Stomatal control of leaf fluxes of carbonyl sulfide and CO₂ in a <i>Typha</i> freshwater marsh

Carbonyl sulfide (COS) is an emerging tracer to constrain land photosynthesis at canopy to global scales, because leaf COS and CO2 uptake processes are linked through stomatal diffusion. The COS tracer approach requires knowledge of the concentration normalized ratio of COS uptake to photosynthesis, commonly known as the leaf relative uptake (LRU). LRU is known to increase under low light, but the environmental controls over LRU variability in the field are poorly understood due to scant leaf scale observations.Here we present the first direct observations of LRU responses to environmental variables in the field. We measured leaf COS and CO2 fluxes at a freshwater marsh in summer 2013. Daytime leaf COS and CO2 uptake showed similar peaks in the mid-morning and late afternoon separated by a prolonged midday depression, highlighting the common stomatal control on diffusion. At night, in contrast to CO2, COS uptake continued, indicating partially open stomata. LRU ratios showed a clear relationship with photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), converging to 1.0 at high PAR, while increasing sharply at low PAR. Daytime integrated LRU (calculated from daytime mean COS and CO2 uptake) ranged from 1 to 1.5, with a mean of 1.2 across the campaign, significantly lower than the previously reported laboratory mean value (∼ 1.6). Our results indicate two major determinants of LRU – light and vapor deficit. Light is the primary driver of LRU because CO2 assimilation capacity increases with light, while COS consumption capacity does not. Superimposed upon the light response is a secondary effect that high vapor deficit further reduces LRU, causing LRU minima to occur in the afternoon, not at noon. The partial stomatal closure induced by high vapor deficit suppresses COS uptake more strongly than CO2 uptake because stomatal resistance is a more dominant component in the total resistance of COS. Using stomatal conductance estimates, we show that LRU variability can be explained in terms of different patterns of stomatal vs. internal limitations on COS and CO2 uptake. Our findings illustrate the stomata-driven coupling of COS and CO2 uptake during the most photosynthetically active period in the field and provide an in situ characterization of LRU – a key parameter required for the use of COS as a photosynthetic tracer

A soil diffusion–reaction model for surface COS flux: COSSM v1

Soil exchange of carbonyl sulfide (COS) is the second largest COS flux in terrestrial ecosystems. A novel application of COS is the separation of gross primary productivity (GPP) from concomitant respiration. This method requires that soil COS exchange is relatively small and can be well quantified. Existing models for soil COS flux have incorporated empirical temperature and moisture functions derived from laboratory experiments but not explicitly resolved diffusion in the soil column. We developed a mechanistic diffusion–reaction model for soil COS exchange that accounts for COS uptake and production, relates source–sink terms to environmental variables, and has an option to enable surface litter layers. We evaluated the model with field data from a wheat field (Southern Great Plains (SGP), OK, USA) and an oak woodland (Stunt Ranch Reserve, CA, USA). The model was able to reproduce all observed features of soil COS exchange such as diurnal variations and sink–source transitions. We found that soil COS uptake is strongly diffusion controlled and limited by low COS concentrations in the soil if there is COS uptake in the litter layer. The model provides novel insights into the balance between soil COS uptake and production: a higher COS production capacity was required despite lower COS emissions during the growing season compared to the post-senescence period at SGP, and unchanged COS uptake capacity despite the dominant role of COS emissions after senescence. Once there is a database of soil COS parameters for key biomes, we expect the model will also be useful to simulate soil COS exchange at regional to global scales

PhotoSpec: A new instrument to measure spatially distributed red and far-red Solar-Induced Chlorophyll Fluorescence

Solar-Induced Chlorophyll Fluorescence (SIF) is an emission of light in the 650–850 nm spectral range from the excited state of the chlorophyll-a pigment after absorption of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR). As this is directly linked to the electron transport chain in oxygenic photosynthesis, SIF is a powerful proxy for photosynthetic activity. SIF observations are relatively new and, while global scale measurements from satellites using high-resolution spectroscopy of Fraunhofer bands are becoming more available, observations at the intermediate canopy scale using these techniques are sparse. We present a novel ground-based spectrometer system - PhotoSpec - for measuring SIF in the red (670–732 nm) and far-red (729–784 nm) wavelength range as well as canopy reflectance (400–900 nm) to calculate vegetation indices, such as the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), the enhanced vegetation index (EVI), and the photochemical reflectance index (PRI). PhotoSpec includes a 2D scanning telescope unit which can be pointed to any location in a canopy with a narrow field of view (FOV = 0.7°). PhotoSpec has a high signal-to-noise ratio and spectral resolution, which allows high precision solar Fraunhofer line retrievals over the entire fluorescence wavelength range under all atmospheric conditions using a new two-step linearized least-squares retrieval procedure. Initial PhotoSpec observations include the diurnal SIF cycle of single broad leaves, grass, and dark-light transitions. Results from the first tower-based measurements in Costa Rica show that the instrument can continuously monitor SIF of several tropical species throughout the day. The PhotoSpec instrument can be used to explore the relationship between SIF, photosynthetic efficiencies, Gross Primary Productivity (GPP), and the impact of canopy radiative transfer, viewing geometry, and stress conditions at the canopy scale

Population genetic evidence for sex-specific dispersal in an inbred social spider

A grant from the One-University Open Access Fund at the University of Kansas was used to defray the author's publication fees in this Open Access journal. The Open Access Fund, administered by librarians from the KU, KU Law, and KUMC libraries, is made possible by contributions from the offices of KU Provost, KU Vice Chancellor for Research & Graduate Studies, and KUMC Vice Chancellor for Research. For more information about the Open Access Fund, please see http://library.kumc.edu/authors-fund.xml.Dispersal in most group-living species ensures gene flow among groups, but in cooperative social spiders, juvenile dispersal is suppressed and colonies are highly inbred. It has been suggested that such inbred sociality is advantageous in the short term, but likely to lead to extinction or reduced speciation rates in the long run. In this situation, very low levels of dispersal and gene flow among colonies may have unusually important impacts on fitness and persistence of social spiders. We investigated sex-specific differences in dispersal and gene flow among colonies, as reflected in the genetic structure within colonies and populations of the African social spider Stegodyphus dumicola Pocock, 1898 (Eresidae). We used DNA fingerprinting and mtDNA sequence data along with spatial mapping of colonies to compare male and female patterns of relatedness within and among colonies at three study sites. Samples were collected during and shortly after the mating season to detect sex-specific dispersal. Distribution of mtDNA haplotypes was consistent with proliferation of social nests by budding and medium- to long-distance dispersal by ballooning females. Analysis of molecular variance and spatial autocorrelation analyses of AFLPs showed high levels of genetic similarity within colonies, and STRUCTURE analyses revealed that the number of source populations contributing to colonies ranged from one to three. We also showed significant evidence of male dispersal among colonies at one site. These results support the hypothesis that in social spiders, genetic cohesion among populations is maintained by long-distance dispersal of female colony founders. Genetic diversity within colonies is maintained by colony initiation by multiple dispersing females, and adult male dispersal over short distances. Male dispersal may be particularly important in maintaining gene flow among colonies in local populations

Optimization of nanopores generated by chemical etching of swift-ion irradiated LiNbO3.

The morphology of the nanopores obtained by chemical etching on ion-beam irradiated LiNbO3 has been investigated for a variety of ions (F, Br, Kr, Cu, Pb), energies (up to 2300 MeV), and stopping powers (up to 35 keV/nm) in the electronic energy loss regime. The role of etching time and etching agent on the pore morphology, diameter, depth, and shape has also been studied. The transversal and depth profiles of the pore have been found to be quite sensitive to both, irradiation and etching parameters. Moreover, two etching regimes with different morphologies and etching rates have been identified

Exploring pressure effects on metallic nanoparticles and surrounding media through plasmonic sensing

The sensing capabilities of gold nanorods under high-pressure conditions were investigated in methanol-ethanol mixtures (up to 13 GPa) and in water (up to 9 GPa) through their optical extinction. The longitudinal SPR band of AuNR exhibits a redshift with pressure which is the result of two main competing effects: compression of the conduction electrons which increases the bulk plasma frequency (blueshift) and increase in the solvent density (redshift). The variation in de SPR peak wavelength allows us to estimate the bulk modulus of the gold nanoparticles with a precision of 10 % and to obtain analytical functions providing the pressure dependence of the refractive index of water in three phases: liquid, ice VI and ice VII. Furthermore, the SPR band shows abrupt jumps at the liquid to ice phase VI and ice phase VII transitions, which are in accordance with the first-order character of these transitions.Financial support from Project PGC2018-101464-B-I00 (FEDER) and MALTA-Consolider Team (RED2018-102612-T) of the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades is acknowledged

Seebeck Effect in Magnetic Tunnel Junctions

Creating temperature gradients in magnetic nanostructures has resulted in a new research direction, i.e., the combination of magneto- and thermoelectric effects. Here, we demonstrate the observation of one important effect of this class: the magneto-Seebeck effect. It is observed when a magnetic configuration changes the charge based Seebeck coefficient. In particular, the Seebeck coefficient changes during the transition from a parallel to an antiparallel magnetic configuration in a tunnel junction. In that respect, it is the analog to the tunneling magnetoresistance. The Seebeck coefficients in parallel and antiparallel configuration are in the order of the voltages known from the charge-Seebeck effect. The size and sign of the effect can be controlled by the composition of the electrodes' atomic layers adjacent to the barrier and the temperature. Experimentally, we realized 8.8 % magneto-Seebeck effect, which results from a voltage change of about -8.7 {\mu}V/K from the antiparallel to the parallel direction close to the predicted value of -12.1 {\mu}V/K.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figures, 2 table