Abstract: A change in cellulose lattice spacing can be detected during the release of wood maturation stress by synchrotron x-ray diffraction experiment. The lattice strain was found to be the same order of magnitude as the macroscopic strain. The fiber repeat distance, 1.033 nm evaluated for tension wood after the release of maturation stress was equal to the conventional wood values, whereas the value before stress release was larger, corresponding to a fiber repeat of 1.035 nm, nearly equal to that of cotton and ramie. Interestingly, the fiber repeat varied from 1.033 nm for wood to 1.040 nm for algal cellulose, with an increasing order of lateral size of cellulose microfibrils so far reported. These lines of experiments demonstrate that, before the stress release, the cellulose was in a state of tension, which is, to our knowledge, the first experimental evidence supporting the assumption that tension is induced in cellulose microfibrils.

Abstract: Comparisons were made among Douglas-fir forest, aspen (broad leaf deciduous) forest and wheatgrass (C-3) grassland for ecosystem-level water-use efficiency (WUE). WUE was defined as the ratio of photosynthetic CO2 assimilation rate and evapotranspiration (ET) rate. The ET data measured by eddy covariance were screened so that they overwhelmingly represented transpiration. The three sites used in this comparison spanned a range of vegetation (plant functional) types and environmental conditions within western Canada. When compared in the relative order Douglas-fir (located on Vancouver Island, BC), aspen (northern Saskatchewan), grassland (southern Alberta), the sites demonstrated a progressive decline in precipitation and a general increase in maximum air temperature and atmospheric saturation deficit (D-max) during the mid-summer. The average (+/- SD) WUE at the grassland site was 2.6 +/- 0.7 mmol mol(-1), which was much lower than the average values observed for the two other sites (aspen: 5.4 +/- 2.3, Douglas-fir: 8.1 +/- 2.4). The differences in WUE among sites were primarily because of variation in ET. The highest maximum ET rates were approximately 5, 3.2 and 2.7 mm day(-1) for the grassland, aspen and Douglas-fir sites, respectively. There was a strong negative correlation between WUE and D-max for all sites. We also made seasonal measurements of the carbon isotope ratio of ecosystem respired CO2 (delta(R)) in order to test for the expected correlation between shifts in environmental conditions and changes to the ecosystem-integrated ratio of leaf intercellular to ambient CO2 concentration (c(i)/c(a)). There was a consistent increase in delta(R) values in the grassland, aspen forest and Douglas-fir forest associated with a seasonal reduction in soil moisture. Comparisons were made between WUE measured using eddy covariance with that calculated based on D and delta(R) measurements. There was excellent agreement between WUE values calculated using the two techniques. Our delta(R) measurements indicated that c(i)/c(a) values were quite similar among the Douglas-fir, aspen and grassland sites, despite large variation in environmental conditions among sites. This implied that the shorter-lived grass species had relatively high c(i)/c(a) values for the D of their habitat. By contrast, the longer-lived Douglas-fir trees were more conservative in water-use with lower c(i)/c(a) values relative to their habitat D. This illustrates the interaction between biological and environmental characteristics influencing ecosystem-level WUE. The strong correlation we observed between the two independent measurements of WUE, indicates that the stable isotope composition of respired CO2 is a useful ecosystem-scale tool to help study constraints to photosynthesis and acclimation of ecosystems to environmental stress.

Abstract: This study looked at the interactive effects of tree architectural stage of development (ASD) and light availability on different plant traits (growth parameters, leaf morpho-anatomy and photosynthetic capacities) in the tropical species Dicorynia guianensis. A qualitative architectural analysis was used to categorize tree individuals sampled along a natural light gradient. The results show that some traits could have an ASD-dependence at the whole plant and leaf level without control of light. The changes observed relate to vigour thresholds the plant has to reach to shift from one ASD to another (i.e., the number of nodes and the internodes length per Growth Unit). Light conditions do not modify these thresholds but may modify the time they are crossed. Tree height was found strongly modulated by light conditions; hence, at a similar height, individuals may belong to different ASD. At the functional level, a decrease in N-m, and A(maxm) was observed with increasing light availability, while N-a increased and A(maxa) remained unaffected. An ASD effect was also observed on Amaxa and LMA but not on Amaxm. These results demonstrated a weak ability of photosynthetic plasticity in response to light conditions, and that variations of leaf photosynthetic variables according to ASD can be explained by modifications in leaf nitrogen and LMA. Questions on the reliability of a height-based sampling strategy for evaluating the phenotypic plasticity of trees in relation to light conditions are raised.

Abstract: To understand the organization of a bat community and the coexistence of sympatric species, it is essential to understand how species use and share common resources. First, we describe a bat community in a primary rainforest of French Guiana. The presence of particular roosting sites, such as caves, and the absence of disturbances are important local factors in structuring communities. In the course of this study, we focused on the three most common species of three vegetarian bat guilds (understorey frugivores, canopy frugivores and nectarivores). The local coexistence of these species is possible thanks to space, food and/or time partitioning. Space partitioning is consistent with the hypothesis that smaller bats with a more manoeuvrable flight tend to occupy more cluttered space less attractive to their competitors and have smaller home range. We observed a time partitioning that is likely to reduce competition among some frugivorous bat species by reducing direct interference during foraging. Besides an interest for the field community ecology, this study of a community living in a primary forest can be used as a reference for non disturbed habitat for conservation purposes.

Abstract: We conducted a rigorous test of tropical tree seedling microhabitat differentiation by examining microhabitat associations, survival and growth of established seedlings of ten tropical tree species representing a four-factor gradient in seed size. Eight microhabitat variables describing soil and light conditions were measured directly adjacent to each of 588 seedlings within twelve 10 x 100 m belt transects at Paracou, French Guiana, and at 264 reference points along the transects. From these measurements, we defined three principal components describing soil richness, soil softness and canopy openness. Six of ten species ( in 9 of 30 total cases) were distributed non-randomly with respect to microhabitat along at least one principal component. However, few species demonstrated clear microhabitat specialization. All shifts in distribution relative to reference points were in the same direction ( richer, softer soil). Furthermore, of 135 pairwise comparisons among the species, only 7 were significantly different. More than three-fourths of all seedlings (75.3%) survived over the 2-year monitoring period, but survival rates varied widely among species. In no case was the probability of survival influenced by any microhabitat parameter. Relative height growth rates for the seedlings over 2 years varied from – 0.031 cm cm(-1) year(-1) (Dicorynia guianensis, Caesalpiniaceae) to 0.088 cm cm(-1) year(-1) (Virola michelii, Myristicaceae). In only 4 of 30 cases was height growth significantly associated with one of the three principal components. Because the conditions in this study were designed to maximize the chance of finding microhabitat differentiation among a group of species differing greatly in life history traits, the lack of microhabitat specialization it uncovered suggests that microhabitat partitioning among tropical tree species at the established seedling stage is unlikely to contribute greatly to coexistence among these species.