Extreme Temperature Stress Research Articles

Cyanobacteria and chloroflexi-dominated hypolithic colonization of quartz at the hyper-arid core of the Atacama Desert, Chile.

Quartz stones are ubiquitous in deserts and are a substrate for hypoliths, microbial colonists of the underside of such stones. These hypoliths thrive where extreme temperature and moisture stress limit the occurrence of higher plant and animal life. Several studies have reported the occurrence of green hypolithic colonization dominated by cyanobacteria. Here, we describe a novel red hypolithic colonization from Yungay, at the hyper-arid core of the Atacama Desert in Chile. Comparative analysis of green and red hypoliths from this site revealed markedly different microbial community structure as revealed by 16S rRNA gene clone libraries. Green hypoliths were dominated by cyanobacteria (Chroococcidiopsis and Nostocales phylotypes), whilst the red hypolith was dominated by a taxonomically diverse group of chloroflexi. Heterotrophic phylotypes common to all hypoliths were affiliated largely to desiccation-tolerant taxa within the Actinobacteria and Deinococci. Alphaproteobacterial phylotypes that affiliated with nitrogen-fixing taxa were unique to green hypoliths, whilst Gemmatimonadetes phylotypes occurred only on red hypolithon. Other heterotrophic phyla recovered with very low frequency were assumed to represent functionally relatively unimportant taxa.

Geographical and environmental gradients of lianas and vines in China

ABSTRACTAim Climbing plants are characterized by long, wide vessel elements, which may be vulnerable to cold‐ or drought‐induced embolism. However, the difference in vulnerability between lianas (woody climbing plants) and vines (herbaceous climbing plants) has not yet been reported. Here we hypothesize that both lianas and vines are more sensitive to variations in water and temperature than are self‐supporting plants. Consequently, the proportions of lianas and vines in flora are expected to decline significantly along geographical and environmental gradients.Location China.Methods A unique dataset describing 82 floras in China was examined. The proportion of lianas in the flora (LPF) and the proportion of vines in the flora (VPF) were calculated independently. The proportion of the climbing plants in total spermatophyte flora (CPF) was also calculated. LPF and VPF were compared along latitudinal, mean annual rainfall (Rain), and mean January temperature (T1) gradients. Local linear regression analyses showed the changing tendencies of LPF and VPF. Prediction models of LPF using geographical and environmental factors were studied in some subranges.Results (1) LPF was highest in the tropics (13.8% on average), decreased linearly with increasing latitude within the latitude < 42 °N subrange, and reached < 1% north of 42 °N in China. VPF fluctuated slightly from tropical (4.7%), to subtropical (4.2%) to warm temperate (4.5%) regions, but declined significantly in temperate (3.2%) and dry (1.5%) zones in China. (2) LPF decreased significantly with decreasing rainfall, and decreased significantly with decreasing T1 in areas where T1 > −10 °C. In contrast, VPF tended to be constant in areas where T1 > −5 °C or Rain > 1000 mm, and declined under extreme water or temperature stresses. (3) Predictions of LPF using Rain and T1 in areas where T1 > −10 °C, and using latitude and altitude within the latitude < 42 °N subrange were both reliable. According to the geographical model for LPF and a constant VPF, tropical Asian forests would have a LPF as high as 25.4% and the highest CPF would be c. 30%.Conclusions We conclude that liana diversity is more sensitive to temperature and water availability than that of vines and other plants. Geographical and environmental gradients affected LPF but not VPF. Shorter life spans and underground nutrient storage may be effective strategies adopted by vines to avoid drought and cold stresses.

Viability of encapsulated Lactobacillus sp. Mar 8

Lactobacillus sp. Mar 8 had advantages as probiotic digestive system cholesterol lowering Lactobacillus. Applying in industry, particular processing technique is necessary for gaining product that ready for marketing and consuming. Spray drying is common technique using in various food processing. High processing temperature, 100-200oC, for 3-10 second become the barrier because cells were under extreme temperature stress. Therefore, encapsulate was needed to protect the cells from those extreme conditions. Viability and survival rate of encapsulated Lactobacillus sp. Mar 8 have been investigated. The result showed that Lactobacillus sp. Mar 8 that was encapsulated by 10% skim milk has higher viability than those by 5% skim milk, namely 72.37% and 51.69% respectively. Survival rate of encapsulated Lactobacillus cells will come to zero in 41.28 years. Therefore, encapsulated Lactobacillus sp. Mar 8 may use as probiotic agent. © 2006 Jurusan Biologi FMIPA UNS SurakartaKey words: Lactobacillus sp. Mar 8, viability, spray drying, encapsulation, survival rate.

Effects of Temperature Acclimation Pretreatment on the Ultrastructure of Mesophyll Cells in Young Grape Plants (Vitis vinifera L. cv. Jingxiu) Under Cross-Temperature Stresses

Abstract: Leaves from annual young grape plants (Vitis vinifera L. cv. Jingxiu) were used as experimental materials. The ultrastructural characteristics of mesophyll cells in chilling-treated plants after heat acclimation (HA) and in heat-treated plants after cold acclimation (CA) were observed and compared using transmission electron microscopy. The results showed that slight injury appeared in the ultrastructure of mesophyll cells after either HA (38 °C for 10 h) or CA (8 °C for 2.5 d), but the tolerance to subsequent extreme temperature stress was remarkably improved by HA or CA pretreatment. The increases in membrane permeability and malondialdehyde concentration under chilling (0 °C) or heat (45 °C) stress were markedly inhibited by HA or CA pretreatment. The mesophyll cells of plants not pretreated with HA were markedly damaged following chilling stress. The chloroplasts appeared irregular in shape, the arrangement of the stroma lamellae was disordered, and no starch granules were present. The cristae of the mitochondria were disrupted and became empty. The nucleus became irregular in shape and the nuclear membrane was digested. In contrast, the mesophyll cells of HA-pretreated plants maintained an intact ultrastructure under chilling stress. The mesophyll cells of control plants were also severely damaged under heat stress. The chloroplast became round in shape, the stroma lamellae became swollen, and the contents of vacuoles formed clumps. In the case of mitochondria of control plants subjected to heat stress, the outer envelope was digested and the cristae were disrupted and became many small vesicles. Compared with cellular organelles in control plants, those in CA plant cells always maintained an integrated state during whole heat stress, except for the chloroplasts, which became round in shape after 10 h heat stress. From these data, we suggest that the stability of mesophyll cells under chilling stress can be increased by HA pretreatment. Similarly, CA pretreatment can protect chloroplasts, mitochondria, and the nucleus against subsequent heat stress; thus, the thermoresistance of grape seedlings was improved. The results obtained in the present study are the first, to our knowledge, to offered cytological evidence of cross-adaptation to temperature stresses in grape plants. (Managing editor: Wei WANG)

Changes of element ratios of cultured cells from dune reed under adverse environmental conditions.

Dune reed, as an ecotype of reed plant (Phragmites communis Trin.), is an ideal material for studies on the adaptations of plant to environmental conditions. Scanning electron microscope, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, and plant tissue culture techniques were used to investigate the effect of extreme temperature, salt, and polyethylene glycol-induced osmotic stress on the intracellular elements K, Na, Ca, and Cl in cultured cells from dune reed and swamp reed (as control). The results indicated that the percentages of the studied elements in dune reed cells exposed to various stresses increased or decreased obviously compared to the swamp reed cells. It has been found that a pattern of absorbing K and discharging Na exists in dune reed cells, which did not exist in swamp reed cells. The pattern is thought to be a significant physiological mechanism of the dune reed response to adverse environmental factors. In addition, the percentages of Ca and Cl in dune reed cells were also shown to increase at high temperature. The growth of cells along with their surface features under different stress conditions were observed and the results are discussed.

Characterization of Biodegradable Plastics

Abstract Polymers deteriorate by a number of mechanisms. In the lifetime of a polymer, deterioration may proceed gradually or rapidly. During processing, a polymer is melted and formed to a desired shape; it undergoes some deterioration due to the extreme temperature and mechanical stress. For example, polymer chains may rupture at the molecular level as a result of high shear stress encountered during processing. When mechanical stress contributes to failure or deterioration, the process is termed mechanical degradation or stress-induced degradation. When the thermal stress contributes to failure or deterioration, the process is termed thermal degradation. The degree to which a polymer undergoes deterioration depends on the thermal and mechanical stresses the material experiences during processing. Although the deterioration process of polymers is prominent under extreme conditions of temperature and pressure, in general, these materials undergo mild deterioration under ambient conditions.

Adaptive significance of hatching rhythms and dispersal patterns of estuarine crab larvae: avoidance of physiological stress by larval export?

Estuarine crabs commonly display two larval dispersal patterns in which larvae are either exported from or retained within estuaries. The semiterrestrial fiddler crab Uca minax (LeConte, 1855) hatches on nocturnal spring high tides in the upper estuary and larvae are rapidly transported downstream. The mud crab Rhithropanopeus harrisii (Gould, 1841) hatches on nocturnal high tides of any amplitude and larvae are retained behaviorally in the upper estuary throughout development. If larvae are exported from the estuary to avoid environmental stress, then exported larvae should be less tolerant of high temperatures and low salinities than retained larvae. Larvae of these two species of estuarine crabs were hatched at 20‰ and 25 °C and subjected to salinities of 0, 5, 10,20, and 30‰, temperatures of 25 and 35 °C, and exposure times of 2, 6, 12, and 48 h. Larvae of both species reared at 30 or 20‰ survived well, while those reared in fresh water all died within 2 h regardless of temperature. Mud crab larvae reared at 5 and 10‰ survived better at the lower temperature (25 °C), higher salinity, and shorter exposure times. There was no significant effect of temperature or salinity on the survival of fiddler crab larvae, although survival decreased with increasing exposure time. Thus, the hypothesis that fiddler crab larvae are exported into stable coastal waters to reduce physiological stress is not supported. However, fiddler crab larvae may have evolved to be very tolerant of extreme temperature and salinity stress because they, unlike mud crabs, often release their larvae into shallow creeks. Most fiddler crab larvae are released on nocturnal spring high tides, which facilitates dispersal from tidal creeks. However, freshwater runoff and heat transferred from the marsh surface to flooding waters may still create stressful conditions for larvae soon after they are released. Larval release on spring high tides may facilitate dispersal from tidal creeks.