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- Walker, M. D., et al.
(author)
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Plant community responses to experimental warming across the tundra biome
- 2006
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In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. - : Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. - 0027-8424 .- 1091-6490. ; 103:5, s. 1342-1346
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Recent observations of changes in some tundra ecosystems appear to be responses to a warming climate. Several experimental studies have shown that tundra plants and ecosystems can respond strongly to environmental change, including warming; however, most studies were limited to a single location and were of short duration and based on a variety of experimental designs. In addition, comparisons among studies are difficult because a variety of techniques have been used to achieve experimental warming and different measurements have been used to assess responses. We used metaanalysis on plant community measurements from standardized warming experiments at 11 locations across the tundra biome involved in the International Tundra Experiment. The passive warming treatment increased plant-level air temperature by 1-3 degrees C, which is in the range of predicted and observed warming for tundra regions. Responses were rapid and detected in whole plant communities after only two growing seasons. Overall, warming increased height and cover of deciduous shrubs and graminoids, decreased cover of mosses and lichens, and decreased species diversity and evenness. These results predict that warming will cause a decline in biodiversity across a wide variety of tundra, at least in the short term. They also provide rigorous experimental evidence that recently observed increases in shrub cover in many tundra regions are in response to climate warming. These changes have important implications for processes and interactions within tundra ecosystems and between tundra and the atmosphere.
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- Cornelissen, Johannes H C, et al.
(author)
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Global negative vegetation feedback to climate warming responses of leaf litter decomposition rates in cold biomes
- 2007
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In: Ecology Letters. - : Wiley. - 1461-023X .- 1461-0248. ; 10:7, s. 619-627
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Whether climate change will turn cold biomes from large long-term carbon sinks into sources is hotly debated because of the great potential for ecosystem-mediated feedbacks to global climate. Critical are the direction, magnitude and generality of climate responses of plant litter decomposition. Here, we present the first quantitative analysis of the major climate-change-related drivers of litter decomposition rates in cold northern biomes worldwide.Leaf litters collected from the predominant species in 33 global change manipulation experiments in circum-arctic-alpine ecosystems were incubated simultaneously in two contrasting arctic life zones. We demonstrate that longer-term, large-scale changes to leaf litter decomposition will be driven primarily by both direct warming effects and concomitant shifts in plant growth form composition, with a much smaller role for changes in litter quality within species. Specifically, the ongoing warming-induced expansion of shrubs with recalcitrant leaf litter across cold biomes would constitute a negative feedback to global warming. Depending on the strength of other (previously reported) positive feedbacks of shrub expansion on soil carbon turnover, this may partly counteract direct warming enhancement of litter decomposition.
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- Grdic, D, et al.
(author)
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Splenic marginal zone dendritic cells mediate the cholera toxin adjuvant effect : Dependence on the ADP-ribosyltransferase activity of the holotoxin
- 2005
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In: Journal of Immunology. - 0022-1767 .- 1550-6606. ; 175:8, s. 5192-5202
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The in vivo mechanisms of action of most vaccine adjuvants are poorly understood. In this study, we present data in mice that reveal a series of critical interactions between the cholera toxin (CT) adjuvant and the dendritic cells (DC) of the splenic marginal zone (MZ) that lead to effective priming of an immune response. For the first time, we have followed adjuvant targeting of MZ DC in vivo. We used CT-conjugated OVA and found that the Ag selectively accumulated in MZ DC following i.v. injections. The uptake of Ag into DC was GM1 ganglioside receptor dependent and mediated by the B subunit of CT (CTB). The targeted MZ DC were quite unique in their phenotype: CD11c(+), CD8 alpha(-), CD11b(-), B220(-), and expressing intermediate or low levels of MHC class II and DEC205. Whereas CTB only delivered the Ag to MZ DC, the ADP-ribosyltransferase activity of CT was required for the maturation and migration of DC to the T cell zone, where these cells distinctly up-regulated CD86, but not CD80. This interaction appeared to instruct Ag-specific CD4(+) T cells to move into the B cell follicle and strongly support germinal center formations. These events may explain why CT-conjugated Ag is substantially more immunogenic than Ag admixed with soluble CT and why CTB-conjugated Ag can tolerize immune responses when given orally or at other mucosal sites.
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- Gosch, M., et al.
(author)
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Parallel dual-color fluorescence cross-correlation spectroscopy using diffractive optical elements
- 2005
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In: Journal of Biomedical Optics. - : SPIE-Intl Soc Optical Eng. - 1083-3668 .- 1560-2281. ; 10:5
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Dual-color cross-correlation spectroscopy allows the detection and quantification of labeled biomolecules at ultra-low concentrations, whereby the sensitivity of the assay correlates with the measurement time. We now describe a parallel multifocal dual-color spectroscopic configuration employing multiple avalanche photodiodes and hardware correlators. Cross-correlation curves are obtained from several dual-color excitation foci simultaneously. Multifocal dual-color excitation is achieved by splitting each of two laser beams (488 and 633 nm) into four sub-beams with the help of two 2 X 2 fan-out diffractive optical elements (DOES), and subsequent superposition of the two sets of four foci. The fluorescence emission from double-labeled biomolecules is detected by two 2 x 2 fiber arrays.
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