The influence of climate and fructification on the inter-annual variability of stem growth and net primary productivity in an old-growth, mixed beech forest

The periodic production of large seed crops by trees (masting) and its interaction with stem growth has long been the objective of tree physiology research. However, very little is known about the effects of masting on stem growth and total net primary productivity (NPP) at the stand scale. This study was conducted in an old-growth, mixed deciduous forest dominated by Fagus sylvatica (L.) and covers the period from 2003 to 2007, which comprised wet, dry and regular years as well as two masts of Fagus and one mast of the co-dominant tree species Fraxinus excelsior (L.) and Acer pseudoplatanus (L.). We combined analyses of weather conditions and stem growth at the tree level (inter- and intra-annual) with fruit, stem and leaf production, and estimates of total NPP at the stand level. Finally, we compared the annual demand of carbon for biomass production with net canopy assimilation (NCA), derived from eddy covariance flux measurements, chamber measurements and modelling. Annual stem growth of Fagus was most favoured by warm periods in spring and that of Fraxinus by high precipitation in June. For stem growth of Acer and for fruit production, no significant relationships with mean weather conditions were found. Intra-annual stem growth of all species was strongly reduced when the relative plant-available water in soil dropped below a threshold of about 60% between May and July. The inter-annual variations of NCA, total NPP and leaf NPP at the stand level were low (mean values 1313, 662 and 168 g C m(-2) year(-1), respectively), while wood and fruit production varied more and contrarily (wood: 169-241 g C m(-2) year(-1); fruits: 21-142 g C m(-2) year(-1)). In all years, an annual surplus of newly assimilated carbon was calculated (on average 100 g C m(-2) year(-1)). The results suggest that stem growth is generally not limited by insufficient carbon resources; only in mast years a short-term carbon shortage may occur in spring. In contrast to common assumption, stem growth alone is not a sufficient proxy for total biomass production or the control of carbon sequestration by weather extremes.

Nutrient contents and concentrations in relation to growth of Picea abies and Fagus sylvatica along a European transect

Mineral nutrition of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) and beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) was investigated along a transect extending from northern Sweden to central Italy. Nitrogen (N) concentrations of needles and leaves in stands growing on acid soils did not differ significantly between central Italy and southern Sweden (1.0 +/- 0.1 mmol N g(-1) for needles and 1.9 +/- 0.14 mmol N g(-1) for leaves). In both species, foliar N concentrations were highest in Germany (1.2 mmol N g(-1) for needles and 2.0 mmol N g(-1) for leaves) and decreased by 50% toward northern Sweden (0.5 mmol N g(-1)). Both species showed constant S/N and P/N ratios along the transect. Calcium, K and Mg concentrations generally reflected local soil conditions; however, Mg concentrations reached deficiency values in Germany. Leaf area per unit dry weight varied significantly along the transect with lowest values for Norway spruce recorded in northern Sweden and Italy (3.4 m(2) kg(-1)) and a maximum in central Europe (4.7 m(2) kg(-1)). A similar pattern was observed for beech. Despite the low variation in foliar N concentrations on the large geographic scale, local and regional variations in N concentrations equalled or exceeded the variation along the entire continental transect. Furthermore, nutrient contents (i.e., nutrient concentration x dry weight per needle or leaf) showed a greater variation than nutrient concentrations along the transect. Nitrogen contents of Norway spruce needles reached minimum values in northern Sweden (2.4 micro mol N needle(-1)) and maximum values in Denmark (5.0 micro mol N needle(-1)). The N content of beech leaves was highest in Denmark (242 micro mol N leaf(-1)). At the German site, foliar N content rather than N concentration reflected the seasonal dynamics of foliar growth and N storage of the two species. During foliage expansion, there was an initial rapid increase in N content and a decrease in N concentration. This pattern lasted for about 2 weeks after bud break and was followed by 6 weeks during which dry weight and N content of the foliage increased, resulting in a further decrease in N concentration. During summer, dry weight and N content of mature needles of Norway spruce increased further to reach a maximum in autumn, whereas N concentration remained constant. In spring, reallocation of N from 1- and 2-year-old needles was 1.5 and 1.0 micro mol N needle(-1), respectively. This remobilized N was a major source of N for the development of new needles, which had an N content of 1.5 micro mol N needle(-1) after bud break. The seasonal remobilization of N from old foliage decreased with increasing needle age. Needle N content and dry weight decreased progressively with age (1 micro mol N needle(-1) between age classes 2 and 5), whereas N concentrations remained constant. For Norway spruce, annual stemwood production was correlated with needle N content but not with foliar N concentration or with the total amount of N in the canopy. Interspecific and geographical differences in plant nutrition are discussed on the basis of competitive demands for C and N between growth of foliage and wood.

Mapping of exposed surfaces of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor by identification of iodinated tyrosine residues

Here we report on the use of iodination of the membrane-bound nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) from Torpedo californica electric tissue in order to define surface-exposed portions of the receptor molecule. Membrane-bound nAChR was 125I-iodinated using the oxidation agent Iodo-Gen. The iodinated subunits were separated by preparative gel electrophoresis, desalted, and cleaved with trypsin. The resulting peptides were separated by reverse-phase HPLC and the radioactive peptides were identified by mass spectrometry and protein sequencing. For the delta-subunit, we identified five iodinated peptides containing the tyrosine residues deltaTyr17, deltaTyr74, deltaTyr365, deltaTyr372, and deltaTyr428. The surface exposition of these amino acids is in agreement with the four-transmembrane-segment model (4TM model) of the nAChR, but the assignment to the intra- or extracellular surface is doubtful. According to this model, the N-terminal portion of the receptor subunits including the iodinated residues deltaTyr17 and deltaTyr74 is extracellular and deltaTyr372 as a site of tyrosine phosphorylation is located on the cytoplasmic side. But since this latter residue is among the first to be iodinated using an immobilized iodination agent, its true position with respect to the membrane bilayer is not clear.

[Effective binding of alpha-bungarotoxin with the solubilized alpha-subunit of Torpedo californica acetylcholine receptor]

alpha-Subunit of the Torpedo californica nicotinic acetylcholine receptor was isolated by preparative SDS-PAGE followed by reversed-phase HPLC on a C4 column in an acetonitrile-isopropanol gradient in water. After removal of the organic solvents and solubilization in beta-octylglucoside, the purified alpha-subunit binds alpha-bungarotoxin with high affinity (Kd 28 nM).