横断山区干旱河谷川滇蔷薇生长与繁殖特征的地理空间差异

通过大面积的野外踏查、种群调查和室内实验,分析了横断山区干旱河谷乡土灌木川滇蔷薇在岷江流域、大渡河流域、雅砻江流域和金沙江流域的分布、生长繁殖特征及其在流域间的差异。结果表明,川滇蔷薇广泛分布于四大流域,海拔范围1700m至3700 m,所调查的18个种群生长状况良好,株高2 m以上,明显高于群落中的其他灌木。主成分分析表明,地理位置(流域、纬度、经度、海拔)和土壤(全碳、总有机碳、全氮、pH值)是影响川滇蔷薇生长繁殖的主要因子,其中地理位置的影响更大。生长特征包括株高、地径和冠幅在18个种群间差异显著,但在不同的流域间差异不显著。丛萌生数在种群间差异显著,其差异性较其他生长特征弱,但丛萌生数在不同流域间差异显著:岷江流域显著大于雅砻江流域,金沙江流域显著大于大渡河流域。与生长和无性繁殖相比,有性繁殖特征表现出更强的空间差异性,果实重量、瘦果重量以及种子活力在居群间差异极显著,果实重量和种子活力在不同流域间差异显著,但瘦果重量在流域间的差异不显著。综合分析表明,川滇蔷薇生长和繁殖特征在横断山区干旱河谷存在较强空间差异性,较强无性繁殖是种群持续存活的保证,而有性繁殖及其强烈的空间差异为种群适应多变环境以及地理空间扩展提供了遗传基础。     

蔷薇种子的休眠及解除方法

分析了蔷薇(Rosa L.)种子休眠原因、解除休眠方法以及环境条件对休眠与萌发的影响.蔷薇种子休眠的主要原因有瘦果果皮和种皮的限制作用,胚生理休眠以及果肉、瘦果果皮、种皮和胚中的抑制物质.解除休眠的方法包括去除瘦果果皮限制、解除胚的生理休眠、去除抑制物质等.种子发育过程中及成熟后,环境因子,如温度、水分和光照,对种子休眠和萌发有影响.此外,微生物、果实采集时间也对种子休眠及萌发有较大影响.蔷薇种子的休眠机制复杂,且种间差异很大.     

俄罗斯大果沙棘（Hippophae rhamnoides L.）种子萌发特性

俄罗斯丘依斯克大果沙棘（Hippophae rhamnoides L.）为优良的沙棘引进种。经测定,俄罗斯大果沙棘丘依斯克种子的千粒重为17.75g,与其它沙棘属的种子相比,其千粒重较大,为其2倍左右。四唑（TTC,1.0%）染色测种子的生活力的结果表明：有生活力的种子占97.75%,说明俄罗斯大果沙棘种子饱满度好;染色结果与对比发芽实验的结果很接近,说明用四唑染色来测定俄罗斯大果沙棘种子的发芽能力是较准确的方法。在水、气适宜的条件下,分别研究了温度分别为15、20、25、30℃,光照强度分别为25%、50%、75%、100%的不同处理对丘依斯克种子萌发的影响,并采用胚根生长量和全株生物量对沙棘种子发芽效果进行了评价,提出了沙棘种子发芽的最适温度和光强。结果表明,在25℃条件下,种子萌发最早,发芽势高达33.0%±4.76%,发芽率高达95.5%±1.5%,且主根生长量和生物量最大,分别为（4.5±0.09）cm和（0.137±0.002）g;75%光强最适合沙棘种子萌发,种子萌发最早,发芽势高达61.5%±1.7%,发芽率高达86.0%±1.1%,且主根生长量和生物量最大,分别为（3.7±0.2）cm和（0.108±0.004）g。因此,在直播营造大果沙棘林时,应首选25℃的温度条件,同时,建议进行适度遮荫处理。     

梾木种子低温层积过程中内源激素含量的动态变化特征

应用酶联免疫吸附测定法(ELISA)研究了梾木种子低温层积过程中内源激素含量的动态变化,分析了内源激素与种子休眠与发芽的关系。结果表明:(1)梾木种子中IAA含量在层积处理初期剧烈降低,持续一段时间后又显著升高,但后期下降,且IAA/ABA也出现同样的变化;种子中ABA含量在层积处理前期较高,但随着处理时间的延长趋于下降;种子内GA1/3含量以及GA1/3/ABA均随层积处理时间的延长逐渐增大;种子内ZRs和iPAs含量的变化相对较为平稳,尽管有一定的波动,但整体呈渐趋增高趋势。(2)梾木种子发芽率及发芽势在未经层积处理以及处理时间少于90d的条件下均为0,但随着层积处理时间的延长二者明显上升,层积处理的时间长短对梾木种子萌发有显著影响。(3)相关分析表明,梾木种子内GA1/3含量与种子的发芽率、发芽势均呈显著正相关关系,相关系数分别为0.688、0.662;种子内GA1/3/ABA增大有利于种子休眠解除和萌发。     

赤霉素对总状绿绒蒿三个居群种子萌发特性的影响

采集生长于滇西北不同海拔梯度的3个总状绿绒蒿居群种子,分别采用不同浓度的赤霉素(GA3)处理后,进行种子萌发实验。结果表明:(1)种子的长宽比和千粒重随海拔升高而增加,差异显著(P<0.05);种子含水量随海拔升高而降低,且差异显著(P<0.05)。(2)不同居群的对照种子发芽率随海拔升高而增加,平均发芽时间随海拔升高而缩短。(3)100~250 mg·L-1的GA3处理可提高种子的发芽率和发芽势,且差异极显著(P<0.001),但GA3处理对平均发芽时间无显著影响(P>0.05)。同时,各居群萌发指标的最适GA3处理浓度不一致。(4)居群对总状绿绒蒿种子的发芽率和发芽势无显著影响(P>0.05),而对种子平均发芽时间影响显著(P<0.05)。说明海拔是造成不同居群种子外部形态和种子萌发特性差异的原因之一,而不同浓度的GA3对各居群种子的萌发有不同程度的影响。     

珍稀濒危植物距瓣尾囊草种子散布及萌发特性

采用野外调查和室内实验相结合的方法,对距瓣尾囊草(Urophysa rockii)种子散布途径、散布方式和种子萌发特性进行初步研究.结果表明:距瓣尾囊草种子千粒重为0.6684±0.0038 g,以果实和种子为扩散单元进行扩散,具有自体扩散和水媒扩散两种方式.温度对距瓣尾囊草种子萌发有显著影响,20℃为最适萌发温度,发芽率达67.78％.低温(4℃)层积可有效提高种子发芽率和发芽势,随层积天数增加,发芽率和发芽势增加,但层积30 d和40 d发芽率和发芽势无显著性差异.光照和黑暗对种子萌发的影响差异不显著,光照不是其种子萌发的必需条件.实验证明,与用湿砂做发芽基质相比,用滤纸做发芽基质,其发芽率和发芽势均比前者高,因此滤纸是距瓣尾囊草种子萌发实验中更为适宜的发芽基质.     

珍稀植物连香树(Cercidiphyllum japonicum)的种子萌发特性

连香树（Cercidiphyllum japonicum Sieb.et Zucc.）属第三纪孑遗植物,被列为国家二级保护植物,种群的自然更新困难。在实验室条件下研究了连香树种子萌发的生物学特性,以了解该种自然种群更新困难的原因和机制,为其有效保护提供理论依据。经测定,连香树种子千粒重为（0.5821&#177;0.0166）g,种子重量极轻且产量大。四唑染色法对种子生活力的测定表明有活力种子比率仅为19.8%&#177;1.3%。种子吸胀时吸水量达种子干重的482.13%&#177;8.54%。将种子划分为6种表面形态类型进行萌发实验,发现不同形态种子萌发率显著不同,大小适中的黄褐色饱满种子萌发率最高,可达91.25%&#177;2.36%。仅用饱满种子进行萌发实验,验证主要环境因子对种子萌发过程的影响,结果表明,以滤纸置床时萌发率高且有利于种子萌发整齐;种子表面可能存在促进种子萌发的物质;种子萌发对于湿度的响应最为明显,适宜的萌发湿度是20%～25%;萌发具有广泛的温度和光照适应性,除5℃萌发率降低外,10～30℃之间的萌发率无显著差异,随温度升高,萌发开始时间提前,萌发速率加快,幼苗活力指数增加;过弱光照不利于幼苗生长。种子萌发特性导致连香树种群自然更新困难的原因可能是：（1）虽然占有更多安全位,但小种子在竞争中处劣势;（2）生境片断化减少了种子产量也降低了种子质量;（3）较低温度条件下启动萌发有利于幼苗的物质积累,但增大了种群的风险;（4）林下光照不足使幼苗根茎生长严重失衡;（5）湿度依赖易造成爆发型萌发。     

喀斯特地区珍贵树种黄枝油杉的种子萌发特性

黄枝油杉为中亚热带喀斯特地区珍贵树种,该物种分布范围狭窄,野生种群幼苗数量少,严重限制了其自然更新。为探求该物种濒危的原因,同时为其保护和利用提供参考,该文对黄枝油杉的种实性状进行了测定,并研究了温度、光照、土壤含水量、基质、贮藏温度和时间、不同地理种源等因素对种子萌发的影响。结果表明:(1)黄枝油杉球果平均结种率为7.45%±6.54%,种子有较长种翅[(2.27±0.32)cm],种子平均长度为(1.55±0.15)cm(不含种翅),平均宽度为(0.62±0.05)cm,平均厚度为(0.46±0.04)cm,平均千粒重为(214.81±14.76)g,风干种子平均含水量为15.28%±1.66%。(2)黄枝油杉种子萌发的适宜温度为25 ℃,在20 ℃和30 ℃下萌发率显著降低(P<0.05); 种子萌发不需要光照,但周期性光照条件下的萌发率显著高于持续光照和持续黑暗条件(P<0.05); 种子在土壤含水量为10%～30%条件下均能萌发,且能耐一定程度的干旱; 适宜萌发基质为质地疏松、透气性好的泥炭土和珍珠岩; 种子不耐贮藏,采集后应及时播种; 3个不同地理种源中以桂林恭城县三江乡种群种子萌发率最高。黄枝油杉球果结种率较低,种子萌发对温度要求严格,且种子易失去活力,这可能与其濒危有很大关系。     

不同前处理条件对薄荷种子萌发的影响

研究了不同质量浓度(10～250 mg·L~(-1))赤霉素(GA_3)以及清水浸种不同时间(6～36 h)、层积不同时间(5～20 d)和超声波处理不同时间(5～25 min)对薄荷(Mentha haplocalyx Briq. )种子萌发的影响. 结果表明, 用100～200 mg·L~(-1) GA_3处理6 h, 薄荷种子的发芽启动时间缩短且发芽率和发芽势均显著高于对照, 其中, 用150 mg·L~(-1)GA_3浸种,薄荷种子的发芽率最高(57.3%).用清水浸种6～36 h后,薄荷种子的发芽启动时间和发芽持续时间与对照无显著差异,但浸种12 h的薄荷种子发芽率极显著高于对照.于10 ℃层积5～15 d后,薄荷种子的发芽率和发芽势极显著高于对照,发芽启动时间也与对照差异显著,其中层积5～10 d的种子发芽率较高,达47.8%～52.4%.用功率50 W、频率40 kHz超声波处理5～20 min后,薄荷种子发芽率较对照有极显著提高,其中用超声波处理10 min的薄荷种子发芽率最高,达到68.3%.研究结果显示,使用功率50 W、频率40 kHz的超声波处理10 min是打破薄荷种子休眠的最佳方法,可显著提高薄荷种子的发芽率.     

旱生灌木岷谷木蓝种子的休眠与萌发特征

岷谷木蓝(Indigofera lenticellata)是横断山区干旱河谷广泛分布的豆科灌木.本文对其种子的休眠与萌发特征进行了研究.结果表明:岷谷木蓝种子具有物理休眠,其萌发困难的原因在于种皮的不透水性;种子的硬实比率高(85%),针刺种皮和沙摩处理能有效打破种子休眠,提高发芽率,其中沙摩7 h最为快速有效.岷谷木蓝种子发芽温度范围较广,10℃～30℃均可发芽,最适温度范围为20℃～30℃,低温不利于种子萌发.岷谷木蓝具有一定的抗旱性,在聚乙二醇6000(PEG)溶液模拟水分胁迫条件下,种子在25% PEG胁迫下仍能达到100%的发芽率,但水分胁迫对种子发芽有一定的延缓作用,发芽率和发芽速度降低,发芽周期和发芽准备期增长,发芽高峰期滞后.其中对于发芽能力检测的各项指标对水分胁迫的敏感性顺序为发芽指数>发芽势>发芽率.岷谷木蓝种子的发芽特征是对干旱河谷生存环境长期适应的结果.野外播种的适宜时间为4月初,并在播种前对种子进行7 h的沙摩处理.     

Taxonomic status of the species of the green algal genusNeochloris

Komárek has recently reviewed the various species assigned to the green algal genusNeochloris Starr (Chlorococcales, Chlorococcaceae) and removed those with uninucleate vegetative cells to a new genus,Ettlia. Watanabe & Floyd, unaware ofKomárek's work, also reviewed the species ofNeochloris and distributed them among three genera—Neochloris, Chlorococcopsis gen. nov., andParietochloris gen. nov.—on the basis of details of the covering of the zoospore and the arrangement of the basal bodies of the flagellar apparatus. This paper reconciles these two treatments and makes additional recommendations at the ranks of genus, family, order, and class.     

Hectorella: A member of the betalain-suborderChenopodiineae of the orderCentrospermae

Roots ofHectorella caespitosa Hook. f. were induced to produce a red pigment which was shown to be a betalain and not an anthocyanin. These data indicate thatHectorella belongs to theChenopodiineae, the betalain suborder of theCentrospermae, and excludes alignment with the anthocyanin family theCaryophyllaceae.     

Succession in the southern part of the Canadian boreal forest

Forest succession following fire in a forest mosaic of northwestern Quebec has been studied in order to: (1) describe the successional pathways using communities of different ages and (2) evaluate convergence of successional pathways and possible effect of fire suppression on the establishment of steady-state communities. As a first step, ordination and classification techniques were used in order to remove changes in forest composition which are related to abiotic conditions. Then, ordinations based on tree diameter distributions were used to study shifts in species composition in relation to time since the last fire.Even under similar abiotic conditions, successional pathways are numerous. However, regardless of forest composition after fire, most stands show convergence toward dominance of Thuja occidentalis and Picea mariana on xeric sites and dominance of Abies balsamea and Thuja occidentalis on more mesic sites. Stable communities of >300 yr occur on xeric sites while on mesic sites directional succession still occurs after 224 yr. Nearly all species involved in succession are present in the first 50 yr following fire. Only Abies balsamea and Thuja occidentalis increase significantly in frequency during succession. Following initial establishment, successional processes can generally be explained by species longevity and shade tolerance. Early successional species may be abundant in the canopy for more than 200 yr while the rapid decrease of Picea glauca, a late successional species could be related to spruce budworm outbreaks. Considering the short fire rotation observed (about 150 yr), a steady-state forest is unlikely to occur under natural conditions, though it may be possible if fire is controlled.     

Analysis of the genes of the OEE1 and OEE3 proteins of the photosystem II complex from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

The sequences of the nuclear genes of the 33 kDa (OEE1) and the 16 kDa (OEE3) polypeptides of the oxygen evolving complex of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii have been established. Comparison between the OEE1 protein sequences of C. reinhardtii and higher plants and cyanobacteria reveals 67 and 47% homology. In contrast, C. reinhardtii and higher plants have only 28% overall homology for OEE3 which is mostly limited to the central portion of the protein. The transit peptides of the C. reinhardtii proteins consist of 52 (OEE1) and, most likely, 51 (OEE1) amino acids. They have a basic amino terminal region and, at least in the case of OEE1, a hydrophobic segment at their carboxy terminal end typical of thylakoid lumen proteins. Comparison of the genomic and cDNA clones indicates that the OEE1 and OEE3 genes contain five and four introns, respectively, some of which are located within the coding sequences of the transit peptides.     

Comparative analysis of the Kekkon molecules,related members of the LIG superfamily

Leucine-rich repeats (LRRs) and immunoglobulin (Ig) domains represent two of the most abundant sequence elements in metazoan proteomes. Despite this prevalence, comparatively few molecules containing both LRR and Ig (LIG) modules exist, and fewer still have been functionally defined. One LIG whose function has been investigated is the Drosophila protein Kekkon1 (Kek1). In vivo studies have demonstrated a role for Kek1 in Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) signaling and have suggested a role in neuronal pathfinding. Kek1 is the founding member of the Kek family, a group of six Drosophila transmembrane proteins that contain seven LRRs and a single Ig in their extracellular domains. While this arrangement of domains predicts a possible role as cell adhesion molecules (CAMs), to date little is known about the function or evolutionary relationship of these additional Kek molecules. Here we report that orthologs of Kek1, Kek2, Kek5, and Kek6 exist in the mosquito, Anopheles gambiae, and the honeybee, Apis mellifera, indicating that this family has been conserved for ~300 million years of evolutionary time. Comparative sequence analyses reveal remarkable identity among these orthologs, primarily in their extracellular regions. In contrast, the intracellular regions are more divergent, exhibiting only small pockets of conservation. In addition, we provide support for the general notion that these molecules may share common functions as CAMs, by demonstrating that Kek family members can form homotypic and heterotypic complexes.Edited by D. TautzChristina M. MacLaren, Timothy A. Evans and Diego Alvarado contributed equally to this work     

The purification of the three trimannosyl-N-acetylchitobiose pentasaccharides from the urine of swainsonine-intoxicated sheep

A simple method for the preparative resolution of three Man₃GlcNAc₂ isomers called Ia, Ib and II has been designed. It consists mainly of the use of concanavalin A-Sepharose which allowed the total purification of Man₃GlcNAc₂-Ia, and then of anion-exchange resin in borate buffer-gradient to separate the Ib and II isomers. The purity of each oligosaccharide was checked by two HPLC methods. The use of these oligosaccharides for different analytical and biosynthetic purposes is discussed, and the unexpected resistance of one of the Man₃GlcNAc₂ alditols to the action of endo--N-acetylglucosaminidase H is noted.     

The history of the genusHomo

The genusHomo was established by Carolus Linnaeus in 1758. During the course of the past 150 years, the addition of fossil species to the genusHomo has resulted in a genus that, according to the taxonomic interpretation, could span as much time as 2.5 Myr, and include as many as ten species. This paper reviews the fossil evidence for each of the species involved, and sets out the case for their inclusion inHomo. It suggests that while the case for the inclusion of some species in the genus (e.g.Homo erectus) is well-supported, in the case of two of the species,Homo habilis andHomo rudolfensis, the case for their inclusion is much weaker. Neither the cladistic evidence, nor evidence about adaptation suggest a particularly close relationship with laterHomo.     

Evaluation of antiprotozoal and antimycobacterial activities of the resin glycosides and the other metabolites of Scrophularia cryptophila

Resin glycosides are secondary metabolites exclusive to the convolvulaceous plants. In this study, crypthophilic acids A–C (1–3), the first resin glycosides occurring in another family (Scrophulariaceae), and the other constituents of Scrophularia cryptophila were examined for in vitro antiprotozoal and antimycobacterial potentials. Except for crypthophilic acid B (2), all tested compounds exhibited growth-inhibitory effect against Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense, with l-tryptophan (6) and buddlejasaponin III (7) being the most potent ones (IC₅₀'s 4.1 and 9.7 μg/ml). In contrast, the activity towards Trypanosoma cruzi was poor, and only crypthophilic acid C (3), 6 and 7 were trypanocidal at concentrations above 40 μg/ml. With the exception of 2 and 6, all compounds were active against Leishmania donovani. Harpagide (4) and 3 emerged as the best leishmanicidal agents (IC₅₀'s 2.0 and 5.8 μg/ml). Only compounds 3, 6 and 7 showed antimalarial activity against Plasmodium falciparum with IC₅₀ values of 4.2, 16.6 and 22.4 μg/ml. Overall the best and broadest spectrum activity was presented by compounds 3 and 7, as they inhibited all four parasitic protozoa. None of the isolates had significant activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MICs >100 μg/ml) or were toxic towards mammalian (L6) cells. This is the first report of antiprotozoal activity for natural resin glycosides, as well as for harpagide (4), acetylharpagide (5), tryptophan (6) and buddlejasaponin III (7).     

Evaluation of the Pro-Lab ID ring system for the identification of medically important yeasts

We evaluated 151 coded isolates of medically important yeast species belonging to the genera Candida, Cryptococcus, Geotrichum, Rhodoturula, Saccharomyces and Torulopsis using the newly developed rapid Pro-Lab Identification Ring, PL 960 system (PLID-Ring). All isolates were concurrently identified by the API 20C and conventional procedures comprising macro- and micromorphology, assimilation and fermentation of various carbon and nitrogen compounds. The PLID-Ring system identified isolates of Candida albicans, C. kefyr, C. krusei, C. lusitaniae, C. parapsilosis, Rhodotorula rubra, and Torulopsis glabrata with 100% accuracy in 24 h. This system identified C guilliermondii and S. cerevisiae isolates with an accuracy of 90% and 86%, respectively, while those belonging to Cr. neoformans, T. candida (= C. famata), C. rugosa and C. tropicalis were identified with 38.4%, 50%, 12.5% and 50% accuracy, respectively. Three isolates of Cr. laurentii were not identified by the PLID-Ring system. The overall accuracy of the PLID-Ring system was 81.45% (123 of 151 isolates). However, the system does not include species such as Cr. laurentii in its data base. When these three Cr. laurentii isolates were excluded from the evaluation, the accuracy of the PLID-Ring system increased from 81.45% to 83.1%.     

Comparison of the Influence of Carbon Substrates on the Fibrolytic Activities of Anaerobic Rumen Fungi

Cellulolytic and xylanolytic activities among genera of anaerobic fungi when grown on glucose, xylan and the cellulosic substrates, filter paper and Avicel were compared. All the fungi had basal extracellular fibrolytic activities that could be enhanced by growth on xylan or the cellulosic substrates. However,Piromyces communisstrain 22 andNeocallimastix patriciarumstrain 27 had substantially greater levels of fibrolytic activity thanOrpinomyces joyoniistrain 19-2 orNeocallimastix frontalisstrain RE1. Zymogram analysis suggested both structural and regulatory differences amongst the enzyme systems of the fungi. Numerous and varied enzyme bands were evidenced for all the fungi, with substantial substrate influences seen in the xylanase activities. Most commonly the smaller molecular weight bands, found exclusively extracellularly, appeared under the greatest regulatory control. Endoglucanase activities ofP. communisandO. joyoniidemonstrated similar regulatory control, while those of the twoNeocallimastixstrains did not appear to exert such control. These results suggest that while the enzymatic activities are functionally similar, there are likely significant variations in the enzyme systems of the anaerobic fungi.