Significant Phylogenetic Signal and Climate-Related Trends in Leaf Caloric Value from Tropical to Cold-Temperate Forests.

Leaf caloric value (LCV) is a useful index to represent the conversion efficiency of leaves for solar energy. We investigated the spatial pattern of LCV and explored the factors (phylogeny, climate, and soil) that influence them at a large scale by determining LCV standardized by leaf area in 920 plant species from nine forest communities along the 3700 km North-South Transect of Eastern China. LCV ranged from 0.

Leaf Caloric Value from Tropical to Cold-Temperate Forests: Latitudinal Patterns and Linkage to Productivity.

Leaf caloric value (LCV) reflects the capacity of a leaf to fix and accumulate solar energy through photosynthesis. We systematically investigated the LCV of 745 plant species in 9 forests, representing a range of tropical to cold-temperate forests along the 4700-km North-South Transect of Eastern China. The goals were to explore the latitudinal patterns of LCV at the levels of species, plant functional group, and community and to establish the relationship between LCV and gross primary productivity (GPP).

Purification and side chain selective chemical modifications of glutamate dehydrogenase from Bacillus subtilis natto.

Glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) from Bacillus subtilis natto was purified to apparent homogeneity by ammonium sulfate precipitation, ion-exchange chromatography, size exclusion chromatography, and hydroxyapatite (HA) affinity chromatography. The GDH was purified 34-fold, with a yield of 41 % of total activity and a specific activity of 34.29 U/mg proteins.