THE CHEMISTRY OF DAYLIGHT VISION

1. While several reports of photosensitive pigments from the retinas of animals possessing large numbers of cone cells have been published, the only study which could be confirmed was Wald''s discovery of iodopsin, a red-sensitive pigment from chicken eyes. 2. In its chemical properties, such as the range of pH stability and the effect of polar organic solvents, iodopsin resembles rhodopsin but is considerably more labile. 3. A partial purification from inert yellow impurities has been effected by prehardening the retinas in pH 4.9 acetate buffer before extraction by 2 per cent digitonin. Rhodopsin was an inevitable contaminant in most methods of extraction, but could be reduced to about 10 per cent of the absorption due to iodopsin by extraction of unhardened retinas with 4 per cent Merck''s saponin in ¾ saturated magnesium sulfate for about 1 hour. 4. The rate of bleaching of iodopsin was found to be first order and linear with respect to energy. 5. The bleaching effectiveness spectrum of iodopsin was determined with the aid of color filters of known energy transmission, and shows a maximum at 560 mµ in the yellow green with a lower plateau in the blue. The spectrum is in good agreement with the sensitivity of the human cones except for the wavelength of maximum bleaching effectiveness. The maximum sensitivity of the human cones is found at 540 mµ. 6. Previous reports of changes in pH and inorganic phosphate level of retinas due to bleaching could not be confirmed.     

啮小蜂视觉和触角在交配中的作用观察

本文研究了啮小蜂Tetrastichus sp.视觉和触角在交配中的作用,实验结果表明,视觉对雄蜂起重要作用,对雌蜂作用则不显著;触角在啮小蜂求偶识别和接受中起重要的作用,雄蜂柄节具有一分泌小孔,求偶的雄蜂遇到雌蜂后柄节能分泌大量的膏状渗出物,雌蜂是靠接触雄蜂触角来识别和接受雄蜂.     

水貂的染色体研究

采用复制带、C带和硝酸银染色等分带技术研究了水貂的核型和带型。结果表明,2n=30,枝型为10（M）＋16（SM）＋2（A）,XX（M）。C-带显示该水貂的一些染色体的结构异染色质比较丰富,从着丝粒区域延伸到两臂上,No.5染色体着丝粒结构异染色质有些弱化;X染色体的结构异染色质较常染色体的丰富。Ag-NORs有3个,分布在No.8染色体的次缢痕区域和一条No.2染色体长臂接近着丝粒的区域。