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1. Transcriptional response of Emiliania huxleyi under changing nutrient environments in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre

   https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.14942  

   Alexander, Harriet ; Rouco, Mónica ; Haley, Sheean T. ; Dyhrman, Sonya T. ( February 2020 , Environmental Microbiology)

   The widespread coccolithophoreEmiliania huxleyiis an abundant oceanic phytoplankton, impacting the global cycling of carbon through both photosynthesis and calcification. Here, we examined the transcriptional responses of populations ofE. huxleyiin the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre to shifts in the nutrient environment. Using a metatranscriptomic approach, nutrient‐amended microcosm studies were used to track the global metabolism ofE. huxleyi. The addition of nitrate led to significant changes in transcript abundance for gene pathways involved in nitrogen and phosphorus metabolism, with a decrease in the abundance of genes involved in the acquisition of nitrogen (e.g. N‐transporters) and an increase in the abundance of genes associated with phosphate acquisition (e.g. phosphatases). Simultaneously, after the addition of nitrate, genes associated with calcification and genes unique to the diploid life stages ofE. huxleyisignificantly increased. These results suggest that nitrogen is a major driver of the physiological ecology ofE. huxleyiin this system and further suggest that the addition of nitrate drives shifts in the dominant life‐stage of the population. Together, these results underscore the importance of phenotypic plasticity to the success ofE. huxleyi, a characteristic that likely underpins its ability to thrive across a variety of marine environments.

    

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2. Using multirate rapid A / C i curves as a tool to explore new questions in the photosynthetic physiology of plants

   https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.15657  

   Stinziano, Joseph R. ; Adamson, Rachael K. ; Hanson, David T. ( January 2019 , New Phytologist)

   Steady‐state photosyntheticCO₂responses (A/C_icurves) are used to assess environmental responses of photosynthetic traits and to predict future vegetative carbon uptake through modeling. The recent development of rapidA/C_icurves (RACiRs) permits faster assessment of these traits by continuously changing [CO₂] around the leaf, and may reveal additional photosynthetic properties beyond what is practical or possible with steady‐state methods.

   Gas exchange necessarily incorporates photosynthesis and (photo)respiration. Each process was expected to respond on different timescales due to differences in metabolite compartmentation, biochemistry and diffusive pathways. We hypothesized that metabolic lags in photorespiration relative to photosynthesis/respiration andCO₂diffusional limitations can be detected by varying the rate of change in [CO₂] duringRACiR assays. We tested these hypotheses through modeling and experiments at ambient and 2% oxygen.

   Our data show that photorespiratory delays cause offsets in predictedCO₂compensation points that are dependent on the rate of change in [CO₂]. Diffusional limitations may reduce the rate of change in chloroplastic [CO₂], causing a reduction in apparentRACiR slopes under highCO₂ramp rates.

   MultirateRACiRs may prove useful in assessing diffusional limitations to gas exchange and photorespiratory rates.

    

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3. Contribution and consequences of xylem‐transported CO 2 assimilation for C 3 plants

   https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.15907  

   Stutz, Samantha S. ; Hanson, David T. ( June 2019 , New Phytologist)

   Traditionally, leaves were thought to be supplied withCO₂for photosynthesis by the atmosphere and respiration. Recent studies, however, have shown that the xylem also transports a significant amount of inorganic carbon into leaves through the bulk flow of water. However, little is known about the dynamics and proportion of xylem‐transportedCO₂that is assimilated, vs simply lost to transpiration.

   Cut leaves ofPopulus deltoidesandBrassica napuswere placed in eitherKCl or one of three [NaH¹³CO₃] solutions dissolved in water to simultaneously measure the assimilation and the efflux of xylem‐transportedCO₂exiting the leaf across light andCO₂response curves in real‐time using a tunable diode laser absorption spectroscope.

   The rates of assimilation and efflux of xylem‐transportedCO₂increased with increasing xylem [¹³CO₂*] and transpiration. Under saturating irradiance, rates of assimilation using xylem‐transportedCO₂accounted forc.2.5% of the total assimilation in both species in the highest [¹³CO₂*].

   The majority of xylem‐transportedCO₂is assimilated, and efflux is small compared to respiration. Assimilation of xylem‐transportedCO₂comprises a small portion of total photosynthesis, but may be more important whenCO₂is limiting.

    

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4. Chlorophyll fluorescence tracks seasonal variations of photosynthesis from leaf to canopy in a temperate forest

   https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13590  

   Yang, Hualei ; Yang, Xi ; Zhang, Yongguang ; Heskel, Mary A. ; Lu, Xiaoliang ; Munger, J. William ; Sun, Shucun ; Tang, Jianwu ( January 2017 , Global Change Biology)

   Accurate estimation of terrestrial gross primary productivity (GPP) remains a challenge despite its importance in the global carbon cycle. Chlorophyll fluorescence (ChlF) has been recently adopted to understand photosynthesis and its response to the environment, particularly with remote sensing data. However, it remains unclear how ChlF and photosynthesis are linked at different spatial scales across the growing season. We examined seasonal relationships between ChlF and photosynthesis at the leaf, canopy, and ecosystem scales and explored how leaf‐level ChlF was linked with canopy‐scale solar‐induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) in a temperate deciduous forest at Harvard Forest, Massachusetts,USA. Our results show that ChlF captured the seasonal variations of photosynthesis with significant linear relationships between ChlF and photosynthesis across the growing season over different spatial scales (R² = 0.73, 0.77, and 0.86 at leaf, canopy, and satellite scales, respectively;P < 0.0001). We developed a model to estimateGPPfrom the tower‐based measurement ofSIFand leaf‐level ChlF parameters. The estimation ofGPPfrom this model agreed well with flux tower observations ofGPP(R² = 0.68;P < 0.0001), demonstrating the potential ofSIFfor modelingGPP. At the leaf scale, we found that leafF_q’/F_m’, the fraction of absorbed photons that are used for photochemistry for a light‐adapted measurement from a pulse amplitude modulation fluorometer, was the best leaf fluorescence parameter to correlate with canopySIFyield (SIF/APAR,R² = 0.79;P < 0.0001). We also found that canopySIFandSIF‐derivedGPP(GPP_SIF) were strongly correlated to leaf‐level biochemistry and canopy structure, including chlorophyll content (R² = 0.65 for canopyGPP_SIFand chlorophyll content;P < 0.0001), leaf area index (LAI) (R² = 0.35 for canopyGPP_SIFandLAI;P < 0.0001), and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) (R² = 0.36 for canopyGPP_SIFandNDVI;P < 0.0001). Our results suggest that ChlF can be a powerful tool to track photosynthetic rates at leaf, canopy, and ecosystem scales.

    

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5. Role of red blood cells in haemostasis and thrombosis

   https://doi.org/10.1111/voxs.12331  

   Litvinov, R. I. ; Weisel, J. W. ( December 2016 , ISBT Science Series)

   In contrast to an obsolete notion that erythrocytes, or red blood cells (RBCs), play a passive and minor role in haemostasis and thrombosis, over the past decades there has been increasing evidence thatRBCs have biologically and clinically important functions in blood clotting and its disorders. This review summarizes the main mechanisms that underlie the involvement ofRBCs in haemostasis and thrombosisin vivo, such as rheological effects on blood viscosity and platelet margination, aggregation and deformability ofRBCs; direct adhesion and indirect biochemical interactions with endothelial cells and platelets. The ability of stored and pathologically alteredRBCs to generate thrombin through exposure of phosphatidylserine has been emphasized. The procoagulant and prothrombotic potential ofRBC‐derived microparticles transfused with storedRBCs or formed in various pathological conditions associated with haemolysis has been described along with prothrombotic effects of free haemoglobin and haem. Binding of fibrinogen or fibrin toRBCs may influence their effects on fibrin network structure, clot mechanical properties and fibrinolytic resistance. Recent data on platelet‐driven clot contraction show thatRBCs compressed by platelets pulling on fibrin form a tightly packed array of polyhedral erythrocytes, or polyhedrocytes, which comprises a nearly impermeable barrier important for haemostasis and wound healing.RBCs may perform dual roles, both helping to stem bleeding but at the same time contributing to thrombosis in a variety of ways.

    

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