Hypervolume Niche Dynamics and Global Invasion Risk of Phenacoccus solenopsis under Climate Change.

As a globally invasive quarantine pest, the cotton mealybug, Phenacoccus solenopsis, is spreading rapidly, posing serious threats against agricultural and forestry production and biosecurity. In recent years, the niche conservatism hypothesis has been widely debated, which is particularly evident in invasive biology research. Identifying the niche dynamics of P. solenopsis, as well as assessing its global invasion risk, is of both theoretical and practical importance. Based on 462 occurrence points and 19 bioclimatic variables, we used n-dimensional hypervolume analysis to quantify the multidimensional climatic niche of this pest in both its native and invasive ranges. We examined niche conservatism and further optimized the MaxEnt model parameters to predict the global invasion risk of P. solenopsis under both current and future climate conditions. Our findings indicated that the niche hypervolume of this pest in invasive ranges was significantly larger than that in its native ranges, with 99.45% of the niche differentiation contributed by niche expansion, with the remaining less than 1% explained by space replacement. Niche expansion was most evident in Oceania and Eurasia. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (0.83) and true skill statistic (0.62) indicated the model's robust performance. The areas of suitable habitats for P. solenopsis are increasing significantly and the northward spread is obvious in future climate change scenarios. North Africa, northern China, Mediterranean regions, and northern Europe had an increased invasion risk of P. solenopsis. This study provided scientific support for the early warning and control of P. solenopsis.

Isolation of endophytes from Dioscorea nipponica Makino for stimulating diosgenin production and plant growth.

KEY MESSAGE: Both bacterial and fungal endophytes exhibited one or more plant growth-promoting (PGP) traits. Among these strains, the Paenibacillus peoriae SYbr421 strain demonstrated the greatest activity in the direct biotransformation of tuber powder from D. nipponica into diosgenin. Endophytes play crucial roles in shaping active metabolites within plants, significantly influencing both the quality and yield of host plants. Dioscorea nipponica Makino accumulates abundant steroidal saponins, which can be hydrolyzed to produce diosgenin. However, our understanding of the associated endophytes and their contributions to plant growth and diosgenin production is limited. The present study aimed to assess the PGP ability and potential of diosgenin biotransformation by endophytes isolates associated with D. nipponica for the efficient improvement of plant growth and development of a clean and effective approach for producing the valuable drug diosgenin. Eighteen bacterial endophytes were classified into six genera through sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rDNA gene. Similarly, 12 fungal endophytes were categorized into 5 genera based on sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of the ITS rDNA gene. Pure culture experiments revealed that 30 isolated endophytic strains exhibited one or more PGP traits, such as nitrogen fixation, phosphate solubilization, siderophore synthesis, and IAA production. One strain of endophytic bacteria, P. peoriae SYbr421, effectively directly biotransformed the saponin components in D. nipponica. Moreover, a high yield of diosgenin (3.50%) was obtained at an inoculum size of 4% after 6 days of fermentation. Thus, SYbr421 could be used for a cleaner and more eco-friendly diosgenin production process. In addition, based on the assessment of growth-promoting isolates and seed germination results, the strains SYbr421, SYfr1321, and SYfl221 were selected for greenhouse experiments. The results revealed that the inoculation of these promising isolates significantly increased the plant height and fresh weight of the leaves and roots compared to the control plants. These findings underscore the importance of preparing PGP bioinoculants from selected isolates as an additional option for sustainable diosgenin production.

PagMYB205 Negatively Affects Poplar Salt Tolerance through Reactive Oxygen Species Scavenging and Root Vitality Modulation.

Salt stress is one of the major abiotic stresses that limits plant growth and development. The MYB transcription factor family plays essential roles in plant growth and development, as well as stress tolerance processes. In this study, the cDNA of the 84K poplar (Populus abla × Populus glandulosa) was used as a template to clone the full length of the PagMYB205 gene fragment, and transgenic poplar lines with PagMYB205 overexpression (OX) or inhibited expression (RNAi, RNA interference) were cultivated. The role of PagMYB205 in poplar growth and development and salt tolerance was detected using morphological and physiological methods. The full-length CDS sequence of PagMYB205 was 906 bp, encoding 301 amino acids, and the upstream promoter sequence contained abiotic stress-related cis-acting elements. The results of subcellular localization and transactivation assays showed that the protein had no self-activating activity and was localized in the nucleus. Under salt stress, the rooting rate and root vitality of RNAi were higher than OX and wild type (WT). However, the malondialdehyde (MDA) content of the RNAi lines was significantly lower than that of the wild-type (WT) and OX lines, but the reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging ability, such as the peroxidase (POD), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) enzyme activities, was dramatically more powerful. Most significantly of all, the RNAi3 line with the lowest expression level of PagMYB205 had the lowest MDA content, the best enzyme activity and root vitality, and the best salt stress tolerance compared to the other lines. The above results suggest that the transcription factor PagMYB205 could negatively regulate salt stress tolerance by regulating antioxidant enzyme activity and root vitality.

Comprehensive Analysis and Characterization of the GATA Gene Family, with Emphasis on the GATA6 Transcription Factor in Poplar.

GATA transcription factors are ubiquitously present in eukaryotic organisms and play a crucial role in multiple biological processes, such as plant growth, stress response, and hormone signaling. However, the study of GATA factors in poplar is currently limited to a small number of proteins, despite their evident functional importance. In this investigation, we utilized the most recent genome annotation and stringent criteria to identify 38 GATA transcription factor genes in poplar. Subsequently, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of this gene family, encompassing phylogenetic classification, protein characterization, analysis of promoter cis-acting elements, and determination of chromosomal location. Our examination of gene duplication events indicated that both tandem and segmental duplications have contributed to the expansion of the GATA gene family in poplar, with segmental duplication potentially being a major driving force. By performing collinearity analysis of genes across six different species, we identified 74 pairs of co-linear genes, which provide valuable insights for predicting gene functions from a comparative genomics perspective. Furthermore, through the analysis of gene expression patterns, we identified five GATA genes that exhibited differential expression in leaf-stem-root tissues and eight genes that were responsive to salt stress. Of particular interest was GATA6, which displayed strong induction by salt stress and overlapped between the two gene sets. We discovered that GATA6 encodes a nuclear-localized protein with transcription activation activity, which is continuously induced by salt stress in leaf and root tissues. Moreover, we constructed a co-expression network centered around GATA6, suggesting the potential involvement of these genes in the growth, development, and response to abiotic stress processes in poplar through cell transport systems and protein modification mechanisms, such as vesicle-mediated transport, intracellular transport, ubiquitination, and deubiquitination. This research provides a foundation for further exploration of the functions and mechanisms of GATA transcription factors in poplar.

PagMYB151 facilitates proline accumulation to enhance salt tolerance of poplar.

Poplar is one of the main urban and rural greening and shade tree species in the northern hemisphere, but its growth and development is always restricted by salt stress. R2R3-MYB transcription factor family is commonly involved in many biological processes during plant growth and stress endurance. In this study, PagMYB151 (Potri.014G035100) one of R2R3-MYB members related to salt stress and expressed in both nucleus and cell membrane was cloned from Populus alba × P. glandulosa to perfect the salt tolerance mechanism. Morphological and physiological indexes regulated by PagMYB151 were detected using the PagMYB151 overexpression (OX) and RNA interference (RNAi) transgenic poplar lines. Under salt stress conditions, compared with RNAi and the non-transgenic wild-type (WT) plants, the plant height, both aboveground and underground part fresh weight of OX was significantly increased. In addition, OX has a longer and finer root structure and a larger root surface area. The root activity of OX was also enhanced, which was significantly different from RNAi but not from WT under salt treatment. Under normal conditions, the stomatal aperture of OX was larger than WT, whereas this phenotype was not obvious after salt stress treatment. In terms of physiological indices, OX enhanced the accumulation of proline but reduced the toxicity of malondialdehyde to plants under salt stress. Combing with the transcriptome sequencing data, 6 transcription factors induced by salt stress and co-expressed with PagMYB151 were identified that may cooperate with PagMYB151 to function in salt stress responding process. This study provides a basis for further exploring the molecular mechanism of poplar PagMYB151 transcription factor under abiotic stress.

Transcription Factor ERF194 Modulates the Stress-Related Physiology to Enhance Drought Tolerance of Poplar.

Drought is one of the main environmental factors limiting plant growth and development. The AP2/ERF transcription factor (TF) ERF194 play key roles in poplar growth and drought-stress tolerance. However, the physiological mechanism remains to be explored. In this study, the ERF194-overexpression (OX), suppressed-expression (RNA interference, RNAi), and non-transgenic (WT) poplar clone 717 were used to study the physiology role of ERF194 transcription factor in poplar growth and drought tolerance. Morphological and physiological methods were used to systematically analyze the growth status, antioxidant enzyme activity, malondialdehyde (MDA), soluble sugars, starch, and non-structural carbohydrate (NSC) contents of poplar. Results showed that, compared with WT, OX plants had decrease in plant height, internode length, and leaf area and increased number of fine roots under drought stress. In addition, OX had higher water potential, activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and peroxidase (POD), contents of chlorophyll, soluble sugar, starch, and NSC, implying that ERF194 positively regulates drought tolerance in poplar. The growth status of RNAi was similar to those of WT, but the relative water content and CAT activity of RNAi were lower than those of WT under drought treatment. Based on the transcriptome data, functional annotation and expression pattern analysis of differentially expressed genes were performed and further confirmed by RT-qPCR analysis. Gene ontology (GO) enrichment and gene expression pattern analysis indicated that overexpression of ERF194 upregulated the expression of oxidoreductases and metabolism-related genes such as POD and SOD. Detection of cis-acting elements in the promoters suggested that ERF194 may bind to these genes through MeJA-responsive elements, ABA-responsive elements, or elements involved in defense and stress responses. The above results show that ERF194 improved tolerance to drought stress in poplar by regulating its growth and physiological factors. This study provides a new idea for the role of ERF194 transcription factor in plant growth and drought-stress response.

Interactive effect between tree ageing and trunk-boring pest reduces hydraulics and carbon metabolism in Hippophae rhamnoides.

Sea-buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) is widely distributed across the Eurasian continent. Recently sea-buckthorn has shown premature ageing and decline when confronted with water deficiency and Holcocerus hippophaecolus damage in northwest China and the Loess Plateau region. However, the physiological process of sea-buckthorn senescence in response to drought and pest damage is still unknown. In this study, 4-year-old (4y), 15-year-old normal growth (15yN) and 15-year-old seriously moth-damaged sea-buckthorn plants (15yH) were used as the research objects. The growth of branches and roots, branch water potential and percentage loss of conductivity (PLC), branch vulnerability to embolism (quantified by P50, xylem water potential at 50 % of PLC), branch xylem parenchyma cell viability, photosynthesis and the non-structural carbohydrate (NSC) content in branches and roots in dry and wet seasons were measured. The results showed that the length, basal diameter of 1-year-old branches and the leaf area of 4y trees were significantly larger than that of 15yN and 15yH trees, and the fine root density of 15yH trees was significantly lower than that of 15yN trees in all measured areas. The branch-specific hydraulic conductivity of 15yN and 15yH trees was only 50.2 % and 12.3 % of that of 4y trees, and the P50 of 4y, 15yH and 15yN trees was -3.69 MPa, -2.71 MPa and -1.15 MPa, respectively. The midday water potential and photosynthetic rate were highest in 4y trees, followed by 15yN and then 15yH trees in both the dry season and wet seasons, while branch PLC declined in the opposite direction (15yH trees highest, 4y trees lowest). The degree of PLC repair within a day was highest in 4y trees, followed by 15yN and then 15yH trees, and the viability of xylem cells was consistent with this pattern. The branch xylem starch and NSC content of 4y and 15yN trees were significantly higher than that of 15yH trees in the dry season, and the root starch and NSC content of 4y trees were significantly higher than that of 15yH trees in the two seasons. The above results suggest that the hydraulic properties of the normal elderly and seriously pest-damaged sea-buckthorn were significantly worse than in juvenile plants. Narrower early wood width and vessel density, high embolism vulnerability and weak embolism repair capacity led to the decline in water-conducting ability, and similarly further affected photosynthesis and the root NSC content. The decline in xylem parenchyma cell viability was the main reason for the limited embolism repair in the branches.

PtaERF194 inhibits plant growth and enhances drought tolerance in poplar.

The water deficits limit the growth and development of agricultural and forest organisms. The AP2/ethylene response factor (ERF) family has been identified as one of the largest plant-specific transcription factors (TFs) essential for plant development and stress response. The function of PtaERF194 in growth and drought tolerance was detected in the overexpression (OX) and RNA interference (RNAi) transgenic poplar 717 hybrids (Populus tremula × Populus alba). Plant growth, stem vessels, water-use efficiency (WUE), chlorophyll content and PtaERF194 co-expressed genes were analyzed using morphological, physiological and molecular methods. Overexpression seedlings showed a shorter and smaller phenotype along with smaller and more vessels compared with the wild-type (WT). Physiological indices indicated that OX with low transpiration and stomatal conductance improved the tolerance to drought by enhancing WUE, limiting water loss and maintaining high water potential. A total of 12 differentially expressed genes co-expressed with PtaERF194 were identified, and they worked together to regulate drought tolerance through the abscisic acid signaling and reactive oxygen species scavenging processes. However, RNAi plants showed similar morphology and physiology to WT, suggesting that the function of PtaERF194 was redundant with other ERF TFs. The findings of the current study may shed new light on the positive function of ERF TFs in plant drought stress tolerance.

Characteristics and factors influencing the natural regeneration of Larix principis-rupprechtii seedlings in northern China.

Larix principis-rupprechtii is an important and widely distributed species in the mountains of northern China. However, it has inefficient natural regeneration in many stands and difficulty recruiting seedlings and saplings. In this study, we selected six plots with improved naturally-regenerated L. principis-rupprechtii seedlings. A point pattern analysis (pair-correlation function) was applied to identify the spatial distribution pattern and correlation between adult trees and regenerated seedlings mapped through X/Y coordinates. Several possible influencing factors of L. principis-rupprechtii seedlings' natural regeneration were also investigated. The results showed that the spatial distribution patterns of Larix principis-rupprechtii seedlings were concentrated 0-5 m around adult trees when considering the main univariate distribution type of regeneration. There was a positive correlation at a scale of 1.5-4 m between seedlings and adult trees according to bivariate analyses. When the scale was increased, these relationships were no longer significant. Generally, adult trees raised regenerated L. principis-rupprechtii seedlings at a scale of 1.5-4 m. Principal component analysis showed that the understory herb diversity and litter layer had a negative correlation with the number of regenerated seedlings. There was also a weak relationship between regenerated numbers and canopy density. This study demonstrated that the main factors promoting natural regeneration were litter thickness, herb diversity, and the distance between adult trees and regenerated seedlings. Additionally, these findings will provide a basis for the late-stage and practical management of natural regeneration in northern China's mountain ranges.

[Spatial pattern and interspecific association of tree species in coniferous and deciduous broad-leaved mixed forest under different disturbance intensities]. / ä¸åŒå¹²æ‰°å¼ºåº¦ä¸‹é’ˆé˜”æ··äº¤æž—æ ‘ç§ç©ºé—´æ ¼å±€åŠç§é—´å ³è”æ€§.

We explored the effects of disturbance densities on the spatial pattern and the association of tree species in the coniferous broadleaved mixed forest in Pangquangou Nature Reserve of Guandi Mountain. Using three factors including canopy density, stand density and number of stumps, we classified the disturbance intensities of different forest stands into three levels, non-disturbance, moderate disturbance, and severe disturbance. The spatial distribution pattern and the association of different tree species were analyzed by spatial point pattern K2 function. The results showed that the diameter distribution of trees in undisturbed plots was inverted 'J' type, while that of moderate disturbance and serious disturbance plots was under bimodal curve distribution. The stand distribution pattern showed a small-scale aggregated distribution under undisturbed and moderately distur-bance, and a random distribution under heavy disturbance. At the small scale, the coniferous and broadleaved species showed no correlation in undisturbed stands, were positively correlated in moderately disturbed stands, and negatively correlated in seriously disturbed stands. At large scale, they were no correlated in both moderately and seriously disturbed stands. The results suggested that abundance of trees with small diameter in the forests was negatively with disturbance intensity, which led to the lower degree of intraspecific aggregation at small scale. Meanwhile, appropriate levels of disturbance would benefit the collaborative use of environmental resources for trees. Our results revealed the impacts of disturbance density on forest community structure and could provide theoretical basis for forest management.

PagERF16 of Populus Promotes Lateral Root Proliferation and Sensitizes to Salt Stress.

The aggravation of soil salinization limits the growth and development of plants. The AP2/ERF transcription factors (TFs) have been identified and play essential roles in plant development and stress response processes. In this study, the function of PagERF16 was detected using the overexpressing (OX) and RNAi transgenic poplar 84K hybrids. Plant growth, stomatal conductance, antioxidant enzymes activity, and PagERF16 co-expressed TFs were analyzed using morphological, physiological, and molecular methods. OX showed a more robust lateral root system with a bigger diameter and volume compared to the wild-type plants (WT). Physiological parameters indicated the bigger stomatal aperture and lower stomatal density of OX along with the lower Catalase (CAT) activity and higher malondialdehyde (MDA) content contributed to the salt sensitivity. The plant height and rooting rate of OX and RNAi were significantly worse compared to WT. Other than that, the morphology and physiology of RNAi plants were similar to WTs, suggesting that the function of PagERF16 may be redundant with other TFs. Our results indicate that when PagERF16 expression is either too high or too low, poplar growth and rooting is negatively affected. In addition, a downstream target TF, NAC45, involved in Auxin biosynthesis, was identified and PagERF16 could directly bind to its promoter to negatively regulate its expression. These results shed new light on the function of ERF TFs in plant root growth and salt stress tolerance.

Comparative analysis of transcriptomic profiling to identify genes involved in the bulged surface of pear fruit (Pyrus bretschneideri Rehd. cv. Yuluxiangli).

Pear (Pyrus spp.) belongs to the genus Pyrus, in the family Rosaceae. Some varieties of pear fruit exhibit bulged surface, which seriously affects the quality and commodity value of the pear fruit. In this study, we performed anatomical, physiological, and transcriptomic analysis to explore the mechanism of paclobutrazol (PBZ) on the bulged surface of pear fruit. The vascular bundles of flesh were more evenly distributed, and the fruit cells were more compactly arranged and smaller in size treated with PBZ. However, the auxin (IAA) content of flesh was decreased in the treated group. Furthermore, the GO and KEGG analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) showed that auxin, phenylpropanoid metabolic pathways, and transcriptional factor genes were significantly enriched on the relieved bulged surface of pear fruit. And it was analyzed that some genes contained auxin responded cis-elements from the selected DEGs in the promoter region. We conclude that PBZ plays a negative role in cell division, cell elongation, and vascular bundle development on the bulged surface of pear fruit through the involvement of auxin-related genes. This study will provide a theoretical basis for the regulation of the bulged surface of pear fruit by a growth retardant agent. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version of this article (10.1007/s12298-021-00929-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Structure and expression analysis of seven salt-related ERF genes of Populus.

Ethylene response factors (ERFs) are plant-specific transcription factors (TFs) that play important roles in plant growth and stress defense and have received a great amount of attention in recent years. In this study, seven ERF genes related to abiotic stress tolerance and response were identified in plants of the Populus genus. Systematic bioinformatics, including sequence phylogeny, genome organisation, gene structure, gene ontology (GO) annotation, etc. were detected. Expression-pattern of these seven ERF genes were analyzed using RT-qPCR and cross validated using RNA-Seq. Data from a phylogenetic tree and multiple alignment of protein sequences indicated that these seven ERF TFs belong to three subfamilies and contain AP2, YRG, and RAYD conserved domains, which may interact with downstream target genes to regulate the plant stress response. An analysis of the structure and promoter region of these seven ERF genes showed that they have multiple stress-related motifs and cis-elements, which may play roles in the plant stress-tolerance process through a transcriptional regulation mechanism; moreover, the cellular_component and molecular_function terms associated with these ERFs determined by GO annotation supported this hypothesis. In addition, the spatio-temporal expression pattern of these seven ERFs, as detected using RT-qPCR and RNA-seq, suggested that they play a critical role in mediating the salt response and tolerance in a dynamic and tissue-specific manner. The results of this study provide a solid basis to explore the functions of the stress-related ERF TFs in Populus abiotic stress tolerance and development process.

[Spatial relevance between natural regeneration of Picea and heterogeneity of soil available nitrogen in Guandi Mountain].

By using geostatistic and pattern analysis methods, this paper studied the spatial pattern of Picea seedlings in naturally regenerated conifer (Picea) and mixed (Picea-Populus-Betula) forests in Guandi Mountain of Shanxi Province, China. The spatial distribution of soil nitrogen was also quantified by semivariogram analysis. To understand the effects of spatial heterogeneity of soil nitrogen on the regeneration of Picea seedlings, the relationships between the regeneration pattern of the seedlings and the spatial distribution of soil nitrogen were investigated by using GIS superposition and statistical analysis. In conifer stands, the distribution of Picea seedlings appeared as a patch pattern and was auto-correlated; while in mixed stands, the distribution was of gathering distribution pattern controlled by random factors. In the Picea stands with relatively low soil nitrogen content, the spatial distribution of soil available nitrogen was significantly heterogeneous and auto-correlated; whereas in the mixed stands with high nitrogen content, the distribution of soil available nitrogen showed random heterogeneity. In the conifer stands, the spatial correlation between Picea seedlings regeneration pattern and soil available nitrogen distribution was significant, regenerating more seedlings in the patches with higher NH4(+) -N concentration; while in the mixed stands, the correlation was not significant.

[Hepatectomy with portal vein resection and reconstruction in the treatment of hilar cholangiocarcinoma].

OBJECTIVE: To summarize the clinical experience and the role of hepatectomy with portal vein resection and reconstruction hilar cholangiocarcinoma. METHODS: From 1998 to 2003, the clinical records of 118 cases with hilar cholangiocarcinoma were reviewed. RESULTS: Of the 118 patients, 66 were performed palliative treatment; and 52 patients underwent radical resection, of which 47 patients, including 11 cases combined with portal vein resection and reconstruction, underwent hepatectomy. The rate of postoperation complication was 22.9% and 27.3% in hepatectomy with or without portal vein resection and reconstruction respectively. The 1, 3-year survival rate were 85.7%, 31.4% and 81.8%, 27.8% in hepatectomy with or without portal vein resection and reconstruction respectively (P > 0.05). Only 5 patients were alive more than 3 years (7.58%), and no patient with palliative treatment lived over 5 years. CONCLUSIONS: Portal vain invasion is not the contraindication of resection for hilar cholangiocarcinoma. Hepatectomy with portal vein resection and reconstruction may raise the radical resection rate of hilar cholangiocarcinoma and improve the results of prognosis.

[Root decomposition and nutrient release of Fraxinus manshurica and Larix gmelinli plantations].

A two-year buried bag experiment with different sizes of Fraxinus mandshurica and Larix gmelinii roots showed that the coarse (5 to approximately 10 mm), medium (2 to approximately 5 mm) and fine ( <2 mm) roots of F. mandshurica had an annual decomposition coefficient of 0.3649, 0.4381 and 0.2720, while those of L. gmelinii had the coefficient of 0.1967, 0.1955 and 0.2464, respectively. During root decomposition, large amounts of carbon and nutrients released. After buried into soil for 150 days, more than 90% of soluble sugar in all sizes of the two species roots was released, and about 40%, 71% and 95% of potassium was released from the coarse and medium, and fine roots of F. mandshurica, and all sizes of L. gmelinii roots, respectively. In the second year of the experiment, about 50% of nitrogen and 40% of phosphorus were released from the coarse and medium roots of the two species, and 60% of nitrogen and phosphorus were released from their fine roots. In the study of forest ecosystem's carbon and nutrient cycles, root decomposition shouldn't be ignored.

[Application of minirhizotron in fine root studies].

Due to the production, death, and decomposition of fine root, its turnover plays an important role in carbon allocation and nutrient cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. Some methods such as sequential root coring, compartmental flow model, and ingrowth core have been widely used in collecting root biomass data and estimating fine root turnover, but failed in monitoring the dynamics of fine root due to its simultaneous production and death. Minirhizotron is a nondestructive in situ method for studying the dynamics of fine root, which allows the simultaneous measurement of fine root growth and mortality. This paper reviewed the application of minirhizotron in fine root studies, with the focus on minirhizotron tube installation, image collection, data extraction, and calculation parameters. In a case study, the total fine root length, fine root length density per unit volume, fine root length density per unit area, fine root biomass density, and fine root production and mortality of Fraxinus mandshurica and Larix gmelini were calculated, and the results showed that minirhizotron method was feasible in studying the processes of fine root development, eclipse, death, and decomposition. The factors affecting fine root measurement and its precision mainly included the quality and quantity of tube installation, sampling interval and quantity, and analysis technique of images, etc. Soil texture, tube material, and disturbance of light on root were also the factors affecting the precision of the method. How to improve the measurement precision of minirhizotron would be the critical problem in future study.

[Distribution patterns of Fraxinus mandshurica root biomass, specific root length and root length density].

Employing soil core method, an investigation in Maoershan Experiment Station was made on the root biomass, specific root length (SRL), and root length density (RLD) of Fraxinus mandshurica plantation (17 yr) within a growth season in stand level. The results showed that the total root biomass was 1,637 g x m(-2), in which, living biomass accounted for 85%, and necrotic biomass was 15%. In the living biomass, coarse roots (5 approximately 30 mm in diameter) had the highest percentage (69.95 %), followed by fine roots (< 1 mm in diameter) (13.53 %), medium roots (2 approximately 5 mm in diameter) (7.21%), and small roots (1 approximately 2 mm in diameter) (9.31%). Among the four diameter classes, fine roots had a higher SRL (32.20 m x g(-1)), while coarse roots had a lower one (0.08 m x g(-1)). The total RLD in living biomass was 6,602.54 m x m(-2) in stand level, among which, fine root accounted for 92.43%, and the others was less than 8%. Fine root biomass and RLD had a positive correlation with soil available nitrogen, while no significant correlation was found between SRL and soil available nitrogen.

[Effects of cutting intensity on spatial heterogeneity of topsoil temperature in secondary forest in Maoershan region of Heilongjian Province].

This paper studied the effects of different cutting intensity on the spatial heterogeneity of topsoil (3 - 5 cm) temperature in the secondary forest in Maoershan region of Heilongjiang Province. Three treatments were installed, i.e., no cutting (treatment A), 50% of randomly cutting (treatment B), and clear cutting (treatment C). Based on the requirements of geostatistic analysis, there were 160, 154 and 154 sampling points with a spatial distance of 0.5 - 56 m in the treatments A, B and C, respectively. Topsoil temperature was measured by thermometer in spring and summer during the two years after cutting, and the spatial heterogeneity of the temperature was analyzed by semivariogram and Kriging arithmetic. The results showed that after cutting, the mean value of topsoil temperature had an increase of 0.6 - 4.2 degrees C (P < 0.001), and correlated positively with cutting intensity. The spatial heterogeneity and variation degree of topsoil temperature also increased with the increasing intensity of cutting. As for the small scale spatial heterogeneity of topsoil temperature, it was also increased after cutting, but the scale was mainly within the range of < 20 m and the composition of spatial heterogeneity was slightly affected. The comparison of Kriging maps suggested that in treatments B and C, the spatial pattern strength of topsoil temperature was enhanced, and the difference between treatments B and C and treatment A was larger in spring than in summer. In treatments B and C, topsoil temperature fluctuated and had similar distribution patterns in the same seasons; while in treatment A, the temperature had a relatively even distribution within the year.

[Analysis of the treatment of unexpected gallbladder cancer].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the secondary operation methods and the effects on the prognosis of unexpected gallbladder cancer (UGC). METHODS: A retrospective analysis on the clinical data was made for 41 patients who underwent extended radical excision from June 1995 to December 2002. Among the patients, 12 were male, 29 were female. The average age was 51 years old. The 41 patients had undergone gallbladder excision because of cholecystitis complicated lithiasis of gallbladder (32 cases), polypi of gallbladder or adenoma (9 cases). Postoperative pathology showed that 32 cases were adenocarcinoma of gallbladder, 6 cases were squamous carcinoma, 3 cases were squamous adenocarcinoma. Six cases were on the stage of Nevin I, 16 on Nevin II, 17 on Nevin III, 2 on Nevin IV. The second operation was performed after 6-30 d of the first operation. The second operation chose the improved method of Glenn excision of carcinoma of gallbladder. RESULTS: On the second operation, 14 cases were with lymphatic metastasis, 14 with gallbladder metastasis, 6 with bile duct metastasis, 2 with pancreas metastasis. Fourteen cases were on the stage of Nevin IV, 9 on Nevin V, none on Nevin I, II and III. After the second operation, 1 year survival rate was 100% (41 cases); The three-year survival rate was 53.8% (22 cases); The five-year survival rate was 17.5% (7 cases). CONCLUSION: Extended radical excision is one of the most important methods for the treatment of UGC.