EXPANSION OF THE ARCTOGEIC ELEMENT OF FLORA INTO THE BOREAL REGION (ON THE EXAMPLE OF OKHOTIA)

On the example of arctic and arctoalpine species of the sedge family (Cyperaceae Juss.), willow family (Salicaea Mirb.), saxifrage family (Saxifragaceae Juss.), buttercup family (Ranunculaceae Juss.) and rose family (Rosaceae Juss.) new points of their settlement in the subarctic mountain structures of Priokhotye are shown. The ecological adaptations of arctogenic element species to existence in mountainous conditions of low temperatures and high water content of habitats (nival lawns, the outskirts of ice crust fields, key bogs, etc.) are considered. This made it possible to clarify the main ways of arctic and arctic-alpine species dispersal in the subarctic mountain systems of the Boreal region.

Potential of Fourier Transform Mass Spectrometry (Orbitrap and Ion Cyclotron Resonance) for Speciation of the Selenium Metabolome in Selenium-Rich Yeast

The evolution of the field of element speciation, from the targeted analysis for specific element species toward a global exploratory analysis for the entirety of metal- or metalloid-related compounds present in a biological system (metallomics), requires instrumental techniques with increasing selectivity and sensitivity. The selectivity of hyphenated techniques, combining chromatography, and capillary electrophoresis with element-specific detection (usually inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, ICP MS), is often insufficient to discriminate all the species of a given element in a sample. The necessary degree of specificity can be attained by ultrahigh-resolution (R >100,000 in the m/z < 1,000 range for a 1 s scan) mass spectrometry based on the Fourier transformation of an image current of the ions moving in an Orbitrap or an ion cyclotron resonance (ICR) cell. The latest developments, allowing the separate detection of two ions differing by a mass of one electron (0.5 mDa) and the measurement of their masses with a sub-ppm accuracy, make it possible to produce comprehensive lists of the element species present in a biological sample. Moreover, the increasing capacities of multistage fragmentation often allow their de novo identification. This perspective paper critically discusses the potential state-of-the-art of implementation, and challenges in front of FT (Orbitrap and ICR) MS for a large-scale speciation analysis using, as example, the case of the metabolism of selenium by yeast.

Geobotanical distinction using the floristic method: example of the Polish Pomerania

In the geobotanical division of Poland, Pomerania was treated as a separate subdivision, divided into “coastal plains” and the “Pomeranian uplands” or, in the newest regionalization, the “Pomeranian division”. The goal of this paper is to determine how well the distinctiveness of Pomerania is floristically justified. A total of 1,467 native species occur within the area of Pomerania, representing 57.5% of the native flora of Poland. Fifty-seven species distinguishing Pomerania were selected and their phytogeographic features were discussed and compared to the Polish vascular flora. The distribution of 32 species (56.1%) is characterized as (sub)Atlantic/oceanic. Of the taxa that characterize Pomerania, 47.45% represent the northern element of the Polish flora and 7.01% the western element; species of the eastern element do not exist in Pomerania. The maximum entropy (MaxEnt) method was used for collective distribution analysis of the 57 selected taxa. The analyzes were performed using 41 environmental variables. All the species analyzed are strictly linked to the western and the North Atlantic part of Europe. Statistical evaluation of the MaxEnt model yielded an AUC value of 0.75 for both training and test. The most important environmental variables are minimum high (min_h), temperature annual range (bio07), and mean temperature of driest quarter (bio09). The results of the MaxEnt analysis allowed us also to verify the boundaries of the region and suggest new criteria for them. The southern limit of Pomerania should run along the northern boundary of the terminal moraine belt. Also, the area east of the Vistula does not contain abundant representatives of the flora characteristic for Pomerania. The results of the present study may be used for a broader discussion on the revision of the geobotanical division of Poland, at least in its northern part.

Spontaneous Microstructural Evolution and Magnetic Properties of Nano-Scale Particles Comprising Ferromagnetic Element Atoms in Cu-Ni-Fe and Cu-Ni-Co Alloys

Nano-scale granular magnetic material is a core component in next-generation recording devices. We investigated the influences of element species and composition of ferromagnetic atoms in copper-nickel base nanogranular magnetic materials. In this work, the authors focused on how microstructural evolution and magnetic properties are correlated in Cu-20at%Ni, Cu-15at%Ni-5at%Co and Cu-15at%Ni-5at%Fe alloys. We used Magneto-thermogravimetry (MTG), superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometry and first-principles calculations based on the method of Koster-Korringa-Rostker (KKR) with the Coherent Potential Approximation (CPA) in order to investigate magnetic properties. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) observations revealed that ferromagnetic element atoms were precipitated with annealing at 973K, but microstructures were changed, depending on the combination and composition of the solute atoms. The magnetic property measurements and first-principles calculations have confirmed that magnetic precipitates are responsible for the magnetic properties of the Cu-Ni-Co and Cu-Ni-Fe alloys.

Statistical Mechanics Treatment of the Broadened Snoek Relaxation Peak in Ternary Niobium–Vanadium–Oxygen Alloys

The Snoek relaxation profiles for ternary Niobium–Vanadium–Oxygen systems were analyzed by an embedded-cell model of statistical mechanics treatment. The relaxation characteristic and broadening mechanism were systematically discussed and some conflicting interpretations in the early research were clarified. The complicated Snoek spectrums of the Nb–V–O system can be resolved into a series of effective elementary Debye peaks, which result from the transitions of interstitial oxygen atoms between adjacent octahedral sites. The relaxation parameters of each elementary peak can be determined by element species and atomic arrangements within the corresponding embedded octahedron. The Snoek relaxation characteristic in Nb–V–O systems mainly depends on the sites distributions and the transitions status of the interstitial oxygen atoms, which are controlled by the site-dependence energies and the transition probabilities, respectively.

Pollinator shifts drive petal epidermal evolution on the Macaronesian Islands bird-flowered species

Pollinator shifts are considered to drive floral trait evolution, yet little is still known about the modifications of petal epidermal surface at a biogeographic region scale. Here we investigated how independent shifts from insects to passerine birds in the Macaronesian Islands consistently modified this floral trait (i.e. absence of papillate cells). Using current phylogenies and extensive evidence from field observations, we selected a total of 81 plant species and subspecies for petal microscopy and comparative analysis, including 19 of the 23 insular species pollinated by opportunistic passerine birds (Macaronesian bird-flowered element). Species relying on passerine birds as the most effective pollinators (bird-pollinated) independently evolved at least five times and in all instances associated with a loss of papillate cells, whereas species with a mixed pollination system (birds plus insects and/or other vertebrates) evolved at least five times in Macaronesia and papillate cells were lost in only 25% of these transitions. Our findings suggest that petal micromorphology is a labile trait during pollinator shifts and that papillate cells tend to be absent on those species where pollinators have limited mechanical interaction with flowers, including opportunistic passerine birds that forage by hovering or from the ground.