There is always plenty of room at the top 2008.09.03 “There is plenty of room at the top -- but no place to sit down.” 是一句鼓励人乐观和力争上游的成语。 今天下午在UC Santa Barbara化学系和化工系做报告，题目是：New Opportunities in the Interface Studies with Nonlinear Spectroscopy。 这个报告是是美国国家科学基金会（NSF-US）的国际研究与教育合作项目PIRE-ECCI（PARTNERSHIP FOR INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH AND EDUCATION－ELECTRON CHEMISTRY AND CATALYSIS AT INTERFACES）的系列学术报告之一。PIRE-ECCI项目由美国UC－Santa Barbara大学和中国科学院大连化物所主持，也得到了中国国家自然科学基金会（NSFC）和中国国家科技部（MOST）以及中国科学院（CAS）的大力支持。作为参与者，我是第二次在UC Santa Barbara作PIRE-ECCI项目的学术报告。我上次的报告是2005年9月22日，是PIRE-ECCI项目的第一个报告。报告相关的信息和摘要可以在以下有关PIRE-ECCI Seminar的网页找到。 PIRE-ECCI Seminar信息链接： http://pire-ecci.ucsb.edu/seminars/Seminars.htm 有关PIRE-ECCI的博文《有朋自远方来》链接： http://www.sciencenet.cn/blog/user_content.aspx?id=3869 晚上和化学系的三位教授到Goleta海滩上的Beachside Bar Cafe一起晚餐。在Peter Ford教授的车上我和他谈到现在研究生普遍觉得学习和找工作的压力很大。Ford教授对我说：Why worry? There is always plenty of room at the top. There is always plenty of jobs for good people with good ideas. 我说: I fully agree. When I was graduate student at Columbia, quite many fellow students worried a lot about finding jobs. I just told myself that just try to be a good physical chemist. By the way, it is really interesting. I remember that Richard Feynman said that There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom. And now you say that There is always plenty of room at the top. Ford教授说：You know what. When I was undergraduate student at CalTech, Feynman taught us general physics, and our general chemistry was taught by Pauling. It was really fun. Feynman《There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom》演讲链接： http://www.zyvex.com/nanotech/feynman.html Feynman的那句话，几乎所有做纳米研究的人都知道。但Ford教授的这句话，我不知道会有多少人知道。我也不知道有多少人会真正同意Ford教授的这句话。 不同意的Ford教授的人们可能会说：Too simple, too naive. 我择其善者而从之。
见这里： http://blog.lib.umn.edu/denis036/thisweekinevolution/ 由University of Minnesota的R. Ford Denison教授做的，题目是： This Week in Evolution Each week I discuss one of the hundreds of papers with new data on evolution, published in the past month. 他的相关资料见这下： R. Ford Denison Adjunct Professor, Dept. of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior Ph.D., Cornell University, 1983 Contact Information Phone: 612-626-6462 Fax: 612-624-6777 E-mail: denis036@umn.edu Graduate Faculty Memberships Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Plant Biological Sciences Research Interests Evolution of mutualism (especially legumes and rhizobia); implications of past and ongoing evolution for agriculture. Statement How does evolution based on selfish genes maintain cooperation? We are trying to answer this question for rhizobia, symbiotic bacteria that infect legume plants like alfalfa or soybean and (to varying extents) supply them with nitrogen. Fixing nitrogen is costly for rhizobia, so why haven't rhizobia that supply their plant hosts with nitrogen (indirectly benefiting competing rhizobia infecting the same plant) been completely displaced by ineffective rhizobia? Why are ineffective rhizobia common enough to be a problem in some soils but not others? This research may lead to practical applications, such as legume crops that selectively enrich the soil with the most-beneficial local strains of rhizobia. This research may also be relevant to other cases where symbiosis breaks down, as in coral bleaching. As time allows, I also hope to explore other applications of modern evolutionary theory, pursuing some of the ideas in our paper on Darwinian Agriculture. To pursue my research objectives, I have often had to develop new tools, including mechanistic computer models and noninvasive scientific instruments, such as the nodule oximeter or a laser-scanner measure green leaf area index in the field. Selected Publications Kiers, E.T., R.A. Rousseau, and R.F. Denison. 2006. Measured sanctions: legume hosts detect quantitative variation in rhizobium cooperation and punish accordingly. Evolutionary Ecology Research 8:1077-1086. R.F. Denison and E.T. Kiers. 2004. Lifestyle alternatives for rhizobia: mutualism, parasitism, and forgoing symbiosis. FEMS Microbiology Letters 237:187-193. Martini, E.A., J.S. Buyer, D.C. Bryant, T.K. Hartz, and R.F. Denison. 2004. Yield increases during the organic transition: improving soil quality or increasing experience? Field Crops Research 86:255-266. Kiers, E.T., R.A. Rousseau, S.A. West, and R.F. Denison. 2003. Host sanctions and the legume-rhizobium mutualism. Nature 425:78-81. Kinraide, T.B., and R.F. Denison. 2003. Strong inference, the way of science. American Biology Teacher 65:419-424. Denison, R.F., E.T. Kiers, and S.A. West. 2003. Darwinian Agriculture: When can humans find solutions beyond the reach of natural selection? Quarterly Review of Biology 78:145-168. Denison, R.F., C. Bledsoe, M. Kahn, F. O'Gara, E.L. Simms,and L.S. Thomashow. 2003. Cooperation in the rhizosphere and the free rider problem. Ecology 84:838-845. Denison, R.F. 2000. Legume sanctions and the evolution of symbiotic cooperation by rhizobia. American Naturalist 156:567-576. 另外他以前在UCDavis的网站也对他自己做了很详细的介绍： R. Ford Denison, Professor Emeritus, UC Davis New Address Darwinian Agriculture Teaching Research and Grants Publications Education and Employment Mathematical Models Lectures, Essays, and Rants From 1993 through 2002, R. FORD DENISON taught crop ecology and conducted research at the University of California, Davis, on topics ranging from agricultural sustainability to the evolution of cooperation between microbes and plants. For most of this time, he directed the world's youngest 100-year experiment (LTRAS.ucdavis.edu) , tracking the long-term trends that determine agricultural sustainability. His work on symbiotic nitrogen fixation, a possible alternative to nitrogen fertilizers, has led to a patent and publications in journals from Nature to Field Crops Research . One recent paper, Darwinian Agriculture : When Can Humans Find Solutions Beyond the Reach of Natural Selection? points out some limitations both of agricultural biotechnology and of agriculture that mimics natural ecosystems. He has been interviewed on National Public Radio, Science Update (AAAS), and DeutschlandRadio and has been an invited speaker at international meetings and at institutions from Japan's National Agricultural Research Center to the Scripps Institute of Oceanography. He was educated at Harvard, Evergreen , and Cornell, where he earned a Ph.D. in Crop Science, with postdoctoral and sabbatical research at UC Davis, UCLA, Queen's University (Ontario), Welsh Plant Breeding Station (Aberystwyth), and University of Minnesota. His research has been supported by NSF, USDA, and California's Agricultural Experiment Station. This web page was last updated May 2005, when he moved to the University of Minnesota. Teaching PLB 142. Ecology of Crop Systems (4) II. Denison. Lecture, 3 hours; discussion, 1 hour. Prerequisite: Agricultural Systems and Environment 2 or Biological Sciences 1C; Math 16A or Physics 1A, or consent of instructor. Ecological processes governing the structure and behavior of managed ecosystems. Emphasis on mechanistic and systems views of the physical environment, photosynthetic productivity, competition, adaptation, nutrient cycling, energy relations and contemporary issues such as climate change. PBI 225. Methods and Instrumentation for Crop and Soil Science (3) III. Denison, Hsiao, Hartz, Mitchell, Pettygrove, Scow van Kessel. Lecture, 1 hour; discussion, 1 hour; laboratory, 3 hours. Prerequisite: Basic knowledge of plant physiology, soil science, chemistry and physics. Theory and practice of in situ sampling and instrumentation methods for crop science and related aspects of soil science (e.g. moisture and fertility) and laboratory analysis. Not offered every year. The challenge of cooperation: from bacteria to humans (Spring 2004) Defense Against Dark Information (freshman seminar, Fall 2003) Featured speaker at workshop Education for Sustainable Agriculture, California State University, Chico, March 26, 1999. Agroecology Seminar Series (Winter 1999 and 2000) and student participatory seminars. Research How does evolution based on selfish genes maintain cooperation? We are trying to answer this question for rhizobia, symbiotic bacteria that infect legume plants like alfalfa or soybean and (to varying extents) supply them with nitrogen. Fixing nitrogen is costly for rhizobia, so why haven't rhizobia that supply their plant hosts with nitrogen (indirectly benefiting competing rhizobia infecting the same plant) been completely displaced by ineffective rhizobia? Why are ineffective rhizobia common enough to be a problem in some soils but not others? This research may lead to practical applications, such as legume crops that selectively enrich the soil with the most-beneficial local strains of rhizobia. This research may also be relevant to other cases where symbiosis breaks down, as in coral bleaching. As time allows, I also hope to explore other applications of modern evolutionary theory, pursuing some of the ideas in our paper on Darwinian Agriculture. Steve Kaffka has replaced me as Director of LTRAS , but I remain interested in scientific approaches to the problem of long-term sustainability, especially that of agriculture. To pursue my research objectives, I have often had to develop new tools, including mechanistic computer models and noninvasive scientific instruments, such as the nodule oximeter or a laser-scanner (at right) to measure green leaf area index in the field. Grants Explaining variation in legume-rhizobium mutualism. 8/04-7/07. NSF, Ecological and Evolutionary Physiology program. Other recent grants on which I was principal investigator or co-PI include: Legume-rhizobium interactions that maintain mutualism. 8/02-7/04. NSF. Cooperation and conflict in the legume-rhizobium symbiosis . 9/00-8/02. NSF. Can soil quality trends explain the organic transition effect? 7/98-6/01. Kearney Foundation. Physical changes associated with stress-induced changes in nodule oxygen permeability. 12/99-12/01. USDA/NRI. Long-Term Sustainability of Irrigated Agriculture. 9/96-9/98. USDA/NRI. Developing Site-Specific Farming Information for Cropping Systems in California. Calif. Fertilizer Research Education Program. Real-time Educational Monitoring Of The Environment ( REMOTE ). UC Instructional Use of Computers program. Patent Method and Apparatus for Measuring Oxygen Concentration and its Subsequent Use in Estimating Nitrogen Fixation in Plants. D.B. Layzell, S. Hunt, G. Palmer, R.F. Denison. #5,096,294 . Publications E.T. Kiers, S.A. West, and R.F. Denison. 2005? Maintaining cooperation in the legume-rhizobia symbiosis: identifying selection pressures and mechanisms. In: J. Sprent and E. James (eds.) Leguminous Symbioses. Kluwer Academic Publishers (in press). Kong, A.Y., J. Six, D.C. Bryant, R.F. Denison, and C. van Kessel. 2005. The relationship between carbon input, aggregation, and soil organic carbon stabilization in sustainable cropping systems. Soil Science Society of America Journal (in press). R.F. Denison and E.T. Kiers. 2005. Sustainable crop nutrition: constraints and opportunities. In : M. Broadley (ed.) Plant Nutritional Genomics. Blackwell. Hasegawa, H., and R.F. Denison. 2005. Model predictions of winter rainfall effects on N dynamics of winter wheat rotation following legume cover crop or fallow. Field Crops Research 91:251-261. R.F. Denison and E.T. Kiers. 2004. Why are most rhizobia beneficial to their plant hosts, rather than parasitic? (Invited review.) Microbes and Infection 6:1235-1239. R.F. Denison and E.T. Kiers. 2004. Lifestyle alternatives for rhizobia: mutualism, parasitism, and forgoing symbiosis. (Invited review.) FEMS Microbiology Letters 237:187-193. Denison, R.F., D.C. Bryant, and T.E. Kearney. 2004. Crop yields over the first nine years of LTRAS, a long-term comparison of field crop systems in a Mediterranean climate. Field Crops Research 86:267-277 . Martini, E.A., J.S. Buyer, D.C. Bryant, T.K. Hartz, and R.F. Denison. 2004. Yield increases during the organic transition: improving soil quality or increasing experience? Field Crops Research 86:255-266 . Okano, Y., K.R. Hristova, C. Leutenegger, L. Jackson, R.F. Denison, B. Gebreyesus, D. LeBauer, and K.M. Scow. 2004. Effects of ammonium on the population size of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria in soil -- Application of real-time PCR. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 70:1008-1016. Kiers, E.T., R.A. Rousseau, S.A. West, and R.F. Denison. 2003. Host sanctions and the legume-rhizobium mutualism. Nature 425:78-81 . Widely covered in scientific and popular press . Kinraide, T.B., and R.F. Denison. 2003. Strong inference, the way of science. American Biology Teacher 65:419-424. Denison, R.F., E.T. Kiers, and S.A. West. 2003. Darwinian Agriculture: When can humans find solutions beyond the reach of natural selection? Quarterly Review of Biology 78:145-168. See updates and commentary . Denison, R.F., C. Bledsoe, M. Kahn, F. O'Gara, E.L. Simms,and L.S. Thomashow. 2003. Cooperation in the rhizosphere and the free rider problem. Ecology 84:838-845 . Denison, R.F., and Y. Okano. 2003. Leghemoglobin oxygenation gradients in alfalfa and yellow sweetclover nodules. Journal of Experimental Botany 54:1085-1091 . Kiers, E.T., S.A. West R.F. Denison. 2002. Mediating mutualisms: the influence of farm management practices on the evolutionary maintenance of symbiont cooperation. Journal of Applied Ecology 39:745-754 . West, S.A., E.T. Kiers, I. Pen R.F. Denison. 2002. Sanctions and mutualism stability: when should less beneficial mutualists be tolerated? Journal of Evolutionary Biology 15:830-837 . West, S.A., E.T. Kiers, E.L. Simms R.F. Denison. 2002. Sanctions and mutualism stability: why do rhizobia fix nitrogen? Proceedings of the Royal Society, London 269:685-694 . Denison, R.F. 2001. Meeting report: ecologists and molecular biologists find common ground in the rhizosphere. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 16:535-536 . Denison, R.F. 2000. Legume sanctions and the evolution of symbiotic cooperation by rhizobia. American Naturalist 156:567-576. Hasegawa, H. , D.C. Bryant, and R.F. Denison. 2000. Testing CERES model predictions of crop growth and N dynamics, in cropping systems with leguminous green manures in a Mediterranean climate. Field Crops Res. 67:239-255 . Hasegawa, H.,J.M. Labavitch, A.M. McGuire, D.C. Bryant, and R.F. Denison. 1999. Testing CERES model predictions of N release from legume cover crop residue. Field Crops Res. 63:255-267 . Plant, R.E., A. Mermer, G.S. Pettygrove, M.P. Vayssieres, J.A. Young, R.O. Miller, L.F. Jackson, R.F. Denison, and K. Phelps. 1999. Factors underlying grain yield spatial variability in three irrigated wheat fields. ASAE Transactions 42:1187-1202. Serraj, R., V. Vadez, R.F. Denison, and T.R. Sinclair. 1999. Involvement of ureides in nitrogen fixation inhibition in soybean. Pla nt Physiol. 119:289-296. McGuire, A.M., D.C. Bryant, and R.F. Denison. 1998. Wheat yields, nitrogen uptake, and soil moisture following winter legume cover crop vs. fallow. Agron. J. 90:404-410. Denison, R.F. 1998. Decreased oxygen permeability: a universal stress response in legume root nodules. Bot. Acta 111:191-192. Jacobsen, K.R., R.A. Rousseau, and R.F. Denison. 1998. Tracing the path of oxygen into birdsfoot trefoil and alfalfa nodules using iodine vapor. Bot. Acta. 111:193-203. (cover article) Pettygrove,G.S., S.K. Upadhyaya, M.G. Pelletier, T.K. Hartz, R.E. Plant, and R.F. Denison. 1998. Tomato yield - color infrared photograph relationships. Proc. 4th Intl. Conf. Precision Agric., St. Paul, MN. Arrese-Igor,C., A.J. Gordon, F.R. Minchin, and R.F. Denison. 1998. Nitrate entry and nitrite formation in the infected region of soybean nodules. J. Exp. Bot. 9:41-48. Miller, R.O., G.S. Pettygrove, R.F. Denison, L. Jackson, M. Cahn, R. Plant, T. Kearney. 1998. Site specific relationships between flag leaf nitrogen, SPAD meter values and grain protein in irrigated wheat. Commun. Soil Sci. Plant Anal. 9:1381-1382. Denison, R.F., and R. Russotti. 1997. Field estimates of green leaf area index using laser-induced chlorophyll fluorescence. Field Crops Res. 52:143-150 . Denison, R.F. 1997. Minimizing errors in LAI estimates from laser-probe inclined-point quadrats. Field Crops Res. 51:231-240. Denison, R.F. 1997. Review of Long-Term Experiments in Agricultural and Ecological Sciences. Field Crops Res. 54:74-75. Shimada, S., R. Rousseau, and R.F. Denison. 1997. Wavelength options for monitoring leghemoglobin oxygenation gradients in intact legume root nodules. J. Exp. Bot. 48:1251-1258. (cover article) Denison, R.F., R.O. Miller, D. Bryant, A. Abshahi, and W.E. Wildman. 1996. Image processing extracts more information from color infrared aerial photos.Calif. Agric. 50(3):9-13 (cover article) Denison, R.F., and B.L. Harter. 1995. Nitrate effects on nodule oxygen permeability and leghemoglobin Nodule oximetry and computer modeling. Plant Physiol. 107:1355-1364 . Denison, R.F., and T.B. Kinraide. 1995. Oxygen-induced membrane depolarizations in legume root nodules: possible evidence for an osmoelectrical mechanism controlling nodule gas permeability. Plant Physiol. 108:235-240 Denison, R.F. 1995. Agricultural soil and crop practices. McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science and Technology, pp. 6-9. Denison, R.F., J.F. Witty, and F.R. Minchin. 1992. Reversible O 2 -inhibition of nitrogenase activity in attached soybean nodules. Plant Physiol. 100:1863-1868 . Denison, R.F., S. Hunt, and D.B. Layzell. 1992. Nitrogenase activity, nodule respiration, and O 2 permeability following detopping of alfalfa and birdsfoot trefoil. Plant Physiol. 98:894-900 . Denison, R.F. 1992. Mathematical modeling of oxygen diffusion and respiration in legume root nodules. Plant Physiol. 98:901-907 . Denison, R.F., and D.B. Layzel l . 1991. Measurement of legume nodule respiration and O 2 permeability by noninvasive spectrophotometry of leghemoglobin. Plant Physiol. 96:137-143 . Denison, R.F., D.L. Smith, T. Legros, and D.B. Layzell. 1991. Noninvasive measurement of internal oxygen concentration in field-grown soybean nodules. Agron. J. 83:166-169 . Denison, R.F., and H.D. Perry. 1990. Seasonal growth rate patterns for orchardgrass and tall fescue on the Appalachian Plateau. Agron. J. 82:869-873 . Denison, R.F., J.M. Fedders, and C.B.S. Tong . 1990. Amyloglucosidase digestion can overestimate starch content of plants. Agron. J. 82:361-364 . Denison, R.F. 1989. Implications of competitive inhibition in the acetylene reduction assay for dinitrogen fixation. Ann. Bot. 64:167-169. Denison, R.F., and R.S. Loomis. 1989. An Integrative Physiological Model of Alfalfa Growth and Development . Univ. Calif. Div. Agric. Natural Resources, Publ. 1926, 73 pp. Denison, R.F., and P.S. Nobel. 1988. Growth of Agave deserti without current photosynthesis. Photosynthetica 22:51-57. Denison, R.F., P.R. Weisz, and T.R. Sinclair. 1988. Oxygen supply to nodules as a limiting factor for symbiotic nitrogen fixation. p. 767-776. In: R.J. Summerfield (ed.) World Crops: Cool Season Food Legumes. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht. Weisz, P.R., R.F. Denison, and T.R. Sinclair. 1985. Response to drought stress of nitrogen fixation (acetylene reduction) rates by field-grown soybeans. Plant Physiol. 78:525-530. Sinclair, T.R., P.R. Weisz, and R.F. Denison. 1985. Oxygen limitation to nitrogen fixation in soybean nodules. p. 797-806. In: R. Shibles (ed.) Proceedings, World Soybean Conf. III. Westview Press, Boulder. Denison, R.F., and T.R. Sinclair. 1985. Diurnal and seasonal variation in dinitrogen fixation (acetylene reduction) rates by field-grown soybeans. Agron. J. 77:679-684. Denison, R.F., P.R. Weisz, and T.R. Sinclair. 1985. Variability among plants in dinitrogen fixation Agron. J.77:947-950. Denison, R.F., P.R. Weisz, and T.R. Sinclair. 1983. Analysis of acetylene reduction rates of soybean nodules at low acetylene concentrations. Plant Physiol. 73:648-651. Denison, R.F., T.R. Sinclair, R.W. Zobel, M.N. Johnson, and G.M. Drake. 1983. A nondestructive field assay for soybean nitrogen fixation by acetylene reduction. Plant Soil 70:173-182. Denison, R.F. 1979. A 2K Symbolic Assembler for the 6502. Self-published manual recently reincarnated on the web. Denison, R., B. Caldwell, B. Bormann, L. Eldred, C. Swanberg, and S. Anderson. 1976. The effects of acid rain on nitrogen fixation in western Washington coniferous forests. Water Air Soil Pollut. 8:21-34. Computer Models Available to Download ALFALFA model (Denison Loomis, 1989). Mathematical model of light interception by a row crop (Denison, 1997). Download a Model Education and Employment History Professor and Agronomist, Department of Agronomy and Range Science, 1993 to present (Assoc. Prof. 5/93-6/99). Plant Physiologist, USDA/ARS, Beckley WV. 1986 to 1993. Postgraduate Researcher, with P.S. Nobel, UCLA. 1985. Postdoctoral Research Agronomist, with R.S. Loomis, UC Davis. 1982 to 1984. Ph.D., crop science, with T.R. Sinclair, Cornell University, 1983. (M.S., 1980). B.A., with ecology emphasis, The Evergreen State College, 1975. Another Harvard dropout. Professional Activities Member of the Editorial Board, Field Crops Research , 1994-present Invited talks: Intl. Cong. N 2 Fixation, European N 2 Fixation Congress, Amer. Soc. Agron. national meeting, Nat. Agric. Res. Center (Japan), Scripps Inst. Oceanography, Bodega Marine Lab., UC Berkeley Grad School Journalism, UCD Law School, Calif. Dept. Food Agric., UCD Center Pop. Biol., Calif. Plant Soil Conf., etc. Annual guest lectures at UC Davis in graduate ecology and upper division crop evolution classes; departmental seminars at UC Davis and elsewhere. Chair of Agroecology Curriculum Review Committee, member College Committee on Sustainable Agriculture . Grant reviews for USDA, NSF, NSERC, Swiss and Russian National Science Foundations, IPM program, etc. Webmaster for Environmental Plant Biology and Small Farm Technology websites. New address Ecology, Evolution and Behavior University of Minnesota 1987 Upper Buford Circle St. Paul, MN 55108 E-mail: First five letters of my last name + 036 + umn.edu (you know where to put the @)
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