The variation in fine root traits in terms of size inequality at the individual root level can be identified as a strategy for adapting to the drastic changes in soil water and nutrient availabilities. The Gini and Lorenz asymmetry coefficients have been applied to describe the overall degree of size inequality, which, however, are neglected when conventional statistical means are calculated. H...

Although most studies have shown that water uptake varies along the length of a developing root, there is no consistent correlation of this pattern with root anatomy. In the present study, water movement into three zones of onion roots was measured by a series of mini-potometers. Uptake was least in the youngest zone (mean hydraulic conductivity, Lpr = 1.5 x 10(-7) +/- 0.34 x 10(-7) m MPa-1 s-1...

Vestimentiferan tubeworms have no mouth or gut, and the majority of their nutritional requirements are provided by endosymbiotic bacteria that utilize hydrogen sulfide oxidation to fix CO(2) into organic molecules. It has been assumed that all vestimentiferans obtain the sulfide, O(2) and CO(2) needed by the bacteria across the plume (gill) surface, but some live in locations where very little ...

The aim of our experiments was to investigate whether nutrient deficiency or toxicity is the cause for growth inhibition of wheat and barley in waterlogged soils. Experiments using two soils (top and subsoil) differing largely in various characteristics revealed a growth inhibition of wheat and barley in the case of subsoil due to water logging, without Fe or Mn toxicity. Water culture experime...

Water deficit conditions, in addition to reduced water uptake, result in a reduction in nutrient uptake, and consequently, a substantial reduction in growth parameters, yield and quality. Substrate inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) as an environmentally friendly biofertilizer is an important strategy to improve the growth parameters and quality of products in such conditions. ...

Although short-rotation woody crop biomass production technology has demonstrated a promising potential to supply feedstocks for bioenergy production, the water and nutrient processes in the woody crop planation ecosystem are poorly understood. In this study, a computer model was developed to estimate the dynamics of water and nitrogen (N) species (e.g., NH-N, NO-N, particulate organic N, and s...

Two lead (Pb)-resistant endophytic bacteria were isolated from rape roots grown in heavy metal-contaminated soils and characterized. A pot experiment was conducted for investigating the capability of the two isolates to promote the growth and Pb uptake of rape from Pb-amended soil. The two isolates were identified as Pseudomonas fluorescens G10 and Microbacterium sp. G16 based on the 16S rDNA g...