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Humic Substances Affect the Activity of Chlorophyllase

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Abstract

Three humic substances—humic acid, fulvic acid, and humin—were isolated from soils located in the northern and southern forests of the Yuanyang Lake Nature Preserve in northern Taiwan's Ilan County. Aqueous extracts of fresh wet soil and of three humic substances, at concentrations of 0.125, 0.25, and 0.5 mg/ml, were investigated for their effects on the activities of chlorophyllase a and b. Aqueous extracts of forest soils at the northern and southern bank, dominated by the pure vegetation of Formosan False cypress (Chamaecyparis formosensis Matsum), stimulate both chlorophyllase a and b activities, while those of the southern bank, dominated by a Taiwanese Miscanthus (Miscanthus transmorrisonensis Hayata), inhibits such activities. All three humic substances, despite their soil sources, stimulate the activities of both chlorophyllase a and b. Fulvic acid stimulates more chlorophyllase a activity than either humic acid or humin. Humic acid stimulates more activity of chlorophyllase b than either fulvic acid or humin. Humin exhibited the least effect on chlorophyllase a and b. It is suggested that humic substances in the soil may accelerate the chlorophyll degradation of litter in the ecosystem and that chlorophyllase a and b may be different enzymes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Botany and Research Center for Biodiversity, Academia Sinica, Nankang, Taipei, Taiwan 115, Republic of China

    Chi-Ming Yang & Ing-Feng Chang

  2. Department of Environmental Engineering and Management, Chaoyang University of Technology, Wufeng, Taichung County, Taiwan 413, Republic of China

    Ming-Chao Wang & Yi-Feng Lu

  3. Institute of Tropical Agriculture and International Cooperation, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Neipu, Pingtung, Taiwan 912, Republic of China

    Chang-Hung Chou

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  1. Chi-Ming Yang
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  2. Ming-Chao Wang
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  3. Yi-Feng Lu
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  4. Ing-Feng Chang
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Correspondence to Chi-Ming Yang.

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Yang, CM., Wang, MC., Lu, YF. et al. Humic Substances Affect the Activity of Chlorophyllase. J Chem Ecol 30, 1057–1065 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:JOEC.0000028467.82191.f9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:JOEC.0000028467.82191.f9

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