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Area Expansion (area + expansion)
Kinds of Area Expansion Selected AbstractsSpatial viability analysis of Amur tiger Panthera tigris altaica in the Russian Far East: the role of protected areas and landscape matrix in population persistenceJOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY, Issue 6 2006CARLOS CARROLL Summary 1The Amur or Siberian tiger Panthera tigris altaica forms a relatively small and disjunct population of less than 600 individuals in the Russian Far East. Because tigers in this region require large territories to acquire sufficient prey, current strictly protected areas, comprising 3·4% (10 300 km2) of the region, are unlikely to prevent extirpation of the subspecies in the face of expanding forestry and external demand for tiger parts. 2We used resource selection function models and spatially explicit population models to analyse the distribution and predict the demographic structure of the population to identify policy options that may enhance population viability. 3A resource selection function model developed from track distribution data predicted that tigers were most likely to occur in lower altitude valley bottoms with Korean pine forest and low human impacts. 4The results from the spatially explicit population model suggested that current tiger distribution is highly dependent on de facto refugia with low human impacts but without statutory protection, and that small increases in mortality in these areas will result in range fragmentation. Although an expanded reserve network only marginally increases tiger viability under current conditions, it dramatically enhances distribution under potential future scenarios, preventing regional extirpation despite a more hostile landscape matrix. 5The portion of tiger range most resistant to extirpation connects a large coastal reserve in the central portion of the region with largely unprotected watersheds to the north. A southern block of habitat is also important but more severely threatened with anthropogenic disturbances. The results suggest that preserving source habitat in these two zones and ensuring linkages are retained between blocks of habitat in the north and south will be critical to the survival of the tiger population. 6Synthesis and applications. Conservation priorities identified in this analysis differ from those suggested by a conservation paradigm focusing only on sustaining and connecting existing protected areas that has been applied to tiger conservation in more developed landscapes with higher prey densities. An alternative paradigm that assesses population viability in a whole-landscape context and develops priorities for both protected area expansion and increasing survival rates in the landscape matrix may be more appropriate in areas where tigers and other large carnivores coexist with low-density human populations. Although landscape connectivity merits increased emphasis in conservation planning, identification of landscape linkages should be tied to broad-scale recommendations resulting from spatial viability analyses in order to prevent misdirection of resources towards protecting corridors that add little to population persistence. [source] Preparation, characterization, and electrical properties of dual-emissive Langmuir-Blodgett films of some europium-substituted polyoxometalates and a platinum polyyne polymerJOURNAL OF POLYMER SCIENCE (IN TWO SECTIONS), Issue 4 2010Li Liu Abstract A new series of organometallic/inorganic composite Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films consisting of a rigid-rod polyplatinyne polymer coordinated with 2,7-bis(buta-1,3-diynyl)-9,9-dihexylfluorene (denoted as PtP) as the ,-conjugated organometallic molecule, an europium-substituted polyoxometalate (POM; POM = Na9EuW10O36, K13[Eu(SiW11O39)2] and K5[Eu(SiW11O39)(H2O)2]) as the inorganic component, and an amphiphilic behenic acid (BA) as the auxiliary film-forming agent were prepared. Structural and photophysical characterization of these LB films were achieved by ,,A isotherms, absorption and photoluminescence spectra, atomic force microscopy imaging, scanning tunneling microscopy, and low-angle X-ray diffraction. Our experimental results indicate that stable, well-defined, and well-organized Langmuir and LB films are formed in pure water and POM subphases, and the presence of Eu-based POM in the subphase causes an area expansion. It is proposed that a lamellar layered structure exists for the PtP/BA/POM LB film in which the POM and PtP molecules can lay down with the interfacial planes. Luminescence spectra of the prepared hybrid LB films show that near-white emission spectra can be obtained due to the dual-emissive nature of the mixed PtP/POM blends. These Pt-polyyne-based LB films displayed interesting electric conductivity behavior. Among them, PtP/BA/POM 13-layer films showed a good electrical response, with the tunneling current up to ±100 nA when the voltage was monitored between ,1 and 7 V. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 879,888, 2010 [source] Foliar demand and resource economy of nutrients in dry tropical forest speciesJOURNAL OF VEGETATION SCIENCE, Issue 1 2001C.B. Lal Important phenological activities in seasonally dry tropical forest species occur within the hot-dry period when soil water is limiting, while the subsequent wet period is utilized for carbon accumulation. Leaf emergence and leaf area expansion in most of these tree species precedes the rainy season when the weather is very dry and hot and the soil cannot support nutrient uptake by the plants. The nutrient requirement for leaf expansion during the dry summer period, however, is substantial in these species. We tested the hypothesis that the nutrients withdrawn from the senescing leaves support the emergence and expansion of leaves in dry tropical woody species to a significant extent. We examined the leaf traits (with parameters such as leaf life span, leaf nutrient content and retranslocation of nutrients during senescence) in eight selected tree species in northern India. The concentrations of N, P and K declined in the senescing foliage while those of Na and Ca increased. Time series observations on foliar nutrients indicated a substantial amount of nutrient resorption before senescence and a ,tight nutrient budgeting'. The resorbed N-mass could potentially support 50 to 100% and 46 to 80% of the leaf growth in terms of area and weight, respectively, across the eight species studied. Corresponding values for P were 29 to 100% and 20 to 91%, for K 29 to 100% and 20 to 57%, for Na 3 to 100% and 1 to 54%, and for Ca 0 to 32% and 0 to 30%. The species differed significantly with respect to their efficiency in nutrient resorption. Such interspecific differences in leaf nutrient economy enhance the conservative utilization of soil nutrients by the dry forest community. This reflects an adaptational strategy of the species growing on seasonally dry, nutrient-poor soils as they tend to depend more or less on efficient internal cycling and, thus, utilize the retranslocated nutrients for the production of new foliage biomass in summer when the availability of soil moisture and nutrients is severely limited. [source] Plasticity to soil water deficit in Arabidopsis thaliana: dissection of leaf development into underlying growth dynamic and cellular variables reveals invisible phenotypesPLANT CELL & ENVIRONMENT, Issue 12 2006LUIS AGUIRREZABAL ABSTRACT Genetic variability in the plasticity of leaf area expansion in response to water deficit has been reported in Arabidopsis thaliana. Here, the objective was to identify the underlying dynamic and cellular processes involved in this variability. Twenty-five accessions were subjected to identical soil water deficit treatments. In all accessions, the plasticity of leaf production was low compared with that of individual leaf expansion. A subset of accessions was selected for further dissection of individual leaf expansion into its underlying variables: the rate and duration of leaf expansion and epidermal cell number and area. In all accessions, water deficit had opposite effects on the rate and duration of leaf expansion. The accumulation of these effects was reflected in changes in final leaf area. At the cellular level, moderate water deficits had opposite effects on cell number and cell size, but more severe ones reduced both variables. The importance of these opposing effects is highlighted by the behaviour of the accession An-1, for which the compensation between the decrease in leaf expansion rate and the increase in the duration of expansion is total. This dynamic plasticity in response to water deficit is not detectable when only final measurements are done. [source] Changes in mesophyll anatomy and sink,source relationships during leaf development in Quercus glauca, an evergreen tree showing delayed leaf greeningPLANT CELL & ENVIRONMENT, Issue 5 2003S.-I. MIYAZAWA ABSTRACT Changes in mesophyll anatomy, gas exchange, and the amounts of nitrogen and cell wall constituents including cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin during leaf development were studied in an evergreen broad-leaved tree, Quercus glauca, and in an annual herb, Phaseolus vulgaris. The number of chloroplasts per whole leaf in P. vulgaris increased and attained the maximal level around 10 d before full leaf area expansion (FLE), whereas it continued to increase even after FLE in Q. glauca. The increase in the number of palisade tissue cells per whole leaf continued until a few days before FLE in Q. glauca, but it had almost ceased by 10 d before FLE in P. vulgaris. The radius and height of palisade tissue cells in Q. glauca, attained their maximal levels at around FLE whereas the thickness of the mesophyll cell wall and concentrations of the cell wall constituents increased markedly after FLE. These results clearly indicated that, in Q. glauca, chloroplast development proceeded in parallel with the cell wall thickening well after completion of the mesophyll cell division and cell enlargement. The sink,source transition, defined to be the time when the increase in daily carbon exchange rate exceeds the daily increase in leaf carbon content, occurred before FLE in P. vulgaris but after FLE in Q. glauca. During leaf area expansion, the maximum daily increase in nitrogen content on a whole leaf basis (the maximum leaf areas were corrected to be identical for these species) in Q. glauca was similar to that in P. vulgaris. In Q. glauca, however, more than 70% of nitrogen in the mature leaf was invested during its sink phase, whereas in P. vulgaris it was 50%. These results suggest that Q. glauca invests nitrogen for cell division for a considerable period and for chloroplast development during the later stages. We conclude that the competition for nitrogen between cell division and chloroplast development in the area of expanding leaves can explain different greening patterns among plant species. [source] Slow development of leaf photosynthesis in an evergreen broad-leaved tree, Castanopsis sieboldii: relationships between leaf anatomical characteristics and photosynthetic ratePLANT CELL & ENVIRONMENT, Issue 3 2001S.-I. Miyazawa ABSTRACT Changes in net photosynthetic rate on a leaf area basis and anatomical properties during leaf development were studied in an evergreen broad-leaved tree, Castanopsis sieboldii and an annual herb, Phaseolus vulgaris. In C. sieboldii, surface area of mesophyll cells facing the intercellular air spaces on a leaf area basis (Smes) was already considerable at the time of full leaf area expansion (FLE). However, surface area of chloroplasts facing the intercellular air spaces on a leaf area basis (Sc), and chlorophyll and Rubisco contents on a leaf area basis increased to attain their maximal values 15,40 d after FLE. In contrast, in P. vulgaris, chloroplast number on a leaf area basis, Sc and Smes at 10 d before FLE were two to three times greater than the steady-state levels attained at around FLE. In C. sieboldii, the internal CO2 transfer conductance (gi) slightly increased for 10 d after FLE but then decreased toward the later stages. Limitation of photosynthesis by gi was only about 10% at FLE, but then increased to about 30% at around 40 d after FLE. The large limitation after FLE by gi was probably due to the decrease in CO2 concentration in the chloroplast caused by the increases in thickness of mesophyll cell walls and in Rubisco content per chloroplast surface area. These results clearly showed that: (1) in C. sieboldii, chloroplast development proceeded more slowly than mesophyll cell expansion and continued well after FLE, whereas in P. vulgaris these processes proceeded synchronously and were completed by FLE; (2) after FLE, photosynthesis in leaves of C. sieboldii was markedly limited by gi. From these results, it is suggested that, in the evergreen broad-leaved trees, mechanical protection of mesophyll cells has priority over the efficient CO2 transfer and quick construction of the chloroplasts. [source] Acclimation of photosynthesis to elevated CO2 in onion (Allium cepa) grown at a range of temperaturesANNALS OF APPLIED BIOLOGY, Issue 1 2004T R WHEELER Summary Onion (Allium cepa) was grown in the field within temperature gradient tunnels (providing about -2.5°C to +2.5°C from outside temperatures) maintained at either 374 or 532 ,mol mol,1 CO2. Plant leaf area was determined non-destructively at 7 day intervals until the time of bulbing in 12 combinations of temperature and CO2 concentration. Gas exchange was measured in each plot at the time of bulbing, and the carbohydrate content of the leaf (source) and bulb (sink) was determined. Maximum rate of leaf area expansion increased with mean temperature. Leaf area duration and maximum rate of leaf area expansion were not significantly affected by CO2. The light-saturated rates of leaf photosynthesis (Asat) were greater in plants grown at normal than at elevated CO2 concentrations at the same measurement CO2 concentration. Acclimation of photosynthesis decreased with an increase in growth temperature, and with an increase in leaf nitrogen content at elevated CO2. The ratio of intercellular to atmospheric CO2 (C1/C3 ratio) was 7.4% less for plants grown at elevated compared with normal CO2. Asat in plants grown at elevated CO2 was less than in plants grown at normal CO2 when compared at the same C1. Hence, acclimation of photosynthesis was due both to stomatal acclimation and to limitations to biochemical CO2 fixation. Carbohydrate content of the onion bulbs was greater at elevated than at normal CO2. In contrast, carbohydrate content was less at elevated compared with normal CO2 in the leaf sections in which CO2 exchange was measured at the same developmental stage. Therefore, acclimation of photosynthesis in fully expanded onion leaves was detected despite the absence of localised carbohydrate accumulation in these field-grown crops. [source] | ||||||||||