Microsatellite primers for Ficus racemosa and Ficus rubiginosa

We developed 11 polymorphic microsatellite loci each for the figs Ficus (Sycomorus) racemosa and Ficus (Urostigma) rubiginosa from AG‐ and TG‐enriched genomic libraries. These 22 loci were investigated for cross‐species amplification and polymorphism in 17–21 F. racemosa and 16–24 F. rubiginosa individuals from Townsville, Australia. Observed heterozygosities range from 0.12 to 0.90 in F. racemosa and from 0.25 to 1.0 in F. rubiginosa.     

Adaptive phenology of Ficus subpisocarpa and Ficus caulocarpa in Taipei,Taiwan

Insect pollination is the main strategy used by Angiosperm plants to transport pollen to another individual. The interaction between entomophilous plants and their pollinators is often mutualistic, with many species pairs being interdependent. In obligate pollination mutualism, the plant relies on its partner for pollination, whereas the pollen vector relies on plant resources. In the mutualism between Ficus (Moraceae) and the fig wasps (Hymenoptera, Agaonidae), the plant provides oviposition sites to its exclusive pollinator, which has an extremely short lifespan (a maximum lifespan of few days). This study examined how fig trees maintain their associated pollinator populations by conducting a 45-month phenological survey of 27 and 64 trees belonging to the species Ficus caulocarpa and F. subpisocarpa in Taipei, Taiwan. The observations indicated that the trees produce figs year-round with no clear seasonal pattern, and are not affected by meteorological factors. On average, about 30% of the trees of both species were bearing figs during the survey. The duration of the fig development was longer during the winter-spring period than during the summer-fall period. The trees displayed strong asynchrony among trees in the population but each crop was synchronous within a tree. However, after wasp emergence, crops lost their synchrony with part of the figs ripening within few days whereas some figs only ripened eight weeks later for F. subpisocarpa and four weeks later for F. caulocarpa. This study also discusses the implications of fig frugivory and mutualism.     

人参研究进展(综述)

概述了人参榕栽培繁殖、病虫害防治、采后贮运及出口贸易等方面的现状,并对今后研究进行展望.     

Cophylogeny of the Ficus microcosm

The various mutualistic and antagonistic symbioses between fig trees (Ficus: Moraceae) and chalcid wasps comprise a community in microcosm. Phylogenetic estimates of figs and fig wasps show general topological correspondence, making the microcosm a model system for cophylogeny. Incongruence between phylogenies from associated organisms can be reconciled through a combination of evolutionary events. Cophylogeny mapping reconciles phylogenies by embedding an associate tree into a host tree, finding the optimal combinations of events capable of explaining incongruence and evaluating the level of codivergence. This review addresses the results of cophylogeny analysis concerning Ficus and discusses the plausibility of different evolutionary events. Five different associations encompassing fig-pollinator, fig-parasite and pollinator-parasitoid interactions are reconciled. The method improves on previous comparisons by employing 'jungles' to provide an exhaustive and quantitative analysis of cophylogeny. A jungle is a mechanism for inferring host switches and obtaining all potentially optimal solutions to the reconciliation problem. The results support the consensus that figs codiverge significantly with pollinators but not non-pollinators. However, pollinators still appear to have switched between hosts in contradiction to the traditional model of faithful codivergence. This emphasises the growing realisation that evolutionary transitions in the microcosm are more flexible than previously thought and host specificity is necessary but not sufficient for codivergence. The importance of sampling strategy is emphasised by the influence of taxon set on the fig-pollinator and fig-parasite jungles. Spurious significant results for fig-parasite and fig-parasitoid jungles indicate that the choice of congruence measure influences significance; the total number of events required to reconcile two trees ('total cost') is not a good measure of congruence when switches cannot be realistically weighted.     

Micropropagation of Ficus benjamina clones

In vitro culture of eight Ficus benjamina clones was initiated from shoot tips four times from January to June 1988. Shoot formation and growth in vitro were followed during eight subsequent subcultures, whereafter the developed shoot clusters were rooted in vitro. Significant differences among clones in proliferation rate and time to emergenece of first root in vitro were observed. A superior clone Cleo, previously selected for fast growth as a potted plant, also proved to have the highest proliferation rate and the shortest time until emergence of first root in vitro. The proliferation rate was nearly stabilized after five subcultures. A negative correlation between proliferation rate and time to emergence of first root in vitro was found.Abbreviations C clone - S subculture - SP(C) stock plant within clone - T time of initiation     

湖榕和小叶榕花形态结构特征的研究

通过对湖榕（Ｆｉｃｕｓ　ｓｐ．）和小叶榕（Ｆｉｃｕｓ　ｍｉｃｒｏｃａｒｐａ　Ｌ．）花形态结构特征的比较研究表明：湖榕和小叶榕的花果形态结构有较显著的差别。湖榕雌花的萼片数多为４片,萼片顶部都有毛,花粉位为精园形,花粉壁较薄,其结实率较低,只有０．１％;小叶榕雌花的萼片数多为３片,萼片顶部光滑无毛,花粉粒为圆形而壁较厚,其结实率较高,为２９．１％。     

两种榕属植物的染色体核型分析

采用根尖压片法对菩提树(Ficus religiosa Linn.)和小叶榕(Ficus microcarpa L.f.)进行染色体核型分析.结果显示两种植物的染色体数目均为2n=30,核型类型均为1B,核型公式分别为菩提树2n=2x=30=24m(2SAT)+6sm,小叶榕2n=2x=30=28m(2SAT)+2sm.比较发现,两种植物的核型相似,亲缘关系相近,二者中小叶榕的不对称系数较小(58.16%),为较原始的类型.两者的核型均为首次报道.     

A benzopyrroloisoquinoline alkaloid from Ficus fistulosa

A new benzopyrroloisoquinoline alkaloid, fistulosine (1), was isolated from the stem-bark of Ficus fistulosa (Moraceae) collected in Singapore, along with three known phenanthroindolizidine alkaloids, (?)-13aα-antofine (2), (?)-14β-hydroxyantofine (3) and (?)-13aα-secoantofine (4). (?)-13aα-Antofine (2) accounted for the antifungal activity against Aspergillus fumigatus and Candida albicans originally observed in the crude alkaloid extract.     

Development and characterization of microsatellite markers for a monoecious Ficus species,Ficus insipida,and cross‐species amplification among different sections of Ficus

The animal‐mediated pollination and seed‐dispersal mutualisms of Ficus species give them key roles in tropical ecosystems, but may make them vulnerable to habitat fragmentation. The development of highly polymorphic markers is needed to analyse their genetic diversity and investigate the effects of fragmentation on gene flow. Of thirteen microsatellite loci isolated from Ficus insipida, a monoecious species in French Guiana, eleven were polymorphic (two to six alleles each). High levels of variation were found among loci; expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.151 to 0.715. All markers revealed a broad cross‐species affinity when tested in 23 other Ficus species.     

天仙果的繁殖生物学研究

研究了天仙果（Ficus erecta Thunb.var.beecheyana(Hook.et Arn.)King）的繁殖生物学特性。春季雌株不形成雌花序,雄瘿株的花序中雄花也不完全发育,只有瘿花发育良好,这些瘿花为培育传粉者（Blastophaga sp.)提供了必需的繁殖及发育场所;夏秋季是天仙果自身的繁殖时期,雌花充雄花花药发育良好。雌花期与雄花期每年在3－4月份及6－8月份相遇。通常进入花序传粉或产卵的小蜂只有1－2只。对天仙果隐头花序的配置及花的解剖研究还表明,其繁殖习性是榕树－榕小蜂共生体系繁殖对策多样性的体现。     

直脉榕开发利用

直脉榕在园林绿化中具有作行道树的特点,其树桩、小苗是制作盆景的材料,通过对其资源、市场的分析,为林业产业提供决策依据.     

The micromorphology and protein characterization of rubber particles in Ficus carica,Ficus benghalensis and Hevea brasiliensis

Rubber biosynthesis takes place on the surface of rubber particles. These particles are surrounded by a monolayer membrane in which the rubber transferase is anchored. In order to gain better insight into whether rubber particles from different plant species share common structural characteristics, the micromorphology of rubber particles from Ficus carica, Ficus benghalensis, and Hevea brasiliensis was examined by electron microscopy. Rubber particles of all three species were spherical in shape, and the size of rubber particles of H. brasiliensis was much smaller than those of F. carica and F. benghalensis. In addition, investigations were undertaken to compare the cross-reactivity of the antibody raised against either the H. brasiliensis small rubber particle protein (SRPP) which is suggested to be involved in rubber biosynthesis, or the cis-prenyltransferase (CPT) which has an activity similar to rubber transferase. Both western analysis and TEM-immunogold labelling studies showed that rubber particles of F. carica and F. benghalensis do not contain the SRPP. None of the rubber particles in F. carica, F. benghalensis and H. brasiliensis contained the CPT, suggesting that the CPT itself could not catalyse the formation of high molecular weight rubber. These results indicate that rubber particles in the three different plant species investigated share some degree of similarity in architecture, and that the SRPP and CPT themselves are not the core proteins necessary for rubber biosynthesis.     

Chaos of Wolbachia Sequences Inside the Compact Fig Syconia of Ficus benjamina (Ficus: Moraceae)

Figs and fig wasps form a peculiar closed community in which the Ficus tree provides a compact syconium (inflorescence) habitat for the lives of a complex assemblage of Chalcidoid insects. These diverse fig wasp species have intimate ecological relationships within the closed world of the fig syconia. Previous surveys of Wolbachia, maternally inherited endosymbiotic bacteria that infect vast numbers of arthropod hosts, showed that fig wasps have some of the highest known incidences of Wolbachia amongst all insects. We ask whether the evolutionary patterns of Wolbachia sequences in this closed syconium community are different from those in the outside world. In the present study, we sampled all 17 fig wasp species living on Ficus benjamina, covering 4 families, 6 subfamilies, and 8 genera of wasps. We made a thorough survey of Wolbachia infection patterns and studied evolutionary patterns in wsp (Wolbachia Surface Protein) sequences. We find evidence for high infection incidences, frequent recombination between Wolbachia strains, and considerable horizontal transfer, suggesting rapid evolution of Wolbachia sequences within the syconium community. Though the fig wasps have relatively limited contact with outside world, Wolbachia may be introduced to the syconium community via horizontal transmission by fig wasps species that have winged males and visit the syconia earlier.     

榕属与榕小蜂科的分类研究进展

简述了榕树与其传粉者的共生体系,讨论了榕属植物与榕小蜂科的分类历史和现状,指出了二者分 类研究中存在的分歧,并对榕属与榕小蜂科的分类不匹配问题进行了评述。结合我国榕属与榕小蜂科分类的 研究现状,展望今后研究的方向及前景。     

西双版纳地区钝叶榕的物候变化规律

钝叶榕是西双版纳地区分布广泛的一种榕树(雌雄同株),具有较为特殊的传粉体系。近三年的野外物候观测数据显示,钝叶榕个体绝大多数每年结果1~2次,极少数一年结果3次,通常在雨季增加结果次数,出现树内异步的现象。钝叶榕结果树内同步,树间异步。钝叶榕雌花期和雄花期不能很好吻合,榕蜂系统在观测范围内处于不稳定状态,导致钝叶榕的雌花期和雄花期比其它种类的榕树长很多。结果表明：钝叶榕结果物候可能受相对湿度影响最大,但总体上其物候与温度、降雨量和相对湿度的相关关系未呈现明显的规律性。钝叶榕的物候变化应受其它气候因子作用或是各种生物因子和非生物因子共同作用的结果。物候和气候的现象十分复杂,进一步对钝叶榕物候的不同方面和各种气候因子进行相关性分析十分必要。     

Ficus cunia agglutinin for recognition of bacteria

Interaction of bacteria with lectin using anti-lectin antibody by ELISA is an established method. In the present study, we have devised a simple ELISA using a biotinylated lectin and antibiotin-HRP. Ficus cunia agglutinin (FCA), which has shown the specificity towards alpha/beta anomers of GlcNAc and other-NAc containing sugars like LacNAc and GlcNAcbeta(1-4/6)GlcNAc, was used as a model lectin for the study of interaction with immobilized microorganisms on ELISA plate. The bacterial cells of E. coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus showed binding with FCA and the degree of binding was dependent on the bacterial surface antigen. This method is considered a simple technique to study the lectin-bacteria interaction.