Dry Mass Distribution Research Articles

Responses to Nutrient Addition among Shade-Tolerant Tree Seedlings of Lowland Tropical Rain Forest in Singapore

1 Two bioassays of growth limitation were carried out for seedlings of four shadetolerant tree species (Antidesma cuspidatum, Calophyllum tetrapterum, Dipterocarpus kunstleri and Garcinia scortechinii) growing in P-deficient soil taken from lowland dipterocarp forest in Singapore, as a test of the hypothesis that growth would be limited by the availability of phosphorus. 2 Seedlings of only one species, Antidesma cuspidatum, showed increased growth in response to increased nutrient supply and in that case the limiting nutrient was not P. A majority of seedlings of Antidesma, Calophyllum and Garcinia in this experiment possessed VA mycorrhizas. 3 For seedlings of Antidesma, addition of magnesium led to an increase in the concentration of Mg in all fractions and a positive relation between Mg concentrations and dry mass yield. Addition of potassium and calcium resulted in reductions in concentrations of these elements in the leaves of Antidesma. 4 Seedlings of Antidesma, Calophyllum and Dipterocarpus responded to P by altering distribution of dry mass between different plant parts; the pattern of response varied between species. Phosphorus taken up in excess of requirements for vegetative growth was transferred to plant stems rather than leaves. 5 The outcome of pot bioassays may be dependent on factors such as pot size, irradiance and soil moisture conditions; therefore conclusions drawn here need to be tested by field fertilization experiments.

Interference image analysis of heat-shocked HeLa cells.

HeLa cells were studied with the interference microscope 1 h after heat shock at temperatures of 40 degrees C and 43 degrees C and also under conditions of recovery from the shock. The aim was to investigate changes in patterns of cellular dry mass distribution with the heat shock, based on variation of interference colours in interphase cells. A change in concentration and distribution of a partly high-salt-resistant material in the nuclear and perinuclear regions of the cells was found to be induced by the heat shock at 43 degrees C, a situation which reverted to control under recovery conditions. A similar interference image response was obtained for the heat shock assay at 40 degrees C, but it was detected only during the 4 h recovery period, suggesting that it could have been elicited later. The material induced by the heat shock and visualized by the analysis of interference images is assumed to be a part of the nuclear matrix-intermediate filament cell fraction.

Effects of nutrients on the distribution of dry mass, nitrogen and phosphorus in seedlings of Protea repens (L.) L. (Proteaceae)

The response of seedlings of the sclerophyllous shrub, Protea repens (L.) 1., to increasing concentrations of phosphorus (P), nitrogen (N) and a mixture of all essential nutrients excluding N and P (M) was determined in potted Clovelly soil collected Irotn a lowland fynbos site at pella, south-western Cape, South Africa. Pot culture resulted in increased soil mineral nitrogen, in particular nitrate, and decreased available (resin-extractable) phosphorus concentrations compared to field soil. High amounts of N (4-64 g m2 N) and M addition resulted in seedling mortality. Plant dry mass, leaf area and phosphorus and nitrogen contents increased in response to increasing application of N, but no significant differences were found in response to M. Increasing applications of N resulted in reduced plant dry mass, leaf area and phosphorus content. These patterns of mortality and growth are interpreted as a response to an imbalance between nitrogen and phosphorus availability. These results are compared to the response of mature fynbos shrubs to fertilizer additions in the field and the responses of pot-sclerophyllous plants from other Mediterranean-type ecosystems.

Distribution of Dry Mass Between Shoot and Root in Nine Understory Species

Relationships between shoot and root masses were examined in nine peren- nial species native to coniferous forest understories in the northwest United States. Seedlings were grown in a greenhouse under either sun or shade (35% of full sun) for 35 days, then were harvested. Plants of Smilacina racemosa and S. stellata were grown from rhizomes in an experimental garden for three years, then harvested, dried and weighed. All species showed significant linear relationships between natural logarithms of shoot and root dry mass, although the relationships were less pronounced,in seedlings of three hypogeous species. Slopes were similar among six of the species; the intercepts ranged from -1.49 to 1.98. Shading affected allometric relationships in Disporum trachycarpum, Rosa gymnocarpa and Smilacina stellata. Slopes were similar between three-year-old Smilacina plants and Smilacina seedlings. In general, the relationships between shoot and root mass in seedlings of the nine species were described by the allometric equation

Microinterferometry of the movement of dry matter in fibroblasts.

We describe the use of interferometric microscopy coupled with a novel application of Sénarmont compensation for detecting and quantifying the distribution of dry matter in cultured cells. In conjunction with video techniques and digital image processing, a two-dimensional, calibrated map of the dry mass distribution in an isolated cell can be obtained and digitally recorded. We have called the technique Digitally Recorded Interferometric Microscopy with Analyser Shift (DRIMAS). The method greatly facilitates the automatic recognition of cells by computer. Recorded time-lapse sequences can be used to establish a database of the growth and motility of specific cells in given experimental conditions. Databases of this type can be analysed to reveal the patterns of growth and locomotory behaviour of individual cells. We describe a systematic method of obtaining parameters of cell size, shape, spreading, intracellular motility and translocation. Auto-correlations and cross-correlations between these parameters can be detected and quantified using time series analysis, revealing potential cause/effect relationships in the mechanisms of growth and motility. Besides characterizing the overall pattern of cell behaviour, these data can also yield information about the instantaneous pattern of intracellular motility. We describe the use of finite element analysis to reveal the dynamics of the intracellular transport of dry matter. This yields the pattern of the minimum flow of dry matter required to account for the changes in its distribution. Most of this flux is not associated with the movement of visible structures and possibly represents the transport of dissociated components of the cytoskeleton. In chick heart fibroblasts, surprisingly high velocities of nearly 2.0 microns s-1 were detected during the period of increased motility following tail detachment. The total kinetic energy associated with the dry mass flux is a single parameter, which characterizes the instantaneous motility of the cell. We found that the kinetic energy of intracellular motility can be several hundred times greater than the kinetic energy of translocation. Kinetic energy may prove to be a very informative single measure of intracellular motility for assessing the effects of malignant transformation, genetic manipulations, and other experimental treatments on the locomotory machinery of the cell.

THE DISTRIBUTION OF DRY MASS AND PHOSPHORUS IN AN EVERGREEN FYNBOS SHRUB SPECIES,LEUCOSPERMUM PARILE(SALISB. EX J. KNIGHT) SWEET (PROTEACEAE), AT DIFFERENT STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT

SummaryThe distribution of dry mass and phosphorus (P) in the proteoid shrub,Leucospermum parile(Salisb. ex J. Knight) Sweet, was determined at three stages of development following fire, over one year in coastal fynbos vegetation, South Africa. At the seedling stage, a mobilization of P was observed from the hypocotyl and cotyledons to the canopy (40% of total P). The numbers and dry mass of proteoid roots increased between eight and ten months after the fire when there was an apparent decline in total seedling P. The one‐ to two‐year‐old plants showed rapid vegetative growth, the leaves being the major storage organs for P. In the final stage of development (five‐ to six‐year‐old plants), flowering and seed production caused a reduction in P levels in the non‐reproductive parts of the plant and up to 20% of the total P accumulated in the inflorescences. There was a winter peak in root production and P content for one‐ to two‐year‐old plants which had root/shoot ratios of 0.77 and 0.48 respectively; the ratio fell to below 0.2 in the five‐ to six‐year‐old plants. The non‐mycorrhizal root systems ofL. parileare dominated by the tap root (up to 88% of total root) but the majority of the roots within the rhizosphere were from neighbouring species.

Accumulation and Distribution of Dry Mass and Nutrients in Birdsfoot Trefoil1

AbstractDevelopment of efficient fertilizer management and forage utilization strategies is facilitated by knowledge of nutrient accumulation and distribution patterns within plants. The objectives of this experiment were to determine patterns of nutrient accumulation and distribution in birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatusL.) from late vegetative growth through reproductive development and to compare these patterns with dry mass (DM) accumulation and distribution. Birdsfoot trefoil was established on an Aeric Calciaquoll soil in Roseau County, Minnesota, in 1980, and on a Typic Hapludoll near Rosemount, Minnesota, in 1981. Shoot samples procured at approximately biweekly intervals in the year following establishment were separated into stems, leaves, umbels, and seed, and DM and elemental accumulation for each were determined. Herbage DM accumulation rate and final production were greater at the southern location than at the northern location, but the converse was true for seed production. Fractional accumulation of DM, N, K, Ca, Mg, S, B, Zn, and Mn remained relatively stable in stems during seed filling, but decreased in leaves during the same period. The rate of leaf DM loss during seed filling was greater at the Roseau location where seed yield was greatest. These results suggest that leaves may be an important source of nutrients for developing reproductive tissue. Stems tended to accumulate smaller and leaves greater proportions of nutrients than DM, relative to the total amounts present at each stage. Seeds contained consistently higher proportions of N, P, and S than DM at both locations, and greater Zn and Cu than DM at Rosemount. Relative accumulation of N, P, S, Zn, and Cu was generally two to four times greater than the fractional accumulation of DM in seeds.

Quantitative electron probe x-ray microanalysis and densitometric mass determination of individual rat blood platelets.

An improved method for quantitative electron probe X-ray microanalysis of thin biological specimens, introduced recently, has been applied to the elemental analysis of rat blood platelets. The method uses the X-ray signal to quantify the elemental content of an object and electron scattering to determine the total dry mass of the object. Along with the dry mass distribution, data were obtained on the content and mass fraction of calcium, magnesium, and sulfur in 31 individual platelets. The mean platelet dry mass was found to be 985 fg. The mean Ca, Mg, and S contents were 1.80, 3.41, and 18.3 fg, with mean dry mass fractions of 0.195, 0.396, and 1.96%, respectively. Furthermore, these elements appear to be unevenly distributed among the platelet population.

Dry mass distribution among interphase nuclei of Tradescantia as determined by X-ray microradiography and microinterferometry.

The interphase nuclei of petal cells of Tradescantia paludosa, which showed an active protein and ribonucleic acid (RNA) turnover but no detectable deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) turnover, were assumed to be in metabolic interphase. These nuclei were estimated to have a dry mass of 0.25±0.03ng (mean and standard deviation) by X-ray microradiography, and 0.25±0.04ng by microinterferometry. The nuclear dry mass in this stage diverged wider (12.0-16.0%) than that in the interphase preceding meiosis (7.5%) and that in the zygotene stage of meiosis (3.4%). This divergency in dry mass is due mainly to an active turnover of nuclear acidic proteins, and may be an expression of divergent states in nuclear activity at the beginning of the differentiation period.

Normal human lens—the distribution of protein

The distribution of dry mass and protein was determined in 21 normal human lenses of different age. The lenses were obtained from enucleated tumor eyes and were immediately prepared for quantitative microradiography. The measurements were performed along the lens axis. In the anterior and posterior subcapsular cortex the dry mass content was about 0·2 g/cm 3 From this region there was an even and continuous increase over a distance of about 0·5 mm to a level of about 0·45 g/cm 3 . This level was fairly constant in the center of the lens. These results allowed a subdivision of the lens into a central lens core with a constant high concentration of dry mass and a peripheral zone with an increasing concentration from the periphery. No major changes with age in the dry mass levels could be found.

Measurements of exponential gradients of sodium and chlorine in the rat kidney medulla using the electron microprobe.

Distributions of sodium and chlorine related to both dry mass and wet tissue volume, and the dry mass distribution were determined in antidiuretic rat kidneys. Using the electron microbe, the measurements were made on freezedried single sections taken from 15–20 different regions throughout the kidney including the extreme tip of the papilla. The sections were taken from kidneys which had been clamped and then rapidly frozen to minimize a redistribution of elements and fluids. A characteristic distribution of dry mass was found, showing a step decrease at the transition of outer and inner zone border and an increase towards the tip of papilla. The changes in dry mass have been interpreted as reflecting differences in water content in various regions. The elemental distributions related to dry mass are much different from those related to tissue volume, the latter being considered to be physiologically more important as they approximate the interstitial concentrations. The distributions of sodium and chlorine by volume rise from constant cortex values up to the outer zone-inner zone border, where the profiles show a discontinuity after which they rise exponentially to the tip of the papilla.

The refractive index and dry mass distribution of mammalian erythrocytes

SUMMARYQuantitative microscopical methods are now of outstanding importance in the diagnosis and assessment of mammalian red blood cells.After release from the erythropoetic organs, all red blood cells in the peripheral blood of mammals pass through the reticulocyte stage before becoming mature erythrocytes. Therefore, the determination of reticulocyte number is used as an index of erythropoetic activity in clinical hæmatology.The corpuscular solid concentration, the corpuscular dry weight, the osmotic resistance and the size of red blood cells can be determined by use of microscopical methods. For the determination of the corpuscular solid concentration of erythrocytes, cell refractometry by the use of phase‐contrast microscopy has proved to be a very sensitive and accurate method. The dry weight of single erythrocytes may likewise be obtained by the use of interference microscopy with relatively high accuracy. Both of these methods might also be of use in clinical hæmatology.In the experimental work described in this paper, both methods mentioned above are used to answer the question: whether and under what conditions the refractive index as a criterion of measurement of the solid concentration and the relative dry weight can be determined separately for reticulocytes and erythrocytes from the same blood sample by use of microscopical methods alone. The frequency distributions of refractive indices and relative dry weights determined on human reticulocytes and mature erythrocytes show significantly lower mean values for the reticulocyte generation in accordant with findings published by other authors and obtained by use of sometimes entirely different methods. The additional information gained by the determination of the frequency distribution of refractive index and dry weight of reticulocytes and mature erythrocytes separately in a blood sample and the necessity for simplifying and automating such methods for hæmatological diagnosis are discussed.

A comparison of normal and cold synchronized cell divisions in Tetrahymena

Cell division in exponentially growing cultures of Tetrahymena pyriformis was synchronized with cold shocks according to Zeuthen. The DNA and dry mass of dividing cells from both synchronous and asynchronous populations were determined by quantitative cytochemical methods. The precision of cellular and macronuclear divisions was studied by analyzing the error due to unequal distribution of DNA and dry mass to daughter cells. The following main results were obtained: 1. 1. Dividing cells obtained from synchronized populations differed from normal dividing cells by having a higher dry mass and DNA content. 2. 2. The relative composition of the cold synchronized cells, as reflected by their DNA/dry mass ratio, was abnormal being either higher or lower than normal depending on the type of cold synchronization used and the temperature at which the cells divided. 3. 3. In cold synchrony the division process is as exact as the normal division process as far as the distribution of DNA and dry mass to daughter cells is concerned. In both the normal asynchronous and in the cold synchronized populations, the distribution of DNA to daughter nuclei is markedly a less exact process than is the dry mass distribution to daughter cells.

Possible New Approach to the Evaluation of Radiation Injury of Bone Marrow

IT is well established that injury to bone marrow plays a main part in death from radiation. Fluorescence microscopy with acridine orange was explored by Meisel et al.1 as a technique for evaluating such injury in cell populations. With the same technique Breivis2 also quantified cellular damage induced in rat marrow by chloroethylamines and X-rays. This technique enabled them to determine the number of damaged cells in the marrow samples after X-irradiation or chemical treatment. Their approach, however, does not take into consideration the fact that killed cells are rapidly disposed of by the body. We have recently explored the problem of evaluating radiation injury of the bone marrow, using three different approaches: (1) analysis of the changes in the distribution of cellular dry mass by interference microscopy3,4; (2) analysis of the changes in distribution of cell size with the Coulter counter5; and (3) analysis of the changes in the ability of the cells to survive attacks from cytotoxic agents in dye exclusion tests. The results from the studies of changes in cellular dry mass and cell size were published previously3–5. The investigation of changes in ability to survive cytotoxic agents is reported here, and suggests that cells killed by radiation disappear rapidly from the cell population. This can be estimated indirectly with cytotoxic dyes or by the combination of a non-toxic dye and a cytotoxic agent.

Dry Mass Distribution Changes in Mouse Bone Marrow Cell Population during the First 24 Hours after X—Irradiation as Determined by Interfereometry

Abstract LAF1 mice were treated with a total-body dose of 800 r. x-ray. The dry mass distribution of the femur bone marrow cells was determined at different intervals postirradiation. The nonproliferating cells showed no significant dry mass change, whereas the proliferating cells of the myelocyte series had a steady increase in mean dry mass per cell. Few cells with the maximum dry mass increase survived at the end of 48 hours postirradiation. The dry mass distribution formed characteristic patterns for each postirradiation interval studied as the proliferating cells shifted to higher dry mass values with accompanied increase in cell sizes.

CYTOPLASMIC STREAMING IN FILAMENTOUS FUNGI

Current theories concerning the motility of protoplasm are considered in relation to the streaming in fungal hyphae. It was not possible to demonstrate a pressure gradient in the mycelium sufficient to cause the observed rates of flow, and it is suggested that the distribution of dry mass in the hyphae is consistent with the view that movement is the result of a counterflow system similar to that proposed recently to account for amoeboid movement.

Dry-mass distribution of bone marrow free cell population in the mouse as determined by interference microscopy.

THE haemopoietic function of the bone marrow is of primary importance in the defence and normal maintenance of the body. Rapid formation of the cellular dry mass in the precursor cells of the bone marrow is essential to produce more blood cells to replenish the diminishing reserve pools in times of stress or emergency. The determination of a distribution curve for bone marrow cellular dry mass in the normal marrow cell population is essential, for this curve can serve as a base-line for the investigation of changes in dry mass distribution of bone marrow after irradiation, drug treatment, toxicity, trauma or disease, or as an assessment of the extent of damage and/or of recovery following insult to the body.

An interferometric study of the anhydrous nuclear mass of exfoliated cells from experimental cervical cancer

An interferometric study of the anhydrous nuclear mass of exfoliated cells from experimental cervical cancer

The effect of dextran on the dry mass distribution in osmotic hemolysis

The effect of dextran on the dry mass distribution in osmotic hemolysis

Changes in red cell volume and osmotic fragility of erythrocytes in the rat following acute blood loss.

ArticleChanges in Red Cell Volume and Osmotic Fragility of Erythrocytes in the Rat Following Acute Blood LossWilliam Mabon Davis, Janette D. Bigelow, and Edward L. AlpenWilliam Mabon DavisFrom the U. S. Naval Radiological Defense Laboratory, San Francisco, California, Janette D. BigelowFrom the U. S. Naval Radiological Defense Laboratory, San Francisco, California, and Edward L. AlpenFrom the U. S. Naval Radiological Defense Laboratory, San Francisco, CaliforniaPublished Online:01 Jul 1954https://doi.org/10.1152/ajplegacy.1954.178.1.17MoreSectionsPDF (1 MB)Download PDF ToolsExport citationAdd to favoritesGet permissionsTrack citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInWeChat Previous Back to Top Next Download PDF FiguresReferencesRelatedInformation Cited ByHaematological Changes in Guinea Fowls (Numida meleagris galeata, Pallas) Following HaemorrhageInternational Journal of Poultry Science, Vol. 8, No. 11Effect of Parquetina nigrescens on Erythrocyte Indices and Serum Electrolytes of Rats Following Acute Blood LossPakistan Journal of Biological Sciences, Vol. 8, No. 4Haematological Changes in West African Dwarf Goats Following HaemorrhageJournal of Veterinary Medicine Series A, Vol. 44, No. 1-10Membrane characteristics and osmotic fragility of red cells, fractionated with anglehead centrifugation and counterflow centrifugationBritish Journal of Haematology, Vol. 61, No. 3Observations on the in vivo Aging of Red Cells in the Rat24 April 2009 | Scandinavian Journal of Haematology, Vol. 14, No. 5Die akute BlutungsanämieThe refractive index and dry mass distribution of mammalian erythrocytes2 August 2011 | Journal of Microscopy, Vol. 89, No. 2 More from this issue > Volume 178Issue 1July 1954Pages 17-22 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 1954 by American Physiological Societyhttps://doi.org/10.1152/ajplegacy.1954.178.1.17PubMed13180705History Received 30 November 1953 Published online 1 July 1954 Published in print 1 July 1954 Metrics