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Abstract Background Sacred lotus is a basal eudicot with agricultural, medicinal, cultural and religious importance. It was domesticated in Asia about 7,000 years ago, and cultivated for its rhizomes and seeds as a food crop. It is particularly noted for its 1,300-year seed longevity and exceptional water repellency, known as the lotus effect. The latter property is due to the nanoscopic closely packed protuberances of its self-cleaning leaf surface, which have been adapted for the manufacture of a self-cleaning industrial paint, Lotusan. Results The genome of the China Antique variety of the sacred lotus was sequenced with Illumina and 454 technologies, at respective depths of 101× and 5.2×. The final assembly has a contig N50 of 38.8 kbp and a scaffold N50 of 3.4 Mbp, and covers 86.5% of the estimated 929 Mbp total genome size. The genome notably lacks the paleo-triplication observed in other eudicots, but reveals a lineage-specific duplication. The genome has evidence of slow evolution, with a 30% slower nucleotide mutation rate than observed in grape. Comparisons of the available sequenced genomes suggest a minimum gene set for vascular plants of 4,223 genes. Strikingly, the sacred lotus has 16 COG2132 multi-copper oxidase family proteins with root-specific expression; these are involved in root meristem phosphate starvation, reflecting adaptation to limited nutrient availability in an aquatic environment. Conclusions The slow nucleotide substitution rate makes the sacred lotus a better resource than the current standard, grape, for reconstructing the pan-eudicot genome, and should therefore accelerate comparative analysis between eudicots and monocots.

In this article, we investigate the use of multimedia information and communication technologies (ICTs) in integrated arts projects in two secondary schools. The ways in which teachers and students make sense of the technologies in relation to the dominant discourses of education/technology policy and educational research are explored before considering the implications for curriculum and teacher development. The ICT in the word contrad(ICT)ions is emphasised to represent the ways in which teachers and students' use of multimedia exposes and makes visible problematic issues in relation to literacy, school subjects and pedagogy. (Contains 2 notes.)

Background and Aims Understanding how climate change influences crop productivity helps in identifying new options to increase crop productivity. Soybean is the most important dicotyledonous seed crop in terms of planting area. Although the impacts of elevated atmospheric [CO2] on soybean physiology, growth and biomass accumulation have been studied extensively, the contribution of different factors to changes in season-long whole crop photosynthetic CO2 uptake [gross primary productivity (GPP)] under elevated [CO2] have not been fully quantified. Methods A 3-D canopy model combining canopy 3-D architecture, ray tracing and leaf photosynthesis was built to: (1) study the impacts of elevated [CO2] on soybean GPP across a whole growing season; (2) dissect the contribution of different factors to changes in GPP; and (3) determine the extent, if any, of synergism between [CO2] and light on changes in GPP. The model was parameterized from measurements of leaf physiology and canopy architectural parameters at the soybean Free Air CO2 Enrichment (SoyFACE) facility in Champaign, Illinois. Key Results Using this model, we showed that both a CO2 fertilization effect and changes in canopy architecture contributed to the large increase in GPP while acclimation in photosynthetic physiological parameters to elevated [CO2] and altered leaf temperature played only a minor role in the changes in GPP. Furthermore, at early developmental stages, elevated [CO2] increased leaf area index which led to increased canopy light absorption and canopy photosynthesis. At later developmental stages, on days with high ambient light levels, the proportion of leaves in a canopy limited by Rubisco carboxylation increased from 12.2 % to 35.6 %, which led to a greater enhancement of elevated [CO2] to GPP. Conclusions This study develops a new method to dissect the contribution of different factors to responses of crops under climate change. We showed that there is a synergestic effect of CO2 and light on crop growth under elevated CO2 conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When plants of Zea mays L. cv. LG11 that have been grown at optimal temperatures are transferred to chilling temperatures (0-12°C) photoinhibition of photosynthetic CO2 assimilation can occur. This study examines how growth at sub-optimal temperatures alters both photosynthetic capacity and resistance to chilling-dependent photoinhibition. Plants of Z. mays cv. LG11 were grown in controlled environments at 14, 17, 20 and 25°C. As a measure of the capacity for photosynthesis under light limiting conditions, the maximum quantum yields of CO2 assimilation (ϕa,c) and O2 evolution (ϕa,c) were determined for the laminae of the second leaves at photon fluxes of 50-150 μmol m-2s-1. To determine photosynthetic capacity at photon fluxes approaching light saturation, rates of CO2 uptake (A1500) and O2 evolution (A1500,o) were determined in a photon flux of 1500 μmol m-2s-1. In leaves developed at 14°C, ϕa,c and ϕa,o were 26 and 43%, respectively, of the values for leaves grown at 25°C. Leaves grown at 17°C showed intermediate reductions in ϕa,c and ϕa,o, whilst leaves developed at 20°C showed no significant differences from those grown at 25°C. Similar patterns of decrease were observed for A1500 and A1500,o with decreasing growth temperature. Leaves developed at 25°C showed higher rates of CO2 assimilation at all light levels and measurement temperatures in comparison to leaves developed at 17 and 14°C. A greater reduction in A1500 relative to A1500,o with decreasing growth temperature was attributed to increased stomatal limitation. Exposure of leaves to 800 1000 μmol m-2s-1. when plant temperature was depressed to ca 6.5°C produced a photoinhibition of photosynthetic CO2 assimilation in all leaves. However, in leaves developed at 17°C the decrease in A1500 following this chilling treatment was only 25% compared to 90% in leaves developed at 25°C. Recovery following chilling was completed earlier in leaves developed at 17°C. The results suggest that growth at sub-optimal temperatures induces increased tolerance to exposure to high light at chilling temperatures. This is offset by the large loss in photosynthetic capacity imposed by leaf development at sub-optimal temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fumigation of leaves with SO2 can reduce the capacity for photosynthetic CO2 uptake even in the absence of visible symptoms of damage. In vitro studies suggest that this invisible injury to intact leaves could be affected by damage to each of the main stages in the photosynthetic process. Reduced stomatal apertures may also reduce photosynthesis following SO2 fumigation. The responses of CO2 uptake by leaves to intercellular CO2 concentration and to absorbed light provide information for quantitative separation of the in vivo contribution of the different stages of photosynthesis to reduction in overall rate. This study uses these techniques to examine the basis of reduction in CO2 uptake in Zea mays cv. LG11 leaves following short‐term fumigation with SO2. Fumigation with 33 μmol m–3 SO2 for 30 min reduced light saturated CO2 uptake by about one‐third. An even greater reduction in light limited CO2 uptake was observed and with no significant change in light absorptance this was attributed to a reduced quantum yield of photosynthesis. The light saturated CO2 uptake rate and the stomatal conductance decreased in parallel. However, the relationship of CO2 uptake to the intercellular CO2 concentration suggested that the reduced stomatal conductance did not account for the reduced rate of CO2 uptake following fumigation. Both the initial slope and plateau of this relationship were significantly reduced, suggesting that both carboxylation efficiency and capacity for regeneration of CO2 acceptor were diminished by SO2 fumigation. The operating intercellular CO2 concentration indicated that both processes were co‐limiting, before and after fumigation. The time required for induction of photosynthetic CO2 uptake on illumination was approximately doubled following SO2 fumigation, showing that fumigation impairs the ability of the photosynthetic apparatus to adapt to fluctuations in light level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]