Browsing by discipline "växtbiologi"

Elevernas intresse för naturvetenskaper har minskat och en del elever anser att naturvetenskapliga läroämnen är onödiga och att undervisningen i dem är gammaldags. Ungdomar spenderar dessutom mycket mindre tid i naturen än tidigare vilket har lett till att deras kunskap och engagemang för miljön minskat. I dagens värld, med avancerad teknik och komplexa miljöproblem, är det dock viktigt att ungdomarna utvecklar en vetenskaplig och ekologisk läskunnighet för att kunna göra välinformerade och hållbara val. Syftet med den här avhandlingen var att bidra till en förnyelse av undervisningen i biologi genom att skapa aktiverande uteundervisningsuppgifter om växter. Utomhuspedagogik fungerade som didaktisk grund till uppgifterna eftersom undervisningen utförs utomhus och inkluderar aktiverande, undersökande, upplevelsebaserade, samt helhetsskapande och ämnesöverskridande element. Den här typen av undervisning föreskrivs i den nya läroplanen och forskningen påvisar dessutom att den höjer elevernas intresse och lärande i biologi samt främjar deras miljöengagemang. Det antogs finnas ett behov av färdiga undervisningsuppgifter eftersom uteundervisning är tidskrävande att planera och lärarna rapporterat om tidsbrist på arbetet. Uppgifterna fokuserade på växter eftersom kännedomen om dem generellt är sämre än kännedomen om djur och eftersom det befintliga utbudet av växtrelaterade undervisningsuppgifter är bristfälligt. Kvalitativa intervjuer och en webbenkät genomfördes med biologilärare i årskurs sju och åtta i grundskolan med avsikt ta reda på skolornas praktiska förutsättningar för uteundervisning, lärarnas åsikter om uteundervisning, samt deras önskemål jämte behov av uteundervisningsuppgifter. Fyra lärare intervjuades och 18 lärare svarade på webbenkäten. Enkäten analyserades och intervjuerna transkriberades och analyserades. Resultaten påvisade att lärarna saknar tid för att konstruera egna uteundervisningsuppgifter och att lärarna ansåg att färdiga uppgifter skulle underlätta deras arbete. Nio undervisningsuppgifter och en växtartlista skapades för att svara på lärarnas behov och inkluderade de åtta mest önskade arbetssätten. Utomhuspedagogikens fördelar utnyttjades i uppgifterna till exempel genom att mångsidigt begagna sinnesupplevelser och reflektion samt rörelse, samarbete och diskussion. Uppgifterna beaktade de praktiska förutsättningarna för uteundervisningen i skolorna genom att förlägga majoriteten av uppgifterna till hösten och våren och genom att göra uppgifterna anpassningsbara till olika naturtyper. Uppgifterna kan användas för att förverkliga läroplanens mål för utveckling av mångsidig kompetens samt de flesta målen för undervisningen i biologi, och inkluderade dessutom ämnesövergripande och helhetsskapande undervisning. Undervisningsuppgifterna som skapades kan användas för att förnya undervisningen i biologi och för att underlätta lärarnas arbete. Uppgifterna har, tack vare utomhuspedagogikens och det aktiva lärandets unika särdrag, potential att höja elevens intresse och lärande i biologi, kapacitet att utveckla kvalitativ kunskap och högre former av tänkande och dessutom utsikter att skapa ett personligt förhållande mellan eleven och naturen vilket i förlängningen kan leda till att eleven utvecklar en miljömedvetenhet och hållbar livsstil. En utmaning som synliggjordes var att lärarna inte verkar inse uteundervisningens kvalitativa mervärde utan istället antar en mer kvantitativ kunskapssyn vilket varken är förenligt med samtida forskning eller den nya läroplanen. Några av uppgifterna kommer att publiceras som en del av en nätpublikation som produceras inom ramen för ett lärarfortbildningsprojekt finansierat av Utbildningsstyrelsen och kommer således att bli tillgängliga för lärarna.

Fluctuating light conditions can cause light stress for plants. The photosynthetic apparatus can be damaged by the excess light. Light stress causes formation of reactive oxygen species in chloroplasts. Arabidopsis thaliana’s mutant radical induced cell death1 (rcd1) is tolerant to this stress. In my thesis I used a compound called methyl viologen which causes the formation of reactive oxygen species in chloroplasts. It has been used as a herbicide. By using this compound, we can make the light stress worse and see bigger differences between the rcd1 mutant and the wild type. We identified the causative gene of rcd1’s chloroplastic stress tolerance, clarified the dependence of growth light intensity for chloroplastic stress tolerance and explored possible structural differences at the cellular level between the wild type and rcd1. Finding the genes that prevent light stress would allow a light stress tolerant crop production which could make food production easier in hot and dry areas of the world. My thesis is a part of a screening study where rcd1 mutants were screened for lowered tolerance to light stress. The amount of stress of the leaves was defined by measuring the chlorophyll fluorescence. Two most promising lines which got damaged by methyl viologen were called #20 and #54. For these a backcrossing was made with the rcd1. Clear correlation was found from their offspring between the phenotype and the methyl viologen tolerance. The correlation was strongest in the line #20 so we focused on it. Small and yellowish pale individuals which resembled their parents were the most sensitive to methyl viologen. These individuals were selected for the sequencing. Candidate genes were in the chromosome 3. The most promising one was called AT3G29185 or BIOGENESIS FACTOR REQUIRED FOR ATP SYNTHASE1 (BFA1). We ordered bfa1 mutant’s seeds. We found that bfa1 mutant was itself sensitive to methyl viologen proving our observation. We discovered that methyl viologen tolerance is growth light dependent. The individuals that grew under higher intensity of light were more tolerant to methyl viologen in both the wild type and rcd1 mutant. We didn’t find structural differences at the cellular level by confocal microscopy. Thus, they can’t explain the differences in the methyl viologen tolerance.

Climate warming is expected to cause changes in winter conditions in northern regions. These changes include reduced depth and duration of the snow cover, and strong fluctuations in winter temperatures. A mesocosm experiment was planned to study the short term effects of contrasting winter conditions, and an introduced species (garden lupin; Lupinus polyphyllus), on chlorophyll fluorescence and pigment concentrations of native meadow species in southern Finland. Twelve different meadow species, representing different overwintering strategies were planted in each mesocosm at the beginning of summer in 2016 in Viikki, Helsinki. One year later, a lupin was planted in half of the mesocosms. Over the winter 2017-18, one half of the mesocosms was moved to Nåtö on the Åland islands, and the other half was moved to Lammi, Hämeenlinna. To each site, both lupin-containing mesocosms and lupin free controls were moved. In the inland site in Lammi, the mesocosms spent the winter covered by a thick snow cover that isolated them from harsh air temperatures from beginning of December to end of March. In coastal Nåtö, a thin snow cover formed in January and melted by mid-March. In the experiment, the maritime winter climate on Nåtö represented such winter conditions that are expected to be common on the mainland in the future, when climate warming progresses. Leaf chlorophyll fluorescence as well as concentrations of leaf chlorophyll and flavonoids were repeatedly measured nondestructively for all species using optical apparatus. Growth and flowering of the lupin was monitored during spring and summer 2018. No marked differences were observed in the meadow species chlorophyll fluorescence and content between sites, indicating that these are well adapted to variable winter conditions. The flavonoid composition of the meadow species seemed to be regulated by seasonal changes in light intensity and temperature. Small reductions in chlorophyll content for some species indicated that these were disadvantaged by the lupins presence. This was attributed to the lupins shadowing effect. In contrast, two evergreen species seemed to take advantage of the nitrogen input from the lupin in terms of higher chlorophyll content in summer 2018. The lupin overwintered successfully in mainland Lammi, but seemed to suffer from the maritime and snow poor winter conditions in Nåtö, which led to reduced production of leaves and inflorescences during the growing season 2018. The results indicate that native meadow species in Finland are relatively tolerant of the expected changes in mainland winter conditions, whereas these changes will be disadvantageous for the lupin.

Limasienet (Myxomycota) ovat aitoameeboihin (Amoebozoa) kuuluvia, aitotumaisia eliöitä, joiden elinkierrossa vuorottelevat yksisoluinen, yleensä haploidi ameeba- ja kenosyyttinen, diploidi limakkovaihe. Limasieniä tunnetaan noin 1000 lajia, joista Suomessa on tavattu reilut 200. Lajimonimuotoisuus on suurinta metsissä mm. karikkeessa, lahopuussa ja elävien puiden kaarnalla. Suurimman osan elämästään ne viettävät joko lepovaiheina (esim. itiöinä tai sklerootioina) tai ameeboina. Limakko kehittyy tavallisesti ameebojen pariutuessa, ja se kykenee liikkumaan hitaasti elinalustallaan etsien ravinnokseen mm. bakteereja ja sieni-itiöitä. Sopivissa olosuhteissa limakko muuttuu kokonaisuudessaan itiöpesäkkeiksi, joissa syntyvät meioottiset itiöt. Kaarnalimasienet ovat sopeutuneet viemään koko elinkiertonsa läpi elävien puiden kaarnalla. Niiden lepoasteet kestävät kasvualustalleen tyypillisiä ääreviä ja nopeasti vaihtuvia kosteus- ja lämpöoloja. Elinkierto ja limakkovaihe ovat yleensä nopeita ja limakot sekä itiöpesäkkeet pienikokoisia, tuskin silmin havaittavia. Ehdottomien kaarnalajien lisäksi kaarnalla elää myös joukko laaja-alaisempia ja opportunistisia lajeja. Tässä tutkimuksessa kartoitettiin kaarnalimasienten lajistoa 15 yleisellä, Suomessa luonnonvaraisena esiintyvällä puulajilla ja neljällä eri kasvillisuusvyöhykkeellä (boreaalisen vyöhykkeen alavyöhykkeellä). Tavoitteena oli selvittää lajiston lisäksi, onko eri isäntäpuulajien tai vyöhykkeiden välillä eroja limasienilajistossa. Kaarnanäytteitä kerättiin yhteensä 196 puuyksilöstä (yksi näyte/yksilö) hemi-, etelä- ja pohjoisboreaaliselta sekä orohemiarktiselta vyöhykkeeltä. Näytteistä kasvatettiin limasieniä kosteakammioviljelmissä, ja itiöpesäkkeitä tuottaneet lajit tunnistettiin ja valokuvattiin. Puulajien ja vyöhykkeiden eroja tutkittiin tilastollisin menetelmin. Lisäksi mitattiin ja tutkittiin kaarnan happamuuden ja vedenpidätyskyvyn vaikutusta limasienilajistoon. Kaarnanäytteistä 65 % tuotti limasienten itiöpesäkkeitä. Tutkituilta 15 puulajilta löytyi yhteensä 23 tunnistettua limasienilajia, joista kaksi hapsista (suku Echinostelium) havaittiin nyt Suomessa ensi kertaa. Yhden puulajin limasienilajien lukumäärä vaihteli välillä 1-9 ja vyöhykkeittäin 1-19. Sekä puulajien että vyöhykkeiden välillä havaittiin merkitseviä eroja, eli ainakin osa limasienilajeista vaikuttaa suosivan tiettyjä isäntäpuulajeja tai lajiryhmiä (esim. havu- tai lehtipuita) ja painottuvan levinneisyydeltään maan etelä- tai pohjoisosiin. Toisaalta muutamaa limasienilajia esiintyi hyvin laajalti eri puilla ja alueilla. Kasvualustan happamuuden ja vedenpidätyskyvyn vaikutukset lajistoon eivät olleet yksiselitteisiä. Tutkimustulosten perusteella limasienet ovat sienten ja jäkälien tavoin hyvin yleinen osa kaarnan mikrobistoa, eikä niiden esiintyminen eri puulajeilla tai kasvillisuusvyöhykkeillä ole täysin satunnaista. Tulokset tukivat useiden aiempien tutkimusten tuloksia kaarnalimasienten puulaji- ja aluespesifisyydestä. Edellä kuvattu tutkimus oli puulajien osalta laajin tähän mennessä tehty selvitys Suomen kaarnalimasienistä.

Niittyliekosammal (Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus) esiintyy poh-joisen pallonpuoliskon lauhkealla ja viileällä vyöhykkeellä. Suomessa se esiintyy yleisenä Etelä- ja Keskiosissa sekä har-vinaisena tai puuttuvana Lapissa. Laji on heikko kilpailija ja menestyy parhaiten kulttuurivaikutteisilla kasvupaikoilla. Sen arvellaan myös suosivan mereistä ilmastoa. Niittyliekosammal on kaksikotinen, joten siittiö- ja munape-säkkeet ovat eri kasveissa. Kaksikotisilla sammalilla, joiden primaarinen sukupuolijakauma on teoriassa 1:1, on usein vinou-tunut jakauma populaatiotasolla. Pääsyynä vinoutumaan pidetään sukupuolten erilaisia resurssivaatimuksia. Ympäristötekijöiden lisäksi myös perimä säätelee sukupuolijakaumaa. Kaksikotisuus ja vinoutunut sukupuolijakauma alentavat hedelmöittymistoden-näköisyyttä ja niittyliekosammal lisääntyykin pääasiassa kas-vullisesti. Erikoistuneita leviäimiä lajilla ei tunneta, joten tämä tapahtuu irronneiden versojen tai näiden osien avulla. Tämän opinnäytetyön päätarkoitus oli selvittää niittyliekosam-malen sukupuolijakaumaa sekä mahdollisia eroja siinä eri si-jaintipaikoilla kasvavien populaatioiden välillä. Aineisto ke-rättiin Mäntyharjulta sekä Helsingistä ja tutkittujen näyttei-den kokonaismäärä oli 675 kpl. Sukupuolen määritin sukusolu-pesäkkeiden perusteella ja jakaumien vertailuun käytin riippu-mattomuustestiä. Lajin sukupuolijakaumaa ei ole aikaisemmin tutkittu Suomen oloissa, joten tämän tutkimuksen myötä syntyi myös aineistoa eri maiden väliseen vertailuun. Kasvatuskokeen avulla tutkin myös millä verson osilla lajin suvuton lisäänty-minen tehokkaimmin tapahtuu. Kasvimuseon herbaarionäytteiden pohjalta tarkastelin lisäksi niittyliekosammalen ajallista ja paikallista esiintymistä Suomessa. Tutkimukseen kerätyn aineiston perusteella niittyliekosammalen sukupuolijakauma oli naaraspainotteinen. Jakaumat kuitenkin erosivat toisistaan sekä paikkakuntien että saman paikkakunnan populaatioiden välillä. Sukupuolijakaumat erosivat toisistaan myös maiden välisessä vertailussa. Eri ilmastovyöhykkeet voi-vat osaltaan selittää jakaumien eroja paikkakuntien ja maiden välillä. Lisääntymistä selvittävässä kasvatuskokeessa versojen kasvu painottui ainakin alkuvaiheessa sivuhaaroihin. Alkuperäisten sivuhaarojen kasvu oli tehokkainta verson nuoremmissa osissa. Uusien sivuhaarojen tuotto oli yleisempää versoissa, joissa oli mukana verson alempien osien vanhempaa solukkoa. Verson runsas sivuhaarojen määrä korreloi negatiivisesti irtoamisen jälkeiseen kasvuun. Juurtumahapsiston kasvu oli hyvin vähäistä ja irronneiden lehtien avulla tapahtuvaa kasvua ei ilmennyt. Herbaarionäytteitä oli kerätty aikavälillä 1812–2010. Eliömaa-kunnittaisessa vertailussa näytemäärä heijasti pääpiirteissään lajin kirjallisuudessa mainittua esiintymisrunsautta sekä väestöjakaumaa Suomessa. Itiöpesäkkeitä sisältävät herbaario-näytteet oli kerätty Maamme eteläosissa ja niiden suhteellinen osuus oli suurin Karjalan kannaksella ja Ahvenanmaalla. Kym-menvuotiskausilla 1860–1909 itiöpesäkkeitä sisältävien näyt-teiden osuus oli selkeästi suurempi kuin muina ajanjaksoina.

Peatlands are roughly divided into bogs, which are dry and ombotrophic, and fens, which are wet and minerotrophic. Bog vegetation typically consists of dwarf shrubs, lichens, and especially of peat forming white mosses Sphagna spp. White mosses, yet different taxa, also occur on fens and are accompanied by various sedges Carex spp. and Eriophorum spp. Human activities are changing the climate. These activities increase greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere, which in turn causes global climate warming. It is not yet resolved how the warming is affecting the ecosystems and what are the response mechanisms. Peatlands cover a considerable area, i.e. 4 million square kilometres of the Northern hemisphere, including continuous, intermittent or sporadic permafrost, the latter especially vulnerable to thawing. Since their formation following the deglaciation ca. 11 700 years ago, the Northern hemisphere peatlands have acted as carbon sinks storing great amount of atmospheric carbon as accumulated peat. This is due to the slow decomposition rate under cold climate. Simultaneously peatlands release carbon back to the atmosphere via microbial activity, which is largely regulated by hydrological conditions and associated plant composition. Carbon dioxide (CO2) release in aerobic conditions happens mainly through respiration of the living organisms, while in wet anaerobic conditions methane (CH4) is released due to methanogenic processes. The rate of peat, i.e. carbon, accumulation and release has varied over time due to for instance prevailing climate conditions. Mire surface is a mosaic of hydrological and thus vegetational patterns. Different taxa thrive in different growing conditions and furthermore, respectively, can affect the carbon dynamics. While long-term autogenic succession changes surface vegetation and microtopography, also allogenic forcing, such as climate and warming alter habitat conditions and for instance lead to permafrost thawing. Currently, especially thawing of permafrost is a concern worth noticing. Thawing ice might cause water saturated conditions, which in turn may lead to increase in methane emissions. Past changes in prevailing vegetation can be studied through stratigraphical examinations of peat. The accumulated peat layers reflect drier and wetter conditions, and these can be identified by distinguishing the remaining plant macrofossils. The reconstructed changes in past vegetation can be dated with radiometric methods and then compared with paleoecological climate data or meteorological measurements to evaluate if the changes in vegetation and carbon accumulation correspond to changes in climate. In this study I investigate the relationship between past changes and peatland vegetation, carbon accumulation and climate. The focus time period covers the last centuries. My thesis consists of two case studies from northern Sweden permafrost peatland areas, Abisko and Tavvavuoma. The two main taxa, which dominated the plant assemblage were Sphagnum fuscum and Dicranum elongatum. In Tavvavuoma the plant composition varied more than composition in Abisko. Also, the oldest peat section was from Tavvavuoma, where bottom age of the peat section was ca. 8000 years old. The peat and carbon accumulation data indicate similar patterns for both study sites. No clear signs of the generally warmer Medieval Climate Anomaly or colder Little Ice Age were found in my data, but at both study sites the warming after Little Ice Age has shifted vegetation towards a drier assemblage and this has affected the carbon accumulation rates positively especially since the turn to 20th century. According to my data, it can be suggested that vegetation composition and carbon accumulation follow the climatological and thus hydrological conditions, thus my results are in accordance with earlier studies.

Some flavonoids are thought to have antioxidant functions in plants, but this is still controversial because of a lack of in planta evidence. Methyl viologen (MV) sensitivity was assayed in sterile culture by growing seven day old Arabidopsis seedlings on 0.5x MS media supplemented with and without MV. Seedlings grew for 9 days after that, and then were photographed and root growth measured. We used several flavonoid deficient Arabidopsis transparent testa (tt) mutants and found they were hypersensitive to MV that produces reactive oxygen species (ROS) in chloroplasts and mitochondria. Flavonoids are transported into different compartments of the cell via a specific flavonoid transport system but no chloroplastic or mitochondrial transporters are currently known. To identify potential chloroplastic and mitochondrial transporters, knockout mutants of candidate MATE and ABC transporters have been screened for MV sensitivity. Flavonoids modulate auxin transport, which raises the possibility of passive effects through auxin during ROS sensitivity. To test whether auxin or the inhibitions of auxin transport have a role in protecting against ROS stress, MV sensitivity was assayed under exogenous treatment of artificial auxin (NAA) and an auxin transport inhibitor (NPA) during MV stress. From this study, we obtained data about the role of flavonoids and auxin in ROS signalling. The inhibition of auxin transport modulated MV sensitivity. We found that NAA had no effect or very modest effect. However, a protective effect of NPA was observed that helps against ROS formation, mimicking the effect of flavonoids. NPA induced more protection. One MATE transporter also gave the mimic of (tt) phenotype, however their role in the movement of flavonoids into or out of the chloroplast or mitochondria remains unclear, as they may be transporting some other protective agent that helps against oxidative stress. However, At1g54350 is a candidate for further testing.

In winter plants are exposed to harsh winter conditions with low temperatures being one of the major challenging factors. Traditionally winter has been considered a period unfavourable for plant growth and activity, but newer findings reveal higher levels of activity than previously assumed possible. Adaptations to different winter conditions are observed between species but also within species between populations which can be expressed in differing phenology between populations. Dormancy is a widespread phenomenon in the plant kingdom with major importance in plant evolution. Dormancy is considered to be present in seeds and buds of a wide spectre of plant groups, but asexual reproductive units like bulbils have been thought to lack the ability to undergo the phenomenon of dormancy. Findings suggest that a dormancy-like phenomenon can also be present in bulbils. Allium oleraceum is a bulb forming geophyte with a widespread distribution in Europe that grows on many differing habitats. The predominate form of reproduction in the species is the vegetative formation of bulbils. The wide distribution has led to adaptation to different environmental conditions, furthermore the species displays six levels of polyploidi partially differing in traits like ecology. The differences between cytotypes are regional and there are large intracytotytpic variations. In Finland tetra- and pentaploid populations have been reported, differing in their distribution patterns. The Finnish cytotypes exhibit differences in morphology but there is also evidence for ecological differences between the cytotypes. In addition, there is an atypical tetraploid population which differ significantly morphologically from other tetraploid populations. The objective of this master’s project was to examine the growth of bulbils from three different origins of Allium oleraceum. Another objective of the experiment was to give information on differences between the cytotypes in Finland, tetra- and pentaploids, but also the atypical tetraploid cytotype. Furthermore, I investigated whether the bulbils exhibit a dormancy-like phenomenon, with a special focal point on dormancy according to Vegis’ theory (1964). Earlier findings have shown considerable capability of growth during winter in Allium oleraceum, which is also examined in this project. The experiment included collected bulbils from two localities. Tetra- and pentaploid bulbils were collected from a mixed population of both cytotypes in Tvärminne, Hangö, and tetraploid bulbils were also collected from the atypical tetraploid population on Sveaborg, Helsingfors. Growth experiments were done outside and in growth chambers with controlled temperature and light conditions. The bulbils were planted outside in early autumn. Of each origin one group was kept outside during the entire winter, one group was put in growth chambers in December and one group was put in growth chambers in February to examine the effect of differing winter length on growth. During the experiment, the timing of growth onset in bulbs and leaf growth was followed up. The origins included in this project exhibited considerable differences. The pentaploid cytotype from Tvärminne had bulbils of greater size than the tetraploid cytotypes, between which there was only an indication of a difference. For the bulbils from the atypical tetraploid population growth onset took place early in the autumn and the vast majority of the bulbils started growing in a short period of time. For the two origins from Tvärminne the growth onset took place later and a considerable number of bulbils started growing in the spring. The tetraploid cytotype from Tvärminne exhibited earlier growth onset and a higher share of bulbils started growing in the autumn than the pentaploid cytotype from Tvärminne. In the growth chambers the differences between the three origins were not as obvious but the two cytotypes from Tvärminne were affected by the timing of the experiment more than the atypical tetraploid cytotype from Sveaborg. The observed differences between the origins in the experiment are thought reflect the different distribution patterns of the cytotypes and could hence be adaptations to different conditions. The atypical tetraploid population could be of Central European origin which would mean that it could have adaptations to mild winters which would explain the big difference between this origin and the two other origins. Between the two experiments in the growth chambers significant differences were observed. The growth was considerably greater in February than in December for all origins, especially in the midmost temperatures. The observed differences between the two experiments signifies that bulbils of Allium oleraceum exhibits a dormancy-like phenomenon and according to Vegis’ theory. In contrary to earlier findings, only little growth was observed during winter. The lack of considerable growth could be explained by the thick snow cover which made the amount of light that reached the plants very low which then led to little growth. The results from this project suggest that there are differences between the three different origins of bulbils included. Further studies are needed to find out if the observer differences are adaptations to local conditions or if there are differences on a higher level between the Finnish cytotypes.