香之道：吸引与护佑

迷人的芳香，起源自生物生存繁衍的需要，飘散到人类生活的各个领域。它既能安神开窍，又可祛病疗疾；既能悠然于书斋琴房，又可缥缈于庙宇神坛。它被赋予了神性与美感。古往今来，香已经逐渐成为我们生活中不可或缺的味道。     

在不同的光学调制度水平下测定的对比敏感度函数

前文中,我们根据小尺寸矩形孔的 MTF(T_□)在高频部分的下降比对比敏感度函数(Tcs)下降快得多的事实,揭示了随空间频率(SF)的增加,网膜-大脑系统的 MTF(Trb)表现愈趋明显的补偿作用。     

古植物学在解释中国植物地理上的潜力

中国许多植物分类群的现代分布证明了一些区系重要性中心可能是古老的并且具有进化的意义,或者这些中心可能仅仅是它们在新生代迁移历史中最后的一些场所。本文概述白刺属(Nitraria),麻黄属(Ephedra),山核桃属(Carya),枫香树属(Liquidambar),枫杨属(Pterocarya)以及桦木科(Betu-laceae)这些分类群在中国的新生代和现在的分布。结论是:现在这些属的重要性中心不同于它们在新生代某个地质世代的;每个分类群在新生代中都经历过较大规模的迁移和遭受过具有重要意义的一些消灭作用的影响。桦木科的演变历史虽然在主要方面已经解决但还是不很明朗。     

Sex differences in the electrocommunication signals of the electric fish Apteronotus bonapartii

The South American weakly-electric knifefish (Apteronotidae) produce highly diverse and readily quantifiable electrocommunication signals. The electric organ discharge frequency (EODf), and EOD modulations (chirps and gradual frequency rises (GFRs)), vary dramatically across sexes and species, presenting an ideal opportunity to examine the proximate and ultimate bases of sexually dimorphic behavior. We complemented previous studies on the sexual dimorphism of apteronotid communication signals by investigating electric signal features and their hormonal correlates in Apteronotus bonapartii, a species which exhibits strong sexual dimorphism in snout morphology. Electrocommunication signals were evoked and recorded using a playback paradigm, and were analyzed for signal features including EOD frequency and the structure of EOD modulations. To investigate the androgenic correlates of sexually dimorphic EOD signals, we measured plasma concentrations of testosterone and 11-ketotestosterone. A. bonapartii responded robustly to stimulus playbacks. EODf was sexually monomorphic, and males and females produced chirps with similar durations and amounts of frequency modulation. However, males were more likely than females to produce chirps with multiple frequency peaks. Sexual dimorphism in apteronotid electrocommunication signals appears to be highly evolutionarily labile. Extensive interspecific variation in the magnitude and direction of sex differences in EODf and in different aspects of chirp structure suggest that chirp signals may be an important locus of evolutionary change within the clade. The weakly-electric fish represent a rich source of data for understanding the selective pressures that shape, and the neuroendocrine mechanisms that underlie, diversity in the sexual dimorphism of behavior.