长江刀鲚亲鱼强化培育及自然产卵规律研究

试验研究了人工饲养条件下长江刀鲚亲鱼培育的水温及主要水化学指标、饵料投喂策略及经强化培育后刀鲚自然产卵的规律。结果表明,刀鲚亲鱼培育池周年水温变化范围为5-34℃,刀鲚常年摄食,采用“鲮鱼苗+细足米虾”的系列活饵进行饲育期、越冬期、促熟期分阶段的投喂策略,雌性亲鱼强化培育后成熟系数可达16.5%,发育较佳,总体成活率为97.6%。5-6月是刀鲚产卵的高峰期,产卵时间集中在20:00-20:30,受精率为80%-92%,试验期间收集刀鲚受精卵56.9万粒。刀鲚的产卵与水温关系密切,最适产卵水温为20-28℃。     

燕鳐受精卵的孵化与仔幼鱼培育的初步研究

燕鳐是黄海沿岸重要鱼种之一。本文描述了燕鳐受精卵与仔幼鱼发育的形态特点和培育条件。 烟台崆蛔岛沿岸的燕鳐,5月底开始产卵,7月结束。人工受精在船上进行。受精卵和仔幼鱼在室内用静止水进行培育。 仔幼鱼的主要饵料是皱褶臂尾轮虫和卤虫幼体。幼体在室内水泥池(0.8立方米)进行培育。 受精卵和幼体在水温20.0—27.2℃,盐度31.28—31.74‰,pH8.32—8.52,溶氧(DO)1.52—8.32毫克/升的条件下进行培育。共育成幼鱼4801尾,到1981年9月20日,幼鱼最大全长92毫米。 1982年又进行了重复试验,共育出幼体6万余尾。     

鞍带石斑鱼精子诱导斜带石斑鱼雌核生殖

石斑鱼性成熟时间长和雌雄同体的特性延长了其育种的周期, 采用人工雌核生殖策略能够显著提高选育效率。研究筛选了鞍带石斑鱼(Epinephelus lanceolatus)精子人工诱导斜带石斑鱼(Epinephelus coioides)雌核生殖的最佳条件, 并通过形态学、流式细胞术和微卫星分子标记等方法进行鉴定。结果显示, 灭活的异源精子可成功诱导斜带石斑鱼人工雌核生殖, 精子灭活的最佳紫外照射强度为518 mJ/cm2; 卵子受精后6min在4—6℃的条件下进行冷休克处理, 可获得最优的40%的表观受精率(卵子正常分裂比率)和29.7%的孵化率, 而未冷休克的对照组具有83.5%的表观受精率和80%的单倍体率。多重比较结果表明, 在表观受精率方面人工诱导的时间差异(P=0.579)和水温差异(P=0.133)并不显著; 而在孵化率上, 处理时间组间差异极显著(P=0.002), 而在水温组中差异不显著(P=0.396)。胚胎发育结果显示, 人工雌核生殖诱导会导致孵化率降低, 单倍体胚胎出现明显的发育障碍。微卫星分子标记鉴定结果显示, 石斑鱼人工雌核生殖子代的遗传物质大部分来自于母本, 同时也存在异精效应。     

山东半岛南部产卵场鳀鱼的产卵生态Ⅱ.鳀鱼的产卵习性和胚胎发育特性

2000-2004年5-7月在山东半岛南部鲤鱼产卵场调查结果表明：鲲鱼受精卵的胚胎发育全程,在表层水体中,水温条件为21．78％-22．68qc（平均22．05℃）和17．05℃-18．88℃（平均17．900C）,大约需要42-44h和50-52h;在上混合层水体中,水温条件为21．26℃-22．050C（平均21．70℃）和17．02℃-17．90℃（平均17．50℃）,大约需要44-46h和50-54h;在温跃层水体中,水温条件为16．22℃-21．26℃（平均18．70℃）和14．42℃-17．02℃（平均15．72％）,大约需要46-48h和68-72h。对鲲鱼胚胎发育时间的观测值与计算值进行单因子方差分析,结果表明两者之间差异不显著（P〉0．05）,说明本研究所用的现场观测和估算方法是值得信赖的。2003年6月下旬产卵场中的水温分布较2002年6月下旬低1．80℃-3．80℃,鲤鱼受精卵的胚胎发育时间要长8-24h。鲲鱼胚胎发育的阈温度和有效积温值分别为10．26℃和423．1h·℃。在产卵季节,产卵场中傍晚7：00就有少量的鲲鱼开始产卵,直到凌晨5：00仍然有少量的鳃鱼还在产卵,产卯时间持续10h;上半夜9：00至凌晨2：00为鲤鱼的产卵高峰时间,鲤鱼主要在温跃层内产卵[动物学报54（6）：988-997,2008]。     

埋植17α-甲基睾酮诱导点带石斑鱼性转化技术

论述了埋植17α-甲基睾酮诱导点带石斑鱼(Epinephelus malabaricus)性转化的方法,包括药物的处理、用量、手术操作等．3龄的雌性点带石斑鱼经过2次埋植外源激素手术转化为功能性雄鱼,139d后58％可挤出精液,301d后100％可挤出精液．功能性雄鱼用于人工繁殖,亲鱼自然产卵。1999～2000年2年内共孵出仔鱼7103万尾．所得仔鱼用于鱼苗培育,得到发育正常的幼鱼．认为埋植外源激素诱导点带石斑鱼完成性转化的方法简便可行,能满足规模化人工繁殖的需要．     

银鲴性腺发育和胚胎发育的观察

生长在湖南江河、池塘、水库环境的银鲴,性成熟年龄一般是二冬龄(2^ ),雄性比雌性提前一年成熟。江河银鲴每到生殖季节,可以自行产卵、受精,繁衍后代;池养银鲴却不能自然产卵,其卵母细胞只能发育到初级卵母细胞阶段(Ⅳ时相),必须通过人工催情,才使卵母细胞由第Ⅳ时相发育到第Ⅴ时相。池养雄性银鲴,能够完成由精原细胞到精子的全部发育过程。冬季,达性成熟的银鲴,雌性卵巢为Ⅲ期,雄性精巢为Ⅳ期。每年的3月份,银鲴开始进入性成熟期,4月份为它的生殖盛期。银鲴是鲴亚科中产半浮性卵的鱼类。银鲴在胚胎发育早期行盘状卵裂。当水温21—23℃时,其胚胎发育历经26小时10分,胚胎发育总热量为550-602度时;银鲴从受精卵到仔鱼期结束(鱼苗下池),整个过程历时112小时,区分胚胎发育、仔鱼发育两个阶段。胚胎发育又划为5个时期。     

银鲴性腺发育和胚胎发育的观察

生长在湖南江河、池塘、水库环境的银鲴,性成熟年龄一般是二冬龄(2~+),雄性比雌性提前一年成熟。江河银鲴每到生殖季节,可以自行产卵、受精,繁衍后代;池养银鲴却不能自然产卵,其卵母细胞只能发育到初级卵母细胞阶段(Ⅳ时相),必须通过人工催情,才使卵母细咆由第Ⅳ时相发育到第Ⅴ时相。池养雄性银鲴,能够完成由精原细胞到精子的全部发育过程。冬季,达性成熟的银鲴,雌性卵巢为Ⅲ期,雄性精巢为Ⅳ期。每年的3月份,银鲴开始进入性成熟期,4月份为它的生殖盛期。银鲴是鲴亚科中产半浮性卵的鱼类。银鲴在胚胎发育早期行盘状卵裂。当水温21—23℃时,其胚胎发育历经26小时10分,胚胎发育总热量为550—602度时;银鲴从受精卵到仔鱼期结束(鱼苗下池),整个过程历时112小时,区分胚胎发育、仔鱼发育两个阶段。胚胎发育又划为5个时期。     

三倍体萍乡肉红鲫的精子入卵及胚胎发育观察

用扫描(SEM)和透射电子显微镜(TEM)观察了天然三倍体萍乡肉红鲫成熟卵子卵壳、受精孔、精子进入区以 及卵子质膜表面的细微结构,观察了两种不同交配组合:(A组)萍乡肉红鲫(♀)×萍乡肉红鲫(♂)与(B组)萍乡肉 红鲫♀×兴国红鲤♂的受精早期精子入卵的时序,卵子质膜表面和卵子皮层的变化。结果表明,两种不同交配组 合的精子入卵时序、皮层颗粒释放和卵子表面的变化基本类似。同时观察了这两种不同组合的胚胎发育时序,水 温在16℃以上才能正常发育,最适发育水温为20-25℃。结果表明,两种不同组合在出膜时间和胚胎发育的总积 温方面存在差异,水温对胚胎发育的影响很大。     

温度和盐度对中华多刺鱼胚胎发育过程的影响

2006年3-5月,在北京怀柔水库入库河流怀九河的西四渡河河段,采集性成熟的中华多刺鱼(Pungitius sinensis),人工干法授精获取受精卵,观察并记录受精卵的胚胎发育历程;设置温度和盐度梯度,观察温度和盐度对中华多刺鱼胚胎发育过程的影响。结果表明:北京地区的中华多刺鱼胚胎发育的起始温度(生物学零度)为4.7℃,适宜的发育水温为14.0℃-16.0℃,与中华多刺鱼繁殖盛期(4月中下旬)自然水体的水温相近;平均水温14.0℃时,中华多刺鱼完成胚胎发育约需183h;水温升至22.5℃时,胚胎的孵化率仅为22.2%;水温升至25.0℃时,受精卵不能孵化,此温度应是中华多刺鱼胚胎发育温度的上限。实验表明,北京地区中华多刺鱼的胚胎对盐度的耐受力较为有限,在与自然水体相同的盐度下(0‰)其孵化率接近100%;随着盐度的升高,孵化率降低,8‰盐度时,仅有56%的受精卵孵化;至20‰时,受精卵全部死亡,此盐度应为中华多刺鱼胚胎发育的盐度上限。     

子陵栉鰕虎鱼繁殖特性、胚胎及仔鱼的发育

子陵栉(鰕)虎鱼(Ctenogobius giurinus)在嘉陵江中游南充段繁殖期在4～6月,产卵时间持续2～3h,每间隔1～2min交尾一次,每次交尾产卵30～50枚,累计产卵可达1000～1600枚.多数时间由雄性亲鱼负责孵卵,当雄性亲鱼出巢摄食时,由雌性亲鱼替代孵卵.成熟卵产出时为球形,卵径0.453～0.644mm,具黏性,呈淡黄色,半透明,油球1～30个,其中大油球1～4个.受精4min后吸水膨胀成椭圆形.根据其胚胎发育过程的形态特征,胚胎发育全程可划分为7个阶段:受精卵胚盘形成阶段、卵裂阶段、囊胚阶段、原肠胚阶段、神经胚形成阶段、器官形成阶段和孵化出膜阶段.在水温22.3～25.7℃的条件下,胚胎发育共需109h52min.出膜前的器官分化程度高,胸鳍原基、鳃板、半规管、鳔、下颌及颌齿在出膜前均已存在,初孵仔鱼全长2.485～2.640mm,体高O.350～O.460 mm,初孵仔鱼至卵黄囊消失需要4d,至油球消失约6d.     

Reference values for the concentrations of As,Cd, Co,Cr, Cu,Fe, I,Hg, Mn,Mo, Ni,Pb, Se,and Zn in selected human tissues and body fluids

This report attempts to formulate reference ranges of elemental concentrations for 15 trace elements in selected human tissues and body fluids. A set of samples consisting of whole blood, blood serum, urine, milk, liver, and hair were chosen and considered for 15 elements of biological significance: As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, F, Fe, I, Hg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Se, and Zn. The results represent wholly or partially data received from 40 countries of the global regions of Africa, Asia, Europe, North, South, and Central America, Australia, and New Zealand. This survey, even if qualitative, has been useful in demonstrating certain trends of trace-element scenarios around the world. It is of course recognized that both diet and environment exert a strong influence on the distribution pattern of several elements, such as As, Cd, Mn, Pb, Se, and Zn. A limited comparison of the available information on soil status of different countries reflected some interesting associations for elements, such as Mn and Zn. Importantly, this study revealed that only a few countries were in a position to identify a reasonable amount of data on samples requested for this project. Regretably, for a number of countries, any dependable data for even such essential elements as Cu, Fe, and Zn were not available. In view of the nutritional importance of many elements, the time is ripe for concerted efforts by intergovernmental agencies to initiate investigations or commission task forces/projects to generate reliable reference data for selected global regions, which sadly lack data of any kind at present.     

Angiosperm ovules: diversity, development, evolution

Background

Ovules as developmental precursors of seeds are organs of central importance in angiosperm flowers and can be traced back in evolution to the earliest seed plants. Angiosperm ovules are diverse in their position in the ovary, nucellus thickness, number and thickness of integuments, degree and direction of curvature, and histological differentiations. There is a large body of literature on this diversity, and various views on its evolution have been proposed over the course of time. Most recently evo–devo studies have been concentrated on molecular developmental genetics in ovules of model plants.

Scope

The present review provides a synthetic treatment of several aspects of the sporophytic part of ovule diversity, development and evolution, based on extensive research on the vast original literature and on experience from my own comparative studies in a broad range of angiosperm clades.

Conclusions

In angiosperms the presence of an outer integument appears to be instrumental for ovule curvature, as indicated from studies on ovule diversity through the major clades of angiosperms, molecular developmental genetics in model species, abnormal ovules in a broad range of angiosperms, and comparison with gymnosperms with curved ovules. Lobation of integuments is not an atavism indicating evolution from telomes, but simply a morphogenetic constraint from the necessity of closure of the micropyle. Ovule shape is partly dependent on locule architecture, which is especially indicated by the occurrence of orthotropous ovules. Some ovule features are even more conservative than earlier assumed and thus of special interest in angiosperm macrosystematics.     

Assessing burrowing, nest construction, and hoarding in mice

Deterioration in the ability to perform "Activities of daily living" (ADL) is an early sign of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Preclinical behavioural screening of possible treatments for AD currently largely focuses on cognitive testing, which frequently demands expensive equipment and lots of experimenter time. However, human episodic memory (the most severely affected aspect of memory in AD) is different to rodent memory, which seems to be largely non-episodic. Therefore the present ways of screening for new AD treatments for AD in rodents are intrinsically unlikely to succeed. A new approach to preclinical screening would be to characterise the ADL of mice. Fortuitously, several such assays have recently been developed at Oxford, and here the three most sensitive and well-characterised are presented. Burrowing was first developed in Oxford. It evolved from a need to develop a mouse hoarding paradigm. Most published rodent hoarding paradigms required a distant food source to be linked to the home cage by a connecting passage. This would involve modifying the home cage as well as making a mouse-proof connecting passage and food source. So it was considered whether it would be possible to put the food source inside the cage. It was found that if a container was placed on the floor it was emptied by the next morning., The food pellets were, however, simply deposited in a heap at the container entrance, rather than placed in a discrete place away from the container, as might be expected if the mice were truly hoarding them. Close inspection showed that the mice were performing digging ("burrowing") movements, not carrying the pellets in their mouths to a selected place as they would if truly hoarding them. Food pellets are not an essential substrate for burrowing; mice will empty tubes filled with sand, gravel, even soiled bedding from their own cage. Moreover, they will empty a full tube even if an empty one is placed next to it. Several nesting protocols exist in the literature. The present Oxford one simplifies the procedure and has a well-defined scoring system for nest quality. A hoarding paradigm was later developed in which the mice, rather than hoarding back to the real home cage, were adapted to living in the "home base" of a hoarding apparatus. This home base was connected to a tube made of wire mesh, the distal end of which contained the food source. This arrangement proved to yield good hoarding behaviour, as long as the mice were adapted to living in the "home base" during the day and only allowed to enter the hoarding tube at night.     

Inflorescences: concepts,function, development and evolution

Background

Inflorescences are complex structures with many functions. At anthesis they present the flowers in ways that allow for the transfer of pollen and optimization of the plant''s reproductive success. During flower and fruit development they provide nutrients to the developing flowers and fruits. At fruit maturity they support the fruits prior to dispersal, and facilitate effective fruit and seed dispersal. From a structural point of view, inflorescences have played important roles in systematic and phylogenetic studies. As functional units they facilitate reproduction, and are largely shaped by natural selection.

Scope

The papers in this Special Issue bridge the gap between structural and functional approaches to inflorescence evolution. They include a literature review of inflorescence function, an experimental study of inflorescences as essential contributors to the display of flowers, and two papers that present new methods and concepts for understanding inflorescence diversity and for dealing with terminological problems. The transient model of inflorescence development is evaluated in an ontogenetic study, and partially supported. Four papers present morphological and ontogenetic studies of inflorescence development in monophyletic groups, and two of these evaluate the usefulness of Hofmeister''s Rule and inhibitory fields to predict inflorescence structure. In the final two papers, Bayesian and Monte-Carlo methods are used to elucidate inflorescence evolution in the Panicoid grasses, and a candidate gene approach is used in an attempt to understand the evolutionary genetics of inflorescence evolution in the genus Cornus (Cornaceae). Taken as a whole, the papers in this issue provide a glimpse of contemporary approaches to the study of the structure, development, and evolution of inflorescences, and suggest fruitful new directions for research.     

Magnesium,calcium, copper,and zinc in meals

Meals of 12 diets were prepared from conventional foods with precautions against contamination by metallic elements because of epidemiologic associations between ischemic heart disease and the metabolism of magnesium, calcium, copper, and zinc. Magnesium, calcium, copper, and zinc were measured by atomic absorption spectrometry with satisfactory accuracy and precision. The mean daily amount of copper in the diets was less than the apparent adult requirement. Mean amounts of magnesium and zinc were close to apparent requirements; however, adults consuming amounts less than one standard deviation below these means may be depleting body stores and be at risk of pathology. Magnesium and copper were highly correlated (r=0.849,P=0.0001) in meals. This and other significant correlations probably will prevent the relationships of these elements to ischemic heart disease from being elucidated by epidemiology. Metabolic experiments will be necessary to differentiate among several hypotheses.     

Revision of the Southeast Asian millipede genus Orthomorpha Bollman, 1893, with the proposal of a new genus (Diplopoda, Polydesmida, Paradoxosomatidae)

The large genus Orthomorpha is rediagnosed and is shown to currently comprise 51 identifiable species ranging from northern Myanmar and Thailand in the Northwest to Lombok Island, Indonesia in the Southeast. Of them, 20 species have been revised and/or abundantly illustrated, based on a restudy of mostly type material; further 12 species are described as new: Orthomorpha atypicasp. n., Orthomorpha communissp. n., Orthomorpha isarankuraisp. n., Orthomorpha picturatasp. n., Orthomorpha similanensissp. n., Orthomorpha suberectasp. n., Orthomorpha tuberculiferasp. n.,Orthomorpha subtuberculiferasp. n. and Orthomorpha latitergasp. n., all from Thailand, as well as Orthomorpha elevatasp. n.,Orthomorpha spiniformissp. n. and Orthomorpha subelevatasp. n., from northern Malaysia. The type-species Orthomorpha beaumontii (Le Guillou, 1841) is redescribed in due detail from male material as well, actually being a senior subjective synonym of Orthomorpha spinala (Attems, 1932), syn. n. Two additional new synonymies are proposed: Orthomorpha rotundicollis (Attems, 1937) = Orthomorpha tuberculata (Attems, 1937), syn. n., and Orthomorpha butteli Carl, 1922 = Orthomorpha consocius Chamberlin, 1945, syn. n., the valid names to the left. All species have been keyed and all new and some especially widespread species have been mapped. Further six species, including two revised from type material, are still to be considered dubious, mostly because their paraterga appear to be too narrow to represent Orthomorpha species. A new genus, Orthomorphoidesgen. n., diagnosed versus Orthomorpha through only moderately well developed paraterga, coupled with a poorly bi- or trifid gonopod tip, with at least some of its apical prongs being short spines, is erected for two species: Orthomorpha setosus (Attems, 1937), the type-species, which is also revised from type material, and Orthomorpha exaratus (Attems, 1953), both comb. n. ex Orthomorpha.     

Esterase Allozymes of Soybean Cyst Nematode,Heterodera glycines,from China,Japan, and the United States

Individual females from 19 populations of Heterodera glycines from China, Japan, and the United States were analyzed for esterase allozyme polymorphism. Eight esterase electrophoretic phenotypes were resolved. Four putative loci, est-1, est-2, est-3, and est-4, were identified, having one, one, two, and one allele, respectively. The four loci expressed six genotypes in the four Chinese populations. Loci est-2, est-3, and est-4 were identified in five Japanese populations and expressed five genotypes, whereas only loci est-2 and est-3 were identified in 10 populations from the United States and expressed four genotypes. Putative alleles at each locus were defined as characters for data analysis. Phylogenetic analysis using parsimony (PAUP) was utilized to determine relationships among the 19 populations. More loci and alleles in populations from China and phylogenetic similarities among populations from Japan and the United States are consistent with a founder effect resulting from dissemination of progenitor H. glycines from China to Japan and subsequent introductions of founder populations from Japan to the United States.