Comparison of growth and RNA: DNA ratios in three populations of juvenile turbot reared at two salinities

Salinity significantly influenced growth and RNA: DNA ratios in three populations (Iceland. Norway and France) of juvenile turbot Scophthalmus maximus as these variables were higher at 15 than at 33.5‰ salinity. Furthermore, growth and RNA: DNA ratios of the two high latitude populations (Iceland and Norway) were higher than those of the low latitude population (France): the Norwegian and the Icelandic populations had RNA: DNA ratios of 6.028 and 5.91, respectively, whereas the ratio of the French population was 5.01. It is concluded that in the upper temperature range for turbot, growth can be improved by rearing at intermediate salinities at least during the first year.     

Factors influencing the determination of dNA with indole. II. Recovery of hydrolyzed dNA from protein precipitates

DNA can be measured by the indole method in hydrolyzates containing large concentrations of nonspecific chromogen without exceeding the sufficiency of the color reagents or the efficiency of the chloroform extraction procedure. Since TCA is nonessential for the completeness of the color reaction, there is considerable latitude in the choice of extraction procedures. The action of hot acid hydrolysis to release the indole chromogen from DNA is opposed by two major factors: (1) the capacity of the hot hydrolysis to entrap solubilized but incompletely hydrolyzed DNA in a protein precipitate and (2) the ability of the hydrolysis to destroy the chromogen for the reaction. Because of these factors and since the rate of chromogen release is eventually exceeded by the rate of its destruction, the hydrolysis should be run with internal and external DNA standards and not exceed 20, 40, 50, or 120 min at 90, 85, 80, or 70°C, respectively. If the recovery of internal standard indicates that regnificant amounts of DNA have been left unmeasured, an increase in the volume of the system is preferable to an increase in the strength of the acid or the number of extractions.     

NUCLEAR DNA CONTENT IN POPULATIONS OF PINUS RIGIDA

Five populations of Pinus rigida growing in contrasting ecological situations ranging from North Carolina (35°53'N latitude) to Quebec (45°06'N latitude) showed no significant variation in amounts of nuclear DNA with respect to germinating seedlings. Nuclear volume of dormant nuclei also showed no significant variation between and within populations, a finding that is consistent with the concept that the basic 2C DNA value of Pinus rigida is uniform under all habitats. This finding is in contrast to numerous reports for other coniferous species.     

Mitochondrial genetic structure reflects the geographical variation of elytral polymorphism frequency in Cheilomenes sexmaculata (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)

Many ladybird species are known to have an elytral colour polymorphism, which indicates geographical variation. The ladybird beetle Cheilomenes sexmaculata (Fabricius) exhibits elytral colour polymorphism and has expanded its distribution from 33°N to 36°N in Japan over 100 years since 1900. The mitochondrial COI gene haplotypes were integrated into two haplotype groups, with one group existing at higher frequencies in lower latitudes, the other group appearing at higher frequencies in higher latitudes. In addition, the dark morph types of this species increase with latitude, whereas the light types appear at higher relative frequencies in lower latitudes.In the present study, we first determined the morph types of individuals and examined the mitochondrial DNA COI gene. Second, we investigated the relationship between the genetic population structure based on the mitochondrial DNA COI gene and the morph types’ geographical variation. Results indicated that the mtCOI genetic structure was associated with the morph types by latitude; specifically, the haplotype group existing at higher frequencies in lower latitudes tended to be light morph types. In contrast, the haplotype dominant in higher latitudes more frequently exhibited dark morph types, indicating that dark morph types in the higher latitude genetic group may have led the distributional expansion toward higher latitudes since 1900 rather than the lower latitude light morph types.     

Genetic and alkaloid analysis of Menispermum dauricum DC. by RAPD and HPLC

The aim of the present work was to determine whether dauricine could be used as a taxonomic marker for Menispermum dauricum DC., and to explore the correlation among RAPD, ecological markers and chemical markers. To this end, the chemical and genetic differences of 173 individual samples of M. dauricum from nine different sources were studied based on the relevant ecological factors including longitude, latitude, annual precipitation, mean temperature, annual accumulated temperature and mean sea level. The contents of dauricine in the sample rhizomes were assayed by HPLC with photodiode array detection. The leaves from the same sample were assayed using randomly amplified polymorphism DNA (RAPD). The genetic distances were then compared. Hierarchical cluster analysis and multiple linear stepwise regression analysis were used in the statistical analysis. The results indicated that the contents of dauricine were respectively correlated with the genetic distance (r = 1.000), longitude (r = 0.849), latitude (r = 0.861), annual precipitation (r = 0.903), mean temperature(r = 0.912), annual accumulated temperature (r = 0.919) and mean sea level (r = 0.925). It is concluded that the content of dauricine in M. dauricum is significantly correlated with genetic distance and ecological factors, and may be used as the taxonomic marker.     

Genome size in Arachis duranensis: a critical study.

Arachis duranensis is a diploid wild relative of the tetraploid cultivated peanut Arachis hypogaea. The literature indicates two 2C genomic DNA mean values (genome size) for A. duranensis, 4.92 and 5.64 pg, and intraspecific variation of up to 11% negatively correlated with altitude above sea level of the collection sites has been reported. Our recent investigations of Arachis species have shown that unrecognized technical problems with peanut material may have influenced previous genome-size data and rendered them open to critical comments. In the present study, 20 accessions of A. duranensis were investigated by means of DNA flow cytometry (propidium iodide staining) and several of these also by Feulgen DNA image analysis. Pisum sativum was used as the internal standard (2C = 8.84 pg). 2C values in A. duranensis were about half those described previously and varied between 2.49 and 2.87 pg (flow cytometry). This variation was statistically significant and reproducible. There was a negative correlation of genome size with latitude and altitude above sea level of the collection sites. Such a correlation had been already found in one of the previous studies. However, the incongruences between the absolute DNA content values obtained in the present investigation and those in the literature point to the importance of carrying out methodological studies on best practice in DNA-content determinations in plants.     

甘蔗细茎野生种云南不同生态类型的RAPD分析

利用25个随机引物对来自云南不同生态类型的82份甘蔗细茎野生种（Saccharnm spontanenm L．）和4份国外种材料进行RAPD标记,结果表明：云南甘蔗细茎野生种不同生态类型的遗传变异较大,具有丰富的遗传多样性,低续度类型的遗传多样性明显高于高纬度类型,在相同的纬度范围内,随着海拔的升高,其多态性逐渐减少,基于分子聚类分析,86份材料被划分为8个不同群体,表现出明显的地理分布的特点,结果初步证明了云南甘蔗细茎野生种可能起源于云南南部低海拔,低纬度地区,而后逐渐向高海拔,高纬度的西北和东北部演化,扩散,提出了云南南部可能是野生甘蔗起源中心之一的观点。     

Drifting propagules and receding swamps: genetic footprints of mangrove recolonization and dispersal along tropical coasts

Two issues that have captured the attention of tropical plant evolutionary biologists in recent years are the relative role of long distance dispersal (LDD) over vicariance in determining plant distributions and debate about the extent that Quaternary climatic changes affected tropical species. Propagules of some mangrove species are assumed to be capable of LDD due to their ability to float and survive for long periods of time in salt water. Mangrove species responded to glaciations with a contraction of their range. Thus, widespread mangrove species are an ideal system to study LDD and recolonization in the tropics. We present phylogenetic and phylogeographic analyses based on internal transcribed spacers region (ITS) sequences, chloroplast DNA (cpDNA), and amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs) of genomic DNA that demonstrate recent LDD across the Atlantic, rejecting the hypothesis of vicariance for the widespread distribution of the black mangrove ( Avicennia germinans) . Northern latitude populations likely became extinct during the late Quaternary due to frosts and aridification; these locations were recolonized afterward from southern populations. In some low latitude regions populations went extinct or were drastically reduced during the Quaternary because of lack of suitable habitat as sea levels changed. Our analyses show that low latitude Pacific populations of A. germinans harbor more diversity and reveal deeper divergence than Atlantic populations. Implications for our understanding of phylogeography of tropical species are discussed.     

不同尺度下野大豆种群的遗传分化

为了阐明不同尺度范围内野大豆种群的遗传分化情况,应用随机扩增多态性DNA（RAPD）方法,分别对我国5个纬度8个不同地点的野大豆（Glycine soja)种群及浙江金华地区5个野大豆种群,进行了分子生态学研究。根据RAPD数据计算相似系数及遗传距离并进行聚类分析,发现无论是不同纬度野大豆种群还是金华地区野大豆小种群均存在较高的遗传变异,且不同纬度野大豆种群间的遗传变异与地理纬度有一定正相关。在对金华地区野大豆种群遗传多样怀的研究,利用Shannon指数估算了5个野大豆种群的遗传多样性,发现大部分的遗传变异存在于野大豆种群间（78．5％）,只有少部分的遗传变异存在于种群内。本就此探讨了不同尺度下野大豆种群的遗传多样性与环境因子的关系,并对其成因及维持机制进行了讨论。