Somatic Embrygenesis of Symplocos paniculata

[Objectives]This study was conducted to provide a new way for the rapid reproduction of Symplocos paniculata.[Methods]With mature embryos of S.paniculata as explants,through the study of somatic embryogenesis,the effects of different media on the induction and differentiation of S.paniculata somatic embryos were discussed,and the somatic embryogenesis system for S.paniculata was preliminarily established.[Results]Calli suitable for somatic embryogenesis could be induced using modified MS(referred to as GMS)as the basic medium with the addition of 0.2 mg/L 6-BA and 0.1 mg/L NAA;the best medium combination for somatic embryo differentiation was GMS+0.25 mg/L 6-BA+0.15 mg/L NAA,and the differentiation rate could reach 71.99%;and plant regeneration needed to be carried out at low sugar concentrations.[Conclusions]This study provides a technical basis for resources protection,genetic transformation,artificial seed production,and large-scale development and utilization of S.paniculata.

Study on the planning principles of urban forest

The urban forest is the main body for the urban forestry management. There are not unified rules and standards for the planning of the urban forest yet in China. This paper discusses the planning principles of the urban forest: the priority of the ecological function, the adaptation to local conditions, the optimization in the whole system, the mutual dependence of forest and city, the culture continuance and recreation satisfaction, sustainable development and operability, etc. This paper takes Changsha as an example to elaborate the planning principles of the urban forest. Firstly, Changsha urban forest ecosphere is composed of the eco-garden, the round-the-city forest belt, the ecological isolation belt, the green channel, the landscape of the rivers and streams, the forest park, the biodiversity reserve and the eco-forest in suburb area. It aims to make every kind of ecological essential factors organically merge into the complex city ecosystem to build an eco-city, to strengthen the connection of wide-open space with various habitats spots, to promote resident’s accessibility, to perfect landscape ecology, and to make full use of the ecological function of urban forest. When we construct the urban forest, we must optimize the comprehensive benefit and make the urban forest structure and the layout in the best condition in order to build the harmonious green city for both man and nature to realize the whole optimization of the city system by the complex functions of the urban forest in ecology, environmental protection, landscape, recreation, etc.

Application of artificial neural networks in global climate change and ecological research:An overview

Fields that employ artificial neural networks(ANNs)have developed and expanded continuously in recent years with the ongoing development of computer technology and artificial intelligence.ANN has been adopted widely and put into practice by research-ers in light of increasing concerns over ecological issues such as global warming,frequent El Nio-Southern Oscillation(ENSO)events,and atmospheric circulation anomalies.Limitations exist and there is a potential risk for misuse in that ANN model pa-rameters require typically higher overall sensitivity,and the chosen network structure is generally more dependent upon individ-ual experience.ANNs,however,are relatively accurate when used for short-term predictions;despite global climate change re-search favoring the effects of interactions as the basis of study and the preference for long-term experimental research.ANNs remain a better choice than many traditional methods when dealing with nonlinear problems,and possesses great potential for the study of global climate change and ecological issues.ANNs can resolve problems that other methods cannot.This is especially true for situations in which measurements are difficult to conduct or when only incomplete data are available.It is anticipated that ANNs will be widely adopted and then further developed for global climate change and ecological research.

Meta-analysis and its application in global change research

Meta-analysis is a quantitative synthetic research method that statistically integrates results from in- dividual studies to find common trends and differences. With increasing concern over global change, meta-analysis has been rapidly adopted in global change research. Here, we introduce the methodolo- gies, advantages and disadvantages of meta-analysis, and review its application in global climate change research, including the responses of ecosystems to global warming and rising CO2 and O3 concentrations, the effects of land use and management on climate change and the effects of distur- bances on biogeochemistry cycles of ecosystem. Despite limitation and potential misapplication, meta-analysis has been demonstrated to be a much better tool than traditional narrative review in synthesizing results from multiple studies. Several methodological developments for research synthe- sis have not yet been widely used in global climate change researches such as cumulative meta-analysis and sensitivity analysis. It is necessary to update the results of meta-analysis on a given topic at regular intervals by including newly published studies. Emphasis should be put on multi-factor interaction and long-term experiments. There is great potential to apply meta-analysis to global climate change research in China because research and observation networks have been established (e.g. ChinaFlux and CERN), which create the need for combining these data and results to provide support for governments’ decision making on climate change. It is expected that meta-analysis will be widely adopted in future climate change research.

Establishment of Self-incompatibility Gene cDNA Microarray to Identify S-genotypes of Pyrus pyrifolia

Based on the c DNA sequences from hyper variable(HV) regions of identified 52 S-alleles in Oriental pear cultivars, S-RNase c DNA probes were designed, and a c DNA microarray for S-RNase detections was established. Each microarray contained 240 sites from 55 c DNA probes, including all specific c DNA sequences from the HV regions of the S-alleles. Using the c DNA of pistils of tested pear cultivars as template and Cy3 fluorescently labeling primers by PCR amplification, microarray hybridization detected the S-genotype of each pear cultivar. The genotypes inferred from the c DNA microarray hybridization signals of pear cultivars such as ‘Lijiang Huangsuanli', ‘Xiuyu', ‘Midu Yuli', ‘Baimianli', and ‘Deshengxiang' were similar to the known genotypes of all tested cultivars. The S-RNase c DNA microarrays and the oligonucleotide gene chips were then used to conduct parallel testing of 24 P. pyrifolia cultivars with unknown S-genotypes. In conclusion, the construction of c DNA microarrays has further improved the pear S-RNase detection platform.