The Reason for Growth Inhibition of Ulmus pumila 'Jinye': Lower Resistance and Abnormal Development of Chloroplasts Slow Down the Accumulation of Energy.

Ulmus pumila 'Jinye', the colorful leaf mutant of Ulmus pumila L., is widely used in landscaping. In common with most leaf color mutants, U. pumila 'Jinye' exhibits growth inhibition. In this study, U. pumila L. and U. pumila 'Jinye' were used to elucidate the reasons for growth inhibition at the physiological, cellular microstructural, and transcriptional levels. The results showed that the pigment (chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and carotenoids) content of U. pumila L. was higher than that of U. pumila 'Jinye', whereas U. pumila 'Jinye' had a higher proportion of carotenoids, which may be the cause of the yellow leaves. Examination of the cell microstructure and RNA sequencing analysis showed that the leaf color and growth inhibition were mainly due to the following reasons: first, there were differences in the structure of the thylakoid grana layer. U. pumila L. has a normal chloroplast structure and clear thylakoid grana slice layer structure, with ordered and compact thylakoids. However, U. pumila 'Jinye' exhibited the grana lamella stacking failures and fewer thylakoid grana slice layers. As the pigment carrier and the key location for photosynthesis, the close stacking of thylakoid grana could combine more chlorophyll and promote efficient electron transfer promoting the photosynthesis reaction. In addition, U. pumila 'Jinye' had a lower capacity for light energy absorption, transformation, and transportation, carbon dioxide (CO2) fixation, lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis, auxin synthesis, and protein transport. The genes related to respiration and starch consumption were higher than those of U. pumila L., which indicated less energy accumulation caused the growth inhibition of U. pumila 'Jinye'. Finally, compared with U. pumila 'Jinye', the transcription of genes related to stress resistance all showed an upward trend in U. pumila L. That is to say, U. pumila L. had a greater ability to resist adversity, which could maintain the stability of the intracellular environment and maintain normal progress of physiological metabolism. However, U. pumila 'Jinye' was more susceptible to changes in the external environment, which affected normal physiological metabolism. This study provides evidence for the main cause of growth inhibition in U. pumila 'Jinye', information for future cultivation, and information on the mutation mechanism for the breeding of colored leaf trees.

A lognormal distribution of the lengths of terminal twigs on self-similar branches of elm trees.

Lognormal distributions and self-similarity are characteristics associated with a wide range of biological systems. The sequential breakage model has established a link between lognormal distributions and self-similarity and has been used to explain species abundance distributions. To date, however, there has been no similar evidence in studies of multicellular organismal forms. We tested the hypotheses that the distribution of the lengths of terminal stems of Japanese elm trees (Ulmus davidiana), the end products of a self-similar branching process, approaches a lognormal distribution. We measured the length of the stem segments of three elm branches and obtained the following results: (i) each occurrence of branching caused variations or errors in the lengths of the child stems relative to their parent stems; (ii) the branches showed statistical self-similarity; the observed error distributions were similar at all scales within each branch and (iii) the multiplicative effect of these errors generated variations of the lengths of terminal twigs that were well approximated by a lognormal distribution, although some statistically significant deviations from strict lognormality were observed for one branch. Our results provide the first empirical evidence that statistical self-similarity of an organismal form generates a lognormal distribution of organ sizes.

Population clustering and clonal structure evidence the relict state of Ulmus minor Mill. in the Balearic Islands.

Field elm (Ulmus minor) is a riparian tree that grows in rare, small populations scattered along temporary watercourses in the Balearic Islands, nowadays mostly covered with Mediterranean vegetation. Agriculture and farming on the fertile land along the periodically flooded plains have reduced the elm populations to sparse tree lines along the creek beds. The presence of field elm in this very anthropic landscape has led some authors to consider it as an introduced species in the Balearics. However, pollen data suggest these elms may be the remains of larger populations experiencing continuous population shrinkage during the Holocene, and hence be native to the isles. In this paper, we apply genetic markers to assess whether field elm is or is not indigenous to the Balearic Islands. We compare the genetic variation in nine nuclear microsatellites of six Balearic populations (three in each of the largest islands, Majorca and Minorca) with that of three natural Iberian populations located in two regions, one geologically (Baetic mountains, SE Iberia) and another historically (Catalonia, NE Iberia) related to the islands. Principal coordinates analysis and Bayesian clustering methods reveal a strong genetic differentiation of the Balearic populations from the Iberian ones, and even among islands, which support their native origin. Genotypic variation in the islands is very low and clonal reproduction is very high compared with the mainland, as it is frequently observed in populations of clonal species where sexual reproduction is limited. We discuss the practical implications of these findings for the conservation of elm genetic resources of these findings.

Leaf trait dissimilarities between Dutch elm hybrids with a contrasting tolerance to Dutch elm disease.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Previous studies have shown that Ophiostoma novo-ulmi, the causative agent of Dutch elm disease (DED), is able to colonize remote areas in infected plants of Ulmus such as the leaf midrib and secondary veins. The objective of this study was to compare the performances in leaf traits between two Dutch elm hybrids 'Groeneveld' and 'Dodoens' which possess a contrasting tolerance to DED. Trait linkages were also tested with leaf mass per area (LMA) and with the reduced Young's modulus of elasticity (MOE) as a result of structural, developmental or functional linkages. METHODS: Measurements and comparisons were made of leaf growth traits, primary xylem density components, gas exchange variables and chlorophyll a fluorescence yields between mature plants of 'Groeneveld' and 'Dodoens' grown under field conditions. A recently developed atomic force microscopy technique, PeakForce quantitative nanomechanical mapping, was used to reveal nanomechanical properties of the cell walls of tracheary elements such as MOE, adhesion and dissipation. KEY RESULTS: 'Dodoens' had significantly higher values for LMA, leaf tissue thickness variables, tracheary element lumen area (A), relative hydraulic conductivity (RC), gas exchange variables and chlorophyll a fluorescence yields. 'Groeneveld' had stiffer cell walls of tracheary elements, and higher values for water-use efficiency and leaf water potential. Leaves with a large carbon and nutrient investment in LMA tended to have a greater leaf thickness and a higher net photosynthetic rate, but LMA was independent of RC. Significant linkages were also found between the MOE and some vascular traits such as RC, A and the number of tracheary elements per unit area. CONCLUSIONS: Strong dissimilarities in leaf trait performances were observed between the examined Dutch elm hybrids. Both hybrids were clearly separated from each other in the multivariate leaf trait space. Leaf growth, vascular and gas exchange traits in the infected plants of 'Dodoens' were unaffected by the DED fungus. 'Dodoens' proved to be a valuable elm germplasm for further breeding strategies.

Phenological responses of Ulmus pumila (Siberian Elm) to climate change in the temperate zone of China.

Using Ulmus pumila (Siberian Elm) leaf unfolding and leaf fall phenological data from 46 stations in the temperate zone of China for the period 1986-2005, we detected linear trends in both start and end dates and length of the growing season. Moreover, we defined the optimum length period during which daily mean temperature affects the growing season start and end dates most markedly at each station in order to more precisely and rationally identify responses of the growing season to temperature. On average, the growing season start date advanced significantly at a rate of -4.0 days per decade, whereas the growing season end date was delayed significantly at a rate of 2.2 days per decade and the growing season length was prolonged significantly at a rate of 6.5 days per decade across the temperate zone of China. Thus, the growing season extension was induced mainly by the advancement of the start date. At individual stations, linear trends of the start date correlate negatively with linear trends of spring temperature during the optimum length period, namely, the quicker the spring temperature increased at a station, the quicker the start date advanced. With respect to growing season response to interannual temperature variation, a 1°C increase in spring temperature during the optimum length period may induce an advancement of 2.8 days in the start date of the growing season, whereas a 1°C increase in autumn temperature during the optimum length period may cause a delay of 2.1 days in the end date of the growing season, and a 1°C increase in annual mean temperature may result in a lengthening of the growing season of 9 days across the temperate zone of China. Therefore, the response of the start date to temperature is more sensitive than the response of the end date. At individual stations, the sensitivity of growing season response to temperature depends obviously on local thermal conditions, namely, either the negative response of the start date or the positive response of the end date and growing season length to temperature was stronger at warmer locations than at colder locations. Thus, future regional climate warming may enhance the sensitivity of plant phenological response to temperature, especially in colder regions.

Stem endophytes increase root development, photosynthesis, and survival of elm plantlets (Ulmus minor Mill.).

Long-lived trees benefit from fungal symbiotic interactions in the adaptation to constantly changing environments. Previous studies revealed a core fungal endobiome in Ulmus minor which has been suggested to play a critical role in plant functioning. Here, we hypothesized that these core endophytes are involved in abiotic stress tolerance. To test this hypothesis, two core endophytes (Cystobasidiales and Chaetothyriales) were inoculated into in vitro U. minor plantlets, which were further subjected to drought. Given that elm genotypes resistant to Dutch elm disease (DED) tend to show higher abiotic stress tolerance than susceptible ones, we tested the endophyte effect on two DED-resistant and two DED-susceptible genotypes. Drought stress was moderate; endophyte presence attenuated stomata closure in response to drought in one genotype but this stress did not affect plant survival. In comparison, long-term in-vitro culture proved stressful to mock-inoculated plants, especially in DED-susceptible genotypes. Interestingly, no endophyte-inoculated plant died during the experiment, as compared to high mortality in mock-inoculated plants. In surviving plants, endophyte presence stimulated root and shoot growth, photosynthetic rates, antioxidant activity and molecular changes involving auxin-signaling. These changes and the observed endophyte stability in elm tissues throughout the experiment suggest endophytes are potential tools to improve survival and stress tolerance of DED-resistant elms in elm restoration programs.

Bud dormancy release in elm (Ulmus spp.) clones--a case study of photoperiod and temperature responses.

Dormancy release as influenced by duration of outdoor winter chilling in Florence (Italy) was studied under different photoperiodic and temperature treatments in collected twigs of two European (Ulmus glabra Huds. and Ulmus minor Mill.) and four Asian (Ulmus pumila L., Ulmus parvifolia Jacq., Ulmus macrocarpa Hance and Ulmus villosa Brandis) elm clones. Photoperiod had no effect on dormancy release, and there was no evidence that photoperiod affected bud burst during quiescence in the studied elm clones. Thermal time (day degrees >0 degrees C) to bud burst decreased in all the clones with increasing outdoor chilling. Although all the clones exhibited a rather weak dormancy, they significantly differed from each other. Dormancy was released earlier in the Asian than in the European clones, and the clones could be ranked from the U. pumila clone (very weak and short dormancy) to the U. minor clone (relatively stronger and longer dormancy), the other clones being intermediate. In all the clones except U. minor, the observed decrement in thermal time to bud burst was efficiently explained as an inverse exponential function of the number of chill days < or =5 degrees C received outdoor in autumn and winter. Endodormancy, as measured by the single-node cuttings test, was weak and short in all the clones. The latter result suggests that correlative inhibitions were largely responsible for preventing bud burst during winter in these elm clones.

Linking the reclaimed soils and rehabilitated vegetation in an opencast coal mining area: a complex network approach.

As two main factors, soil and vegetation play key roles in land rehabilitation and ecological remediation of mining areas. There is a complex interaction between soil and vegetation, and understanding the mechanisms of interaction between soil and vegetation is of great significance for land rehabilitation and ecological remediation in mining areas. This study introduced complex network method to analyze the complex interaction systematically. A survey of vegetation and soil properties in 70 reclaimed plots was carried out in the Anjialing and Antaibao opencast coal-mines in Shanxi, China. The indices of soil and vegetation acted as nodes, and the interaction between these indices as sides to establish a soil-vegetation network. Calculating the network indices to analyze the structure of a complex network and explore the mechanism of interaction between soil and vegetation. SOM (soil organic matter) was at the core of the soil-vegetation interaction network. The average path length of the soil-vegetation network was 1.8, with a faster rate of information transfer. The soil-vegetation network consisted of three clusters (soil physical property cluster, soil chemical property cluster, and vegetation cluster), in which the soil chemical property cluster owned the highest clustering coefficient and the largest number of triangles, and it was most stable and the interaction within the cluster was strongest. The soil-vegetation network was stable and the connectivity of the network had robustness to node failures. The scale of the network became larger and the network became tighter and more stable with the increase of reclamation time. Some measures should be conducted to promote vegetation restoration by improving important soil nodes, e.g., surface soil covering, applying organic fertilizer, and planting nitrogen-fixing plants.

Seed germination of three Ulmus species from Turkey as influenced by temperature and light.

The effect of temperature and light on the germination performance of Ulmus minor, Ulmus glabra and Ulmus laevis were studied in this research. Seeds were germinated under constant temperatures of 20 and 25 degrees C and alternating temperatures of 25/15 and 30/20 degrees C. Within each temperature regime, seeds were subjected daily to the following photoperiods: total darkness and 8 hr photoperiod. Temperature and light affected seed germination percentage (GP) and germination rate expressed as peak value (PV) in Ulmus minor and 25 and 30/20 degrees C under light gave the highest GP (>95%) and PV (>23). The temperatures of 25/15 and 30/20 degrees C gave the highest GP (>89%) in Ulmus glabra and light did not significantly affect GP. But the highest PV in Ulmus glabra was found at these temperatures under light. Germination percentage of Ulmus laevis was not affected by temperature and light, but the alternating temperature of 30/20 degrees C produced the highest germination rate under darkness.

The Spatial Pattern and Interactions of Woody Plants on the Temperate Savanna of Inner Mongolia, China: The Effects of Alternating Seasonal Grazing-Mowing Regimes.

Ulmus pumila tree-dominated temperate savanna, which is distributed widely throughout the forest-steppe ecotone on the Mongolian Plateau, is a relatively stable woody-herbaceous complex ecosystem in northern China. Relatively more attention has been paid to the degradation of typical steppe areas, whereas less focus has been placed on the succession of this typical temperate savanna under the present management regime. In this study, we established 3 sample plots 100 m×100 m in size along a gradient of fixed distances from one herder's stationary site and then surveyed all the woody plants in these plots. A spatial point pattern analysis was employed to clarify the spatial distribution and interaction of these woody plants. The results indicated that old U. pumila trees (DBH ≥ 20 cm) showed a random distribution and that medium U. pumila trees (5 cm ≤ DBH < 20 cm) showed an aggregated distribution at a smaller scale and a random distribution at a larger scale; few or no juvenile trees (DBH < 5 cm) were present, and seedlings (without DBH) formed aggregations in all 3 plots. These findings can be explained by an alternate seasonal grazing-mowing regime (exclosure in summer, mowing in autumn and grazing in winter and spring); the shrubs in all 3 plots exist along a grazing gradient that harbors xerophytic and mesophytic shrubs. Of these shrubs, xerophytic shrubs show significant aggregation at a smaller scale (0-5.5 m), whereas mesophytic shrubs show significant aggregation at a larger scale (0-25 m), which may be the result of the dual effects of grazing pressure and climate change. Medium trees and seedlings significantly facilitate the distributions of xerophytic shrubs and compete significantly with mesophytic shrubs due to differences in water use strategies. We conclude that the implementation of an alternative grazing-mowing regime results in xerophytic shrub encroachment or existence, breaking the chain of normal succession in a U. pumila tree community in this typical temperate savanna ecosystem. This might eventually result in the degradation of the original tree-dominated savanna to a xerophytic shrub-dominated savanna.

Empty seeds are not always bad: simultaneous effect of seed emptiness and masting on animal seed predation.

Seed masting and production of empty seeds have often been considered independently as different strategies to reduce seed predation by animals. Here, we integrate both phenomena within the whole assemblage of seed predators (both pre and post-dispersal) and in two contrasting microsites (open vs. sheltered) to improve our understanding of the factors controlling seed predation in a wind-dispersed tree (Ulmus laevis). In years with larger crop sizes more avian seed predators were attracted with an increase in the proportion of full seeds predated on the ground. However, for abundant crops, the presence of empty seeds decreased the proportion of full seeds predated. Empty seeds remained for a very long period in the tree, making location of full seeds more difficult for pre-dispersal predators and expanding the overall seed drop period at a very low cost (in dry biomass and allocation of C, N and P). Parthenocarpy (non-fertilized seeds) was the main cause of seed emptiness whereas seed abortion was produced in low quantity. These aborted seeds fell prematurely and, thus, could not work as deceptive seeds. A proportion of 50% empty seeds significantly reduced ground seed predation by 26%. However, a high rate of parthenocarpy (beyond 50% empty seeds) did not significantly reduce seed predation in comparison to 50% empty seeds. We also found a high variability and unpredictability in the production of empty seeds, both at tree and population level, making predator deception more effective. Open areas were especially important to facilitate seed survival since rodents (the main post-dispersal predators) consumed seeds mostly under shrub cover. In elm trees parthenocarpy is a common event that might work as an adaptive strategy to reduce seed predation. Masting per se did not apparently reduce the overall proportion of seeds predated in this wind-dispersed tree, but kept great numbers of seeds unconsumed.

[Effects of salt stress on physiological characters and salt-tolerance of Ulmus pumila in different habitats].

Taking the Ulmus pumila seedlings from three different habitats (medium-, mild-, and non-saline soils) as test materials, an experiment was conducted to study their salt-tolerance thresholds and physiological characteristic under different levels (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 g X kg(-1)) of salt stress. With increasing level of the salt stress, the seedlings taken from medium- and mild- saline habitats had a lower increment of leaf membrane permeability, Na+ content, and Na+/K+ but a higher increment of leaf proline, soluble sugar, and K+ contents, and a lower decrement of leaf starch content, net photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, intercellular CO2 concentration, and stomatic conductance, as compared with the seedlings taken from non-saline habitat. The salt-tolerance thresholds of the seedlings taken from different habitats were in the order of medium- saline habitat (7.76 g X kg(-1)) > mild- saline habitat (7.37 g X kg(-1)) > non-saline habitat (6.95 g X kg(-1)). It was suggested that the U. pumila seedlings in medium- and mild-saline habitats had a stronger adaptability to saline soil environment than the U. pumila seedlings in non-saline soil environment.

[Age structures of Spodiopogon sibiricus populations on weedy meadow and elm woodland in Songnen Plain, northeast China].

In 2003 and 2006, investigations were made on the age structures of Spodiopogon sibiricus populations as well as the matter productivities and vegetative reproduction capacities of different age-class modules of the populations on the weedy meadow and elm woodland in Songnen Plain of northeast China. At the two habitats, the tillers of S. sibiricus all consisted of 2-3 age classes, and the rhizomes all composed of 4 age classes. Both the tillers and the rhizomes had the greatest proportion of 1- or 2-year-old, and the age structures were of expansive or stable. The 1- or 2-year-old tiller-node buds were dominant, and the rhizome topmost buds occupied 29.4%-45.0%, being of significance to the population regeneration in the next year. The 1- or 2-year-old modules of the tillers and rhizomes had the highest matter productivity and vegetative reproduction capacity, and the rhizomes had higher vegetative reproduction capacity than the tiller-nodes.

[Effects of aboveground and belowground competition between grass and tree on elm seedlings growth in Horqin Sandy Land].

Elm sparse woodland steppe plays an important role in vegetation restoration and landscape protection in Horqin Sandy Land. In this paper, a two-factor and two-level field experiment was conducted to explore the effects of aboveground and belowground competition between grass and tree on the growth of elm seedlings in the Sandy Land. Five aspects were considered, i.e., seedling biomass, belowground biomass/aboveground biomass, stem height, ratio of root to stem, and leaf number. For the one-year-old elm seedlings, their biomass showed a trend of no competition > aboveground competition > full competition > belowground competition, belowground biomass / aboveground biomass showed a trend of belowground competition > full competition > no competition > aboveground competition, stem height showed a trend of aboveground competition > no competition > full competition > belowground competition, root/stem ratio showed a trend of belowground competition > full competition > no competition > aboveground competition, and leaf number showed a trend of aboveground competition > no competition > belowground competition > full competition. Belowground competition had significant effects on the growth of one-year-old elm seedlings, while aboveground competition did not have. Neither belowground competition nor aboveground competition had significant effects on the growth of two-year-old elm seedlings. It was suggested that in Horqin Sandy Land, grass affected the growth of elm seedlings mainly via below-ground competition, but the belowground competition didn' t affect the resource allocation of elm seedlings. With the age increase of elm seedlings, the effects of grass competition on the growth of elm seedlings became weaker.

[Leaf nutrient contents and photosynthetic physiological characteristics of Ulmus pumila-Robinia pseudocacia mixed forests].

A field experiment was conducted to study the leaf N, P, and chlorophyll contents, photosynthetic gas exchange parameters, and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters in pure Ulmus pumila forest, pure Robinia pseudoacacia forest, and U. pumila-R. pseudoacacia mixed forests [1:1 (1B1C), 1:2 (1B2C), and 2:1 (2B1C)] in different growth periods. From May to September, the plant leaf N and P contents in pure and mixed forests all presented a decreasing trend. By the end of growth period, the leaf N content of U. pumila and the P content of R. pseudoacacia in 1B2C were obviously higher than those in pure forests. In the mixed forests, the chlorophyll content of U. pumila was obviously higher than that of R. pseudoacacia, and the chlorophyll content of U. pumila in 1B2C reached the highest in July. The photosynthetic rate (Pn) of U. pumila and R. pseudoacacia in mixed forests was higher than that in pure forests, and the Pn of R. pseudoacacia in 1B2C reached the highest (18.54 micromol x m(-2) x s(-1)) in July. The transpiration rate (Tr) and stomatal conductance (Gs) of R. pseudoacacia in mixed forests were higher than those in pure forests, and the Tr and Gs in mixed forests were in the order of 1B2C>1B1C>2B1C. In September, the quantum yield of PSII electron transport (phi(PS II)) of U. pumila in mixed forests was obviously higher than that in pure forest. The photochemical quenching coefficients (q(P)) of U. pumila and R. pseudoacacia in pure and mixed forests had no significant difference, but the non-photochemical quenching coefficient (NPQ) of the two tree species in 1B2C was significantly lower than that in corresponding pure forests. It was suggested that mixed planting U. pumila and R. pseudoacacia could significantly improve the leaf nutrient contents and photosynthetic capacity of the two tree species, and the optimum mixed ratio of U. pumila and R. pseudoacacia was 1:2.

[Effects of artificial Ulmus pumila forest on plant diversity of temperate grassland in Inner Mongolia].

Based on field survey, the effects of artificial Ulmus pumila forest on the species diversity of temperate grassland in Siziwang Banner of Inner Mongolia were studied. The results showed that U. pumila forest had obvious effects on the species diversity of grassland. With increasing density of U. pumila, the Patrick's richness, Pielou's evenness and Shannon-Wiener index of grass species under the forest had a decreasing trend, and were higher nearby the forest than far from the forest. The habitat inside the forest was favorable to Silene jenisseensis, while that nearby the forest was favorable to Heteropappus altaicus, Pocockia ruthenia, Potentilla bifurca, Leymus secalinus and Cleistogenes squarrosa, suggesting that to blindly exclude forestation on grassland could be less scientific, while properly afforesting U. pumila on the sides with relatively abundant soil moisture should be available to the conservation of plant diversity in temperate grassland regions.

Seasonal changes in wood formation of Ulmus pumila and U. minor and its relation with Dutch elm disease.

Elms containing narrow and scattered vessels have been reported to be more resistant to Ophiostoma novo-ulmi (Dutch elm disease pathogen) than elms with large and contiguous vessels. However, recent measurements in Ulmus pumila and U. minor showed a contrary trend. The pin method was applied to 4-yr-old branches of eight clones planted in Madrid. During 2002, radial growth increments and vessel diameters were measured monthly, and beetle trapping was undertaken weekly. U. minor formed larger vessels at the beginning of the season, coinciding with a peak of captured beetles, but, up to June 15, vessels were larger for U. pumila. The number of vessels per group, the transversal area per vessel group, and the mean theoretical hydraulic conductances were significantly higher for U. minor on most dates. Researchers should take into consideration the seasonal changes in vessel size. The results highlight that seasonal variation of vessel diameters and hydraulic parameters, in combination with beetle abundance, are the main factors that could explain the different susceptibility of both elm species to O. novo-ulmi.

Somatic embryogenesis and plant regeneration from leaves of Ulmus minor Mill.

Somatic embryogenesis from mature elm ( Ulmus minor Mill.) in vitro-cloned material is possible. Embryogenic callus was obtained from leaves inoculated on two different MS-based media-one supplemented with 2.3 microM 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (I2) and the other supplemented with 1.1 microM kinetin (I6). However, only leaves cultured on medium I6 produced somatic embryos, at the globular stage, when embryogenic callus was maintained in induction media. When embryogenic callus from medium I6 was transferred to basal medium, somatic embryos with green cotyledons were obtained. An average of 35.9% of these embryos converted easily into normal plants in conversion medium with 1% sucrose. Acclimatisation reached 39.7%, and this was not significantly different from a control group consisting of plants propagated by axillary buds. No morphological differences were observed between plants derived from somatic embryos and control plants. Also, no differences in ploidy were detected between the somatic embryo-derived plants and the mother plants.

Effects of sand burial on survival, growth, gas exchange and biomass allocation of Ulmus pumila seedlings in the Hunshandak Sandland, China.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: In the last decade, the number of young plants of Ulmus pumila in the Hunshandak Sandland has decreased sharply because of severe sand burial, and their ecological protective function has been weakened. In order to develop an understanding of the tolerance of U. pumila to sand burial and to suggest reasonable measures to protect the sparse-elm-grassland ecosystem, the effects of burial on the survival, growth, photosynthesis and biomass allocation in U. pumila were studied. METHODS: Seedlings were buried at five different depths in pot experiments: no burial (control), partial burial (33 % and 67 % stem height), and complete burial (100 % and 133 % stem height). Growth analyses and measurements of photosynthesis were carried after the plants had been uncovered. KEY RESULTS: All the plants survived partial burial, but about 30 % and 80 % of the seedlings died as a result of the 100 % and 133 % sand burial treatments, respectively. The numbers of newly produced leaves and branches, and the height of the stems of the seedlings in the 33 % and 67 % burial treatments during the period of the experiment were significantly greater than those in the control. Furthermore, net photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate and water use efficiency were also elevated by the partial burial, but not affected by burial time. This might be attributed to the increased root length, which improved water acquisition. The biomass and biomass allocation of the seedlings were significantly changed by the burial treatments and burial times. The biomass was enhanced by partial burial but was reduced by complete burial at each burial time. However, the biomass allocation was not significantly changed by the 33 % and 67 % sand burial treatments 2 or 4 weeks following the burial. CONCLUSIONS: Ulmus pumila was shown to be tolerant to partial sand burial, but must be protected from complete burial.