Liquidambar Research Articles

Nitrogen Fixation by Non-Leguminous Plants

Research Article| April 01 1982 Nitrogen Fixation by Non-Leguminous Plants Charlene Van Raalte Charlene Van Raalte Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar The American Biology Teacher (1982) 44 (4): 229–254. https://doi.org/10.2307/4447478 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Charlene Van Raalte; Nitrogen Fixation by Non-Leguminous Plants. The American Biology Teacher 1 April 1982; 44 (4): 229–254. doi: https://doi.org/10.2307/4447478 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentThe American Biology Teacher Search This content is only available via PDF. Copyright 1981 The National Association of Biology Teachers Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

A Late‐Quaternary Vegetation History from Hanging Lake, Northern Yukon

A 403—cm core was recovered from Hanging Lake in unglaciated northern Yukon. Twenty—one radiocarbon dates indicate that the section is at least 25 000 and possibly 33 000 yr old; they permit the calculation of pollen influxes for the full—glacial in eastern Beringia. Numerical methods were used to divide the pollen stratigraphy into five zones. From prior to 33 000 to 18 450 BP, a herb zone was dominant (zone HL 1) with high percentages of Gramineae, Artemisia, and Cruciferae. However, the low pollen influx, ranging from 5—100 grains°cm—2°yr—1, the low organic content of the sediment, and the occurrence of open—ground taxa all indicate that the vegetation cover was sparser than it is today. The arctic—alpine affinities of the herb pollen show that generically the vegetation was akin to modern arctic plant communities. Modern fellfield communities in the northern Yukon and Siberia have a rich and endemic Artemisia flora and they can produce pollen spectra comparable to that of the herb zone. Percent and influx values for spruce, alder, and birch increased slightly during subzone H 1B (21 680—18 450 BP); this subzone probably represents an interstadial. From 18 450 to 14 600 BP, a Salix—Cyperaceae zone (HL 2) occurred, suggesting the development of snowbed and willow scrub communities in sheltered areas. Between 14 600 and 11 100 BP Betula pollen dominated (zone HL 3) indicating the spread of dwarf birches, but the influx data show that this initial increase was modest compared with the subsequent zone and thus dwarf birches were probably restricted at this time to more favorable habitats. The spread of birch together with the increased total pollen influx, the higher organic content of the sediment, and the increased richness of herb pollen indicates that the local flora was more diverse and that the vegetative cover increased. The climate must have warmed. Zone HL 4 (Ericales zone) spanned the period from 11 100 to 8900 BP. Wet heath communities became locally abundant, poplar was more abundant at the beginning of this zone than at any subsequent time, the ranges of Typha latifolia and Myrica gale were greater than today, and pollen influx and sedimentation rate both increased greatly. Spruce became regionally abundant. These varied changes are probably in response to a warmer and wetter climate; they provide evidence for a late Pleistocene to early Holocene warm interval initially recognized by McCulloch and Hopkins (1966). Zone HL 5 (Alnus crispa zone) has been dated from 8900 BP to the present; it reflects the regional expansion of Alnus crispa on organic soils.

Species Suitability on a Lowland Site Altered by Drainage

Abstract Surface drainage created adequate conditions for survival and growth of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) on most sites within a wet lowland area. Successful pine establishment occurred on soils having loamy or sandy surface horizons and where original forest cover had been pine-hardwood or hardwood. On a lesser but significant number of sites, however, loblolly pine had unsatisfactory survival. Such problems were common where clay content of surface soil was high and the water table remained near the surface after ditch installation. In most cases, these conditions occurred on sites formerly occupied by cypress-hardwood timber. Planted sweetgum (Liquid ambar styraciflua L.) and baldcypress (Taxodium distichum (L.) Rich.) had better survival than loblolly pine on these sites. Guidelines for delineating such problem sites are given and management alternatives discussed.

Salt Tolerance of Eight Ornamental Tree Species1

Abstract Salt tolerance of 8 ornamental tree species was determined in plots artificially salinized with NaCl and CaCl2. Tolerant species such as Italian stone pine (Pinus pinea L.) and evergreen pear (Pyrus kawakamii Hayata) were affected very little bv soil salinities of 9 dS/m (electrical conductivity of the saturation extract: ECe). Sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua L.), cherry plum (Prunus cerasifera J. F. Ehrh), Southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora L.), orchid tree (Bauhinia purpurea L.h crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica L.), and tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera L.) exhibited moderate to severe injury symptoms and a 33% or greater growth reduction. Injury symptoms became more severe with each growing season.

Invertebrate Use of Natural Tree Cavities and Vertebrate Nest Boxes

Thirty-nine taxa of invertebrates used nest boxes and natural cavities in three mid-South forest habitats. Twelve of the 16 genera identified used nest boxes more frequently than natural cavities. Only carpenter ants (Camponotus sp.) (Formicidae) and termites (Kalotermitidae) used natural cavities more frequently than nest boxes. Wood roaches (Parcoblatta spp.) (Blattidae), southern green stink bugs (Nezara viridula L.) (Pentatomidae) and paper wasps (Polistes spp.) (Vespidae) were the most common invertebrates found in nest boxes. Four species exhibited preference for one or more of 16 characteristics of cavities and the surrounding habitat. Greater use of nest boxes than natural cavities by invertebrates may be due to a desirable nest box microclimate. INTRODUCTION Natural tree cavities are used as nesting, resting or feeding sites by many species of invertebrates; but availability of natural cavities is decreasing because bottomland hardwood forests are being replaced with soybeans (Glycine max (L.) Merrill), and plantations of eastern cottonwoods (Populus deltoides Marsh.) and American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis L.), and upland forests are being more intensively managed for timber production. Removal of trees with natural cavities in a stand removes the habitat necessary for invertebrates which require natural cavities, thereby reducing their populations and perhaps the populations of their predators. Maintenance of some natural cavities in a stand may be necessary to provide habitat for invertebrates which could be important food sources for other wildlife such as carpenter ants (Camponotus spp.) (Formicidae) for pileated woodpeckers (Dryocopus pileatus L.) (Conner et al., 1975). Nest boxes can supplement natural cavities for many cavity-using species (Bellrose et al., 1964; Nixon and Donohoe, 1979; McComb, 1979). A few investigators have reported use of nest boxes or natural cavities by invertebrates (McAtee, 1931; Nicholson, 1941; Allen, 1952; Klein, 1955; Flyger and Cooper, 1967), but no one has quantified invertebrate use of nest boxes and natural cavities. It is important that invertebrate use of artificial and natural cavities be quantified so habitat loss by cutting of cavity-bearing trees, as well as the benefits of box erection, can be assessed on the basis of all terrestrial fauna, and not just vertebrates, as is so frequently the case. The objectives of this study were: (1) to compare use of nest boxes with use of natural cavities in a bottomland hardwood stand, a cottonwood plantation and an upland pine-hardwood stand, and (2) to determine what -cavity characteristics were important to cavity-using invertebrates. STUDY AREAS A mature, mixed bottomland hardwood stand (Ben Hur) located on Louisiana State University Ben Hur Research Farm, East Baton Rouge Parish, La., was used as one habitat type. The overstory is dominated by water oak (Quercus nigra L.), pignut hickory (Carya glabra (Mill.) Sweet), American elm (Ulmus americana L.), sugarberry (Celtis laevigata (Willd.) and sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua L.); the midstory by box elder (Acer negundo L.) and bluebeech (Carpinus caroliniana Walt.); the understory by switch cane (Arundinaria gigantea (Walt.) Muhl.) and poison ivy (Rhus radicans L.). Ben Hur is an unmanaged forest protected from backwater flooding by the Mississippi River levee system. 'Present address: Department of Forestry, University of Kentucky, Lexington 40546.

Systemic Treatment for Chlorotic Trees

Ferric citrate injected in powdered form was effective in correcting iron chlorosis of pin oak, cypress, red oak, sweet gum, and swamp white oak. Chlorotic white oak and American sycamore did not respond significantly to systemic iron treatments. Both ferric ammonium citrate and ferric citrate were effective in correcting moderate to advanced stages of chlorosis in large pin oak and sweet gum. An inexpensive method of injecting premeasured chemical powders is reported.

Nitrogen fixation by Myrica gale root nodules Massachusetts wetland.

Nitrogenase activity was measured by acetylene reduction in excised Myrica gale nodules collected throughout the growing season at two sites associated with a small lake in central Massachusetts. One site was in an open, weakly minerotrophic peatland dominated by M. gale and the other was on the lakeshore. Nitrogenase activity appeared in late May when the leaves unfolded, reached a peak in July when the maximum number of leaves was present, and declined until it was no longer measurable in late October several days after all leaves had fallen. Summer activities were substantially higher at the peatland site than the lakeshore. Maximum activities were 19.8±1.9 and 8.1±0.7 μmol/h x g dry weight (x±SE; N=20) at the peatland and lakeshore sites respectively.Nitrogenase activities were very low at 5° C and increased linearly from 10 to 30° C, the highest temperature examined. The maximum soil temperature measured was 20° C, and no significant diurnal fluctuation in activity was detected.Annual nitrogen fixation calculated from the seasonal nitrogenase activity curve was 34 kg N/ha x yr at the peatland site with mean dry weight nodule biomass of 104 kg/ha, and 24 kg N/ha x yr at the lakeshore with 111 kg/ha nodule biomass. These rates of nitrogen fixation are equivalent to 4-5x the amount of nitrogen contained in bulk precipitation and are major components in the nitrogen budgets of the M. gale plants and wetlands in which they grow.

Cytokinins in Root-Nodules of the Nitrogen-Fixing Non-Legume Myrica gale L.

Cytokinin activity was detected using the soy bean callus bioassay, in extracts of rootnodules, free of «nodule-roots», in the Actinomycete-nodulated non-legume Myrica gale (bog myrtle).

Early Nodule Development in Myrica gale

Seedlings of Myrica gale were grown aeroponically and inoculated with suspensions prepared from mature nodules of M gale plants or with a homogenized preparation of a pure culture of the actinomycete isolated from Comptonia nodules. Morphological, anatomical, and cytological studies were made of early nodule development in these plants, and comparisons were made with similar stages in Comptonia and Casuarina Root hair infection was followed by prenodule formation in a manner similar to that in Comptonia In M. gale, most nodules originated with one or two primary nodule lobes. Thereafter, secondary nodule lobes formed sparsely and in a precisely ordered sequence. In 3-mo-old seedlings, nodules with up to five nodule lobes were observed, but the majority of nodules at this age were still one-to-three lobed In Comptonia the number of primary nodule lobes is much higher than in M. gale. In M. gale nodule roots developed from many but not all nodule lobes, usually in an ordered sequence.

Root Hair Infection in Actinomycete-Induced Root Nodule Initiation in Casuarina, Myrica, and Comptonia

The infection process leading to the development of root nodules of Comptonia peregrina, Casuarina cunning hamiana, Myrica gale, and M cerifera was studied by light and electron microscopy. Deformed growth of root hairs was observed as early as 24 h after seedlings grown aeroponically or hydroponically were inoculated with suspensions of crushed nodules or cultures of the actinomycetous endophyte of Comptonia The extent of root hair deformation showed a positive correlation with the number of nodules which subsequently developed The essential features of infection in each of these species were very similar. The actinomycete entered a deformed root hair of the host in a region of folding of the cell wall A convoluted elaboration of the root hair wall which occurred at this presumptive penetration site was continuous with the more evenly deposited capsule of the endophytic actinomycete An associated feature of this wall deposition was thickening of the cell wall of the infected root hair and the adjacent pr...

Vegetation and nutrient status of northern Michigan fens

The vegetation, selected characteristics of shallow groundwater, and depth to water were examined in five fens in northern Lower Michigan. The field layer was the dominant stratum in all five fens and contained a total of 85 vascular species with a mean density of 30 vascular species per stand. Carex lasiocarpa was the most prevalent dominant plant and attained a frequency–presence index (FPI) of 8000 of a possible 10 000 and a mean importance value of 33 of a possible 200. Other common dominants in decreasing order of FPI were Carex aquatilis (6640), Myrica gale (4636), and Andromeda glaucophylla (2000). Common subordinates were Hypericum virginicum (2639), Muhlenbergia glomerata (2466), and Campanula aparinoides (1400). The vegetation was relatively homogeneous as indicated by a homogeneity index of 58%.The shallow groundwaters were minerotrophic with pH values ranging from 5.7 to 7.0 and calcium concentrations of 11.0 to 75.0 mg/ℓ. Four of the fens were on floating mats and had relatively stable water levels while the fifth was on a grounded mat and was subject to substantial water level fluctuation.Three previously described alkaline lake-edge kettle-hole 'bog' communities were found to be similar to the fens in species composition and water chemistry.

Cronartium comptoniae . [Descriptions of Fungi and Bacteria

Abstract A description is provided for Cronartium comptoniae . Information is included on the disease caused by the organism, its transmission, geographical distribution, and hosts. HOSTS: Pinus banksiana, P. contorta, P. coulteri, P. densiflora, P. echinata, P. jeffreyi, P. mugo, P. muricata, P. nigra, P . pinaster, P. ponderosa, P. pungens, P. radiata, P. resinosa, P. rigida, P. sylvestris, P. tabulaeformis, P. tueda, P . virginiana, Comptonia peregrina, C. asplenifolia, Myrica gale ( M. carolinensis and M. corifera have been successfully inoculated) (Hiratsuka & Powell, 1976; 11, 616). DISEASE: Sweet fern blister rust. GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION: North America (Canada, USA) (CMI Map 476, ed. 1, 1971). TRANSMISSION: Pycniospores spread by insects attracted by sugary exudate; other spore forms are wind dispersed.

Overwintered Mexican Bean Beetles: Emergence From Overwintering Sites, Fecundity, Fertility, and Longevity

A higher % of Mexican bean bettle, Epilachna varivestis Mulsant, adults survived the winter in heavy accumulations of pine litter which was a more suitable habitat than light accumulations of pine litter, field litter, or sweet gum litter. Emergence from overwintering sites occurred in Apr. and May generally following periods of rainfall. Overwintered adults that fed on soybeans the previous year, lived an avg of 58.4 days (30.7 physiological days) following spring emergence while feeding on snap beans and oviposited an avg of 11 egg masses. Mean eclosion of eggs was 75%. An avg of 57.2 eggs/mass were oviposited every 3.5 days (2.3 physiological days) while feeding on snap beans. High densities of larval and adult Mexican bean beetle populations produced intraspecific competition for food which resulted in egg predation.

Nitrogen Fixation by Actinomycete-Nodulated Angiosperms

Nitrogen fixation by symbiotic associations between soil bacteria belonging to the actinomycetes and root systems of a diversified group of woody dicotyledonous plants is less generally well known than that by the legume-Rhizobium symbiosis. The fixation of dinitrogen by nodulated legumes is a major mechanism for entry of reduced nitrogen into agricultural lands and, to a much lesser extent, to wooded ecosystems. For forested areas, woodlands, wetlands, and fields, nodulated plants like the alders (Alnus), bog plants like sweet gale (Myrica gale), and roadside and disturbed area invaders such as sweet fern

The Nitrogen Economy of Myrica Gale in the Field

SUMMARY (1) The growth and nitrogen content of Myrica gale have been measured over two growing seasons in a Myrica-Molinia community on relatively poorly aerated soil at a site in central Scotland. (2) The biomass and nitrogen content of Myrica were the same in early spring and late autumn. (3) Woody rhizomes accounted for 50-70% of the total biomass; during early spring (March-April) they contained c. 65% of the nitrogen in the plant, most of the rest being in aerial shoots. (4) Visible growth was preceded by a large transfer of nitrogen from old aerial stems and rhizomes to buds. (5) When the first leaves were opening (mid-June), a potential for reduction of acetylene developed in the nodules. It reached a peak in late July-early August and declined to zero in October. When the rate of acetylene reduction reached its peak, the net transfer of nitrogen from rhizomes to new shoots finally ceased. At this stage leaves contained c. 30% of the nitrogen in the plants. (6) Subsequently the nitrogen content of the rhizomes rose, and leaf nitrogen declined. By late October or early November all leaves were shed and the concentration of nitrogen in the rhizomes had returned to its early spring value. (7) The nitrogen lost from the plant in leaves is about 30 kg ha-' yr-. If there is no uptake of mineral nitrogen from the soil, an equivalent amount of nitrogen must be fixed.

The role of oxygen diffusion from the shoots and nodule roots in nitrogen fixation by root nodules of Myrica gale

Nitrogenase activity (acetylene reduction) and oxygen uptake by root nodules of Myrica gale L. were measured before and after removal of nodule roots. There was no significant effect of nodule root removal when respiration was measured in the gas phase (0.05–0.2 atm pO2 (1 atm = 101.325 kPa)) or acetylene reduction in a stirred aqueous phase at 0.2 atm pO2. However, when acetylene reduction was measured in 0.05 atm pO2 in an unstirred aqueous phase, there was a 66 to 76% reduction in activity. These results indicate that nodule roots are important for oxygen uptake when the nodules are present in an aqueous phase at low pO2, which is probably the normal environmental conditions for many of the nodules. Other measurements showed that diffusion of oxygen from the shoot to the root nodules is not important for nitrogen fixation. These measurements were done on whole plants with the shoots in air (0.20 atm pO2) and the roots in water at the desired pO2 value. With 0.0 atmpO2 in the root environment, the rate of acetylene reduction was only 4% of the rate at 0.2 atmpO2. Thus, only small amounts of oxygen are transported from the shoot to the nodules.

Determinate development of nodule roots in actinomycete-induced root nodules of Myrica gale

Young seedlings of Myrica gale L. grown in water culture were inoculated with a nodule suspension containing the effective actinomycete which induced root nodule formation. Nodule development was followed from initiation to nodule lobe formation and nodule root development using living materials and fixed nodules sectioned for light microscopy. After root hair infection and prenodule formation, three stages were observed: nodule lobe formation, a transition or arrested state, and nodule root development. The primary nodule lobe meristem originates endogenously and its formation involves pericycle, endodermis, and cortical cell derivatives. The lobe develops slowly to about 2 mm in length while the cortical cells are invaded by the actinomycete endophyte. After a period of arrest of variable duration, from a few days to several weeks, the nodule lobe meristem begins altered development, forming the elongate nodule root which undergoes slow but continuous growth to about 3- to 4-cm final length. New nodule lobe primordia are initiated endogenously at the base of existing nodules lobes, ultimately forming a cluster of nodule roots. Each nodule root, which elongates at about 0.1–1.0 mm per day, has a terminal apical meristem with reduced root cap formation and produces a modified root structure possessing an elaborate cortical intercellular space system and a reduced central cylinder. Nodule root growth is distinctive in that it shows strong negative geotropism. The endophyte is restricted to cortical cells of the nodule lobe and is totally absent from tissues of the nodule root. A probable role for nodule roots is to facilitate gas diffusion to the nitrogen-fixing endophyte site in the nodule lobe when nodules occur under conditions of low oxygen tension.

SPORE FORMATION AND ENDOPHYTE DIVERSITY IN ROOT NODULES OF ALNUS GLUTINOSA (L.) VILL.

SUMMARYAnalysis of root nodules of Alnus glutinosa sampled in a natural alder vegetation revealed two types, one containing clumps of endophytic spores and one without spores. The distribution pattern of both types, but especially the latter, showed considerable clustering. Both types of nodule sometimes occurred on the same tree, and some information on the dynamics of the distribution pattern was obtained from age analysis of nodules of both types. Since cross‐inoculation experiments showed a genetic basis for the presence or absence of spores in root nodules, the existence of two endophytic strains differing in their ability to produce spores seems likely. Different concentrations of ammonium and nitrate incorporated into the nutrient solution of nodulated test plants had only a slight influence on spore‐clump abundance in root nodules, and complete inversion of the spore type was not observed. Attempts to find additional strain differences led to the comparison of isomers of diamino‐pimelic acid (DAP) from the cell wall of both types of endophyte. DAP isomer analysis of genetically more distinct ‘Alnus‐type’ root nodules, i.e. those of Myrica gale and Hippophae rhamnoides, were used as reference. No additional taxonomic differences were found between the nodule types in Alnus glutinosa, but spore‐free nodules of Hippophae rhamnoides and Myrica gale differed with respect to the DAP isomer composition. Test plants of Alnus glutinosa provided artificially with either spore‐rich or spore‐free nodules did not differ significantly in acetylene reduction rate.

A Light and Moisture Continuum Analysis of the Presettlement Prairie-Forest Border Region of Eastern Illinois

Phytosociological attributes of the presettlement prairieforest border region of eastern Illinois were analyzed by means of random pairs and nearest individual analyses. The 17,226 trees and 11,565 section and quarter-section points in prairie areas were assigned to one of 77 soil associations and regrouped into 27 larger units (stands) using Coefficient of Community values. Difference in percent importance of oaks and hickories was the basis for delimiting the stands into three forested vegetation types. Soil associations having at least 85% prairie were combined into one large prairie vegetation type. Percent importance of selected species was plotted against light and moisture continuum indexes. The oaks and hickories attained highest percent importances along the continua in the xeric, shade^intolerant oakhickory stands. Elm, silver maple and sweet gum were most important in lowland-depressional stands. Beech and sugar maple attained highest percent importances along the continua in the lowland-depressional and mesic oak-hickory stands.

Two new dihydrochalcones from Myrica gale

From the fruits of Myrica gale the isolation of 2′,6′dihydroxy-4′-methoxy-3′,5′-dimethyldihydrochalcone and 4,4,6-trimethyl-2-(3-phenylpropionyl)-cyclohexane-1,3,5-trione is described. The constitutions have been deduced from spectroscopic data and confirmed by synthesis.