nitrate reductase activity were all decreased for shoots while the difference was not so distinct in roots, and the nitrate reductase activity was not decreased, but increased. Since NO3^-N uptake by plants from the solution and the total N in plants were much higher by CO2 addition, it may be concluded that addition of CO2 has resulted in rise of nitrate absorption, assimilation and metabolism of wheat.

THE IMPACTS OF GLOBAL CHANGE ON DESERTIFICATION IN CHINA

Global change and desertification are the serious environmental problems in the world today and exert great impacts on human existence and social development. Therefore, the United Nations has set up quite a number of relevant organizations to encourage millions upon millions of people to combat this harmful problem. At the same time, since the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro, the UN Convention to Combat Desertification has been signed and this signment of the Convention will powerfully promote the concrete action programs to combat desertification of each affected country and enlarge the exchange and cooperation among the affected countries. According to recent information of UN Organizations, more than 100 countries and their one-fifth world of population are facing the problem of desertification processes and desertification impacts, and are suffering from expansion of desertification. The total areas of arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid zones cover approximately about 6.5 billion ha, occupying 41 percent of the total land area of the earth. There are 3.6 billion ha of arable land and grazing land under the impact of desertification in the world. From 1984 to 1991, the annual increase of land desertification is 3.4 percent. The harmful results of desertification on human existence in terms of environment, societies and economy are serious and called for great attention from the UN Systems. It is concluded that desertification is the most serious environmental problem in the world and its resulting impact is socially and economically surprising.

Temporal variations of CO_2 concentration near land surface and its response to meteorological variables in Heihe River Basin, northwest China

Atmospheric CO2 concentration （CC） near land surface and meteorological variables have been measured at four sites, named Yeniugou （alpine meadow and permafrost）, Xishui （mountainous forest）, Linze （oasis edge） and Ejina （lower desert）, respectively, in Heihe River Basin, northwest China. The results showed that, the half hourly CC at night was larger than in daytime, and the daily averaged CC was the largest in winter. The averaged CC of 932 d at the Linze was about 418 ppm, was about 366 ppm in the 762 d at the Ejina. In the same period from September 23 to November 9, 2004, the averaged CC was about 625,334, 436 and 353 ppm, at Yeniugou, Xishui, Linze and Ejina, respectively. The linear relationship between daily averaged CC and air temperature T was negative, between CC and relative humidity （RH） was positive. The linear CC-atmospheric pressure （A P） relationship was negative at the Linze and Yeniugou, was positive at the Ejina. The relationship between CC and global radiation R was exponent, and soil temperature Ts was negative linear, and soil water content was complex. The correlation between CC and wind speed was not existent. Using meteorological variables together to simulate CC, could give good results.

Control Means and Data Analysis of Environmental Factors of Facility Watermelon in Beijing Area

In this study, the environmental indicators(including temperature, light, air relative humidity and CO_2 concentration) of facility watermelon in Beijing area were monitored with US350 environmental sensor during the whole growth period. The results showed that in the solar greenhouses in Beijing area, the average air temperature was in the range of 10.67-29.95 ℃ during the whole growth period of watermelon, the average soil temperature ranged from 16.92 to 35.10 ℃, the average light intensity changed from 268.37 to 13 842.60 lx, the average air relative humidity ranged from 52.40% to 94.26%, and the average CO_2 concentration was in the range of 455-631 ml/m^3; and in the spring greenhouses in Beijing area, the variation range of average air temperature was 14.05-29.84 ℃ during the whole growth period of watermelon, the average soil temperature ranged from17.47 to 28.12 ℃, the average light intensity was in the range of 55.80-12 858.64 lx, the average soil moisture content ranged from 18.19%-34.56%, the variation range of average air relative humidity was 20.72%-96.26%, and the average CO_2 concentration was in the range of 351-544 ml/m^3.

Satellite observations of the partial pressure of carbon dioxide in the surface water of the Huanghai Sea and the Bohai Sea

Based on 5831 continuous in situ measurements of the partial pressure of carbon dioxide on the sea surface p(CO2),related parameters of the sea surface temperature (SST) and chlorophyll-a (Chl a) concentration in 2010 winter,spring and summer of the Huanghai Sea and the Bohai Sea,the inherent relations among them are investigated preliminarily.This study reveals that the seasonal variability of SST and Chl a concentration has a significant influence on p(CO2).The authors have proposed a new algorithm to estimate p(CO2) from SST and Chl a concentration measurements.Compared with the vessel data,the root mean square error (RMSE) of p(CO2) retrieved by using the new model is 13.45 μatm(latm=101.325 kPa) and the relative error is less than 4％.Then,SST and Chl a concentration data observed by satellite are used to retrieve p(CO2) in the Huanghai Sea and the Bohai Sea; and a better accuracy can be obtained if the quality control for sea surface chlorophyll-a concentration observed by satellite is used.The RMSE of retrieved p(CO2) data with quality control and that without quality control are 15.82 μatm and 31.74 μatm,respectively.

The Effect of Low Night and High Day Temperatures on Photosynthesis in Tomato

If low night temperatures can be combined with high day temperatures, providing optimal growth conditions for plants, a significant energy saving can be achieved in greenhouses. Lowering the night temperature from 18°C to 10°C-11°C for 8 h had no negative effect on the CO2 exchange rate (CER) during the following light period in tomato. This was found both in plants grown in artificial light only or in combination with daylight. Allowing the temperature to increase from 20°C to about 40°C, in parallel with an increasing solar photon flux density (PFD) from 0 up to about 800 μmol·m-2·s-1 in the greenhouse during summer, progressively increased CER when the CO2 concentration was maintained at 900 μmol·mol-1. At 400 μmol·mol-1 CO2, maximum CER was reached at about 600 μmol·m-2·s-1 PFD combined with a temperature of 32°C, and leveled out with a further increase in PFD and temperature. Maximum CER at high CO2 concentration was around 100% higher than at low CO2 level. Under early autumn conditions, CER increased up to about 500 μmol·m-2·s-1 PFD/32°C at low CO2 and up to about 600 μmol·m-2·s-1 PFD/35°C at high CO2. An elevated CO2 level doubled the CER in this experiment as well. Measurements of chlorophyll fluorescence showed no effect of low night temperature, high day temperature or CO2 concentration on the quantum yield of photosynthesis, indicating that no treatment negatively affected the efficiency of the photosynthetic apparatus. The results showed that low night temperatures may be combined with very high day temperatures without any loss of daily photosynthesis particularly in a CO2 enriched atmosphere. If this can be combined with normal plant development and no negative effects on the yield, significant energy savings can be achieved in greenhouses.

Simulation of Non-Homogeneous CO2 and Its Impact on Regional Temperature in East Asia

Carbon dioxide(CO2) is an important greenhouse gas that influences regional climate through disturbing the earth’s energy balance. The CO2concentrations are usually prescribed homogenously in most climate models and the spatiotemporal variations of CO2are neglected. To address this issue,a regional climate model(RegCM4) is modified to investigate the non-homogeneous distribution of CO2and its effects on regional longwave radiation flux and temperature in East Asia. One-year simulation is performed with prescribed surface CO2fluxes that include fossil fuel emission, biomass burning, air-sea exchange, and terrestrial biosphere flux. Two numerical experiments(one using constant prescribed CO2concentrations in the radiation scheme and the other using the simulated CO2concentrations that are spatially non-homogeneous) are conducted to assess the impact of non-homogeneous CO2on the regional longwave radiation flux and temperature. Comparison of CO2concentrations from the model with the observations from the GLOBALVIEW-CO2network suggests that the model can well capture the spatiotemporal patterns of CO2concentrations. Generally, high CO2mixing ratios appear in the heavily industrialized eastern China in cold seasons, which probably relates to intensive human activities. The accommodation of non-homogeneous CO2concentrations in the radiative transfer scheme leads to an annual mean change of -0.12 W m-2in total sky surface upward longwave flux in East Asia. The experiment with non-homogeneous CO2tends to yield a warmer lower troposphere.Surface temperature exhibits a maximum difference in summertime, ranging from -4.18 K to 3.88 K, when compared to its homogeneous counterpart. Our results indicate that the spatial and temporal distributions of CO2have a considerable impact on regional longwave radiation flux and temperature, and should be taken into account in future climate modeling.

Interactive Effects of Drought Stresses and Elevated CO_2 Concentration on Photochemistry Efficiency of Cucumber Seedlings

To reveal and quantify the interactive effects of drought stresses and elevated CO2 concentration [CO2] on photochemistry efficiency of cucumber seedlings, the portable chlorophyll meter was used to measure the chlorophyll content, and the Imaging-PAM was used to image the chlorophyll fluorescence parameters and rapid light response curves （RLC） of leaves in two adjacent greenhouses. The results showed that chlorophyll content of leaves was reduced significantly with drought stress aggravated. Minimal fluorescence （Fo） was increased while maximal quantum yield of PSII （Fv/Fm） decreased significantly by severe drought stress. The significant decrease of effective quantum yield of PSII （Y（Ⅱ）） accompanied by the significant increase of quantum yield of regulated energy dissipation （Y（NPQ）） was observed under severe drought stress condition, but there was no change of quantum yield of nonregulated energy dissipation （Y（NO））. We detected that the coefficient of photochemical quenching （qP） decreased, and non-photochemical quenching （NPQ） increased significantly under severe drought stress. Furthermore, we found that maximum apparent electron transport rate （ETRmax） and saturating photosynthetically active radiation （PPFDsat） decreased significantly with drought stress aggravated. However, elevated [CO2] significantly increased FvlFm, qP and PPFDsat, and decreased NPQ under all water conditions, although there were no significant effects on chlorophyll content, Fo, Y（Ⅱ）, Y（NPQ）, Y（NO） and ETRmax. Therefore, it is concluded that CO2-fertilized greenhouses or elevated atmospheric [CO2] in the future could be favorable for cucumber growth and development, and beneficial to alleviate the negative effects of drought stresses to a certain extent.

Prediction Research of Climate Change Trends over North China in the Future 30 Years

A simulation of climate change trends over North China in the past 50 years and future 30 years was performed with the actual greenhouse gas concentration and IPCC SRES B2 scenario concentration by IAP/LASG GOALS 4.0 （Global Ocean-Atmosphere-Land system coupled model）, developed by the State Key Laboratory of Numerical Modelling for Atmospheric Sciences and Geophysical Fluid Dynamics （LASG）, Institute of Atmospheric Physics （IAP）, Chinese Academy of Sciences （CAS）. In order to validate the model, the modern climate during 1951-2000 was first simulated by the GOALS model with the actual greenhouse gas concentration, and the simulation results were compared with observed data. The simulation results basically reproduce the lower temperature from the 1960s to mid-1970s and the warming from the 1980s for the globe and Northern Hemisphere, and better the important cold （1950 1976） and warm （1977-2000） periods in the past 50 years over North China. The correlation coefficient is 0.34 between simulations and observations （significant at a more than 0.05 confidence level）. The range of winter temperature departures for North China is between those for the eastern and western China＇s Mainland. Meanwhile, the summer precipitation trend turning around the 1980s is also successfully simulated. The climate change trends in the future 30 years were simulated with the CO2 concentration under IPCC SRES-B2 emission scenario. The results show that, in the future 30 years, winter temperature will keep a warming trend in North China and increase by about 2.5~C relative to climate mean （1960-1990）. Meanwhile, summer precipitation will obviously increase in North China and decrease in South China, displaying a south-deficit-north-excessive pattern of precipitation.

Effect of Volcanic Activities and CO_2 Concentration on Summer Temperature in Middle Stratosphere,North Hemisphere

Successive filtration and comparison show that the stratosphere air temperature in 10 hPa-layer of the Northern Hemisphere （NH） in July continuously increases,which is associated to the increases in greenhouse gases mostly CO2,volcanic activities,and solar activity,demonstrating the follows.（a） The increase in CO2 concentration is largely consistent with that of the stratosphere air temperature in 10 hPa-layer of the NH in July.However,the increase in the air temperature is not in a linear pattern,during which several cooling events interrupt.The cooling events between late 1960s and late 1970s are remarkable ones and so is the one before mid 1990s.Analysis shows that these events are induced by volcanic activities and solar activity.（b） The CO2-free variation in the stratosphere air temperature in 10 hPa-layer of the NH is consistent with that of the solar magnetic index.The wave crests and wave troughs of the two curves are consistent in phase,and the curve of solar magnetic index leads the other slightly.In other words,when the solar magnetic pole is southward,a warming in the NH stratosphere corresponds;and on the contrary,the northward solar magnetic pole corresponds to a cooling event.The variation in solar magnetic polarity strongly impacts the variation in the stratosphere temperature.

Influence of HITRAN Database Updates on Retrievals of Atmospheric CO_2 from Near-Infrared Spectra

The line-transition parameters of the High Resolution Transmission （HITRAN） 2008 database have been updated relative to previous editions. The transmission spectra and sensitivity to changes in CO2 concentrations using line parameters from the HITRAN 2004 and HITRAN 2008 databases are compared to evaluate the effect of the database updates on retrievals of carbon dioxide vertical columns from nearinfrared reflected sunlight. This comparison is done in three spectral regions covering the 2.06-, 1.61-, and 1.58-μm CO2 bands used by the Greenhouse Gases Observatory Satellite （GOSAT） instrument and the planned successor to the Orbiting Carbon Observatory （OCO）. The updates to the HITRAN database have the largest effects on the transmittance and the off-line to on-line transmittance ratio in the 2.06-μm region and the smallest effects on these parameters in the 1.58-μm region. The influence of the updates to the HITRAN database on the off-line to on-line ratio calculation in the narrow spectral region 4855-4880 cm^-1 could be equivalent to a change in CO2 of more than 50 ppmv. Use of the HITRAN 2004 database will lead to an underestimate of the column CO2 abundance in the 2.06- and 1.61-pro spectral regions, whereas it will lead to an overestimate of the column CO2 abundance in the 1.58-μm spectral region.