Alpine cushion plants inhibit the loss of phylogenetic diversity in severe environments.

Biotic interactions can shape phylogenetic community structure (PCS). However, we do not know how the asymmetric effects of foundation species on communities extend to effects on PCS. We assessed PCS of alpine plant communities around the world, both within cushion plant foundation species and adjacent open ground, and compared the effects of foundation species and climate on alpha (within-microsite), beta (between open and cushion) and gamma (open and cushion combined) PCS. In the open, alpha PCS shifted from highly related to distantly related with increasing potential productivity. However, we found no relationship between gamma PCS and climate, due to divergence in phylogenetic composition between cushion and open sub-communities in severe environments, as demonstrated by increasing phylo-beta diversity. Thus, foundation species functioned as micro-refugia by facilitating less stress-tolerant lineages in severe environments, erasing a global productivity - phylogenetic diversity relationship that would go undetected without accounting for this important biotic interaction.

Richness of Colchic vegetation: comparison between refugia of south-western and East Asia.

BACKGROUND: The Colchis is one of the species-rich refugia and a centre of biological diversity in western Eurasia. We analysed patterns of richness, endemism and invasions in relation to taxonomy (family membership), life form, certain habitats in the Colchis, and compared them to patterns found for Japan. RESULTS: We found that in the Colchis perennials are significantly over-represented in endemic species, and that they typically occur on limestone soils and in alpine tall herbaceous vegetation. The Asteraceae produce significantly large number of both endemic and alien species, whereas the Poaceae are over-represented in alien species but under-represented in endemics. Likewise, the Apiaceae are over-represented in endemics, whereas the Euphorbiaceae are over-represented in alien species. Similar patterns have been found in Yakushima, Japan. The Morisita-Horn index of similarity between these two sites was 0.83 (based on family size). Although the flora of Adjara comprised of fewer families than the flora of Yakushima, the largest families are richer in species in the flora of Adjara than in the flora of Yakushima. CONCLUSIONS: Floristic analysis of refugia of western Eurasia and their comparison with geographically distant areas can provide useful data for plant ecological and evolutionary studies. Potentially, such studies can produce testable hypotheses on plant migrations and on their historical geography. For example, the data presented in this study indicate that more severe conditions in the Pleistocene and geographical isolation of the Colchis may be responsible for the higher relative importance of adaptive radiation in the shaping of its modern flora.

[Regulation of the number of k-binding sites of Na,K-ATPase by adenosine triphosphate]. / Reguliatsiia kolichestva K-sviazyvaiushchikh tsentrov Na,K-ATPazy adenozintrifosfatom.

A possible existence of two functional states of Na,K-ATPase with different electrogenic coefficients has been experimentally proved. Regulation of electrogenicity is achieved by alteration in the number of K+ transport sites. A transition of Na,K-ATPase from one functional state to the other has been shown to occur during the binding of ATP free ions.

[Role of vanadium in regulation of oxidation-reduction reactions in membranes]. / Rol' vanadiia v reguliatsii okislitel'no-vosstanovitel'nykh reaktsii v membranakh.

The effect of vanadium on the microsomal membrane system of rat brain and heart was studied. The results obtained exclude the involvement of vanadium in redox processes occurring in brain microsomes. In heart microsomes vanadium, being a redox agent, can control important processes of heart metabolism, while NADH-vanadate-reductase may be a very effective regulator of local pH in heart intracellular membrane systems.