The long-distance migration of Nilaparvata lugens (Stål) (Delphacidae) in China: radar observations of mass return flight in the autumn

Abstract.

• 1 A case study is presented of the autumn migration of the brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens (Stål), in the area of Nanjing in the People's Republic of China. The study was made using a high frequency (8 mm wavelength) radar and a net suspended from a kytoon.
• 2 The observations confirmed that long-distance return migrations occur in China in mid and late September, with N.lugens being carried on the prevailing north-easterly wind towards the autumn infestation and overwintering areas of the species.
• 3 After mass take-off in the late afternoon or at dusk, the migrants flew for several hours during the evening, often in a dense layer which formed at heights between about 400 and 1000m above ground. These layers often had well-defined ceilings corresponding to an air temperature of about 16°C. The migration height was above the top of the surface temperature inversion, i.e. the migrants did not fly at the height of the warmest air.
• 4 The dense layer concentrations overflying the radar were backtracked to source areas up to 240 km away in the north-east of Jiangsu Province. Planthoppers observed emigrating from the Nanjing area would reach areas in south Anhui Province or north Jiangxi Province if they flew for 12 h.
• 5 There was a second period of mass take-off at dawn. Insect layers sometimes formed but did not last longer than 1–2h.
• 6 The present results were strikingly different from those previously observed in the dry season in the Philippines, where migratory flight durations were largely confined to periods of about 30min at dusk and dawn.
• 7 Our observations are discussed in relation to the equator-wards return migrations undertaken in autumn by other insect species, and the importance of these migrations for the maintenance of long-flying genotypes in the overwintering populations is considered.

     

Molecular identification and genotyping of Blastocystis sp. in sheep and goats from some areas in Inner Mongolia,Northern China

Blastocystis sp. is a kind of unicellular intestinal commensal which is widely distributed in humans and animals, and frequently found in the people who are in close contact with animals. To investigate the prevalence and evaluate the zoonotic potential of Blastocystis sp. in sheep and goats from Inner Mongolia, China, a total of 1037 samples were collected from them, and subjected to nested PCR amplification based on the small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) gene of Blastocystis sp. The sanger sequencing was used for Blastocystis sp. subtype identification. The results indicated that the average infection rate of Blastocystis sp. was 10.70% [95CI: 8.82%–12.58%] (111/1037), including 11.30% [95CI: 7.96%–14.64%] for sheep (39/345) and 10.40% [95CI: 8.13%–12.67%] for goats (72/692). Five Blastocystis subtypes (ST5, ST10, ST14, ST21 and ST26) were identified in the present study. Among them, ST10 was the most dominant subtype in sheep and goats, accounting for 70.27% (78/111) of the total identified positive samples. This is the first report regarding Blastocystis sp. subtypes ST21 and ST26 in goats in China. This study has provided a detail epidemiological data on the prevalence and subtypes distribution of Blastocystis sp. in sheep and goats in Inner Mongolia, China. Our results indicated that sheep and goats could be reservoir host for multiple Bastocystis subtypes, including the zoonotic subtypes. Further studies among humans, livestock and wild animals are needed to better understand their role in the spread of Blastocystis sp.     

分子对接技术在研究群体感应抑制剂中的进展

在大多数致病菌中都存在群体感应系统,而群体感应抑制剂就是以此系统作为靶点,在不影响细菌生长的情况下阻断细菌生物被膜形成或抑制毒力基因表达,不易导致耐药性的产生,是一种理想的抗菌增效剂。分子对接作为虚拟筛选技术之一,其目标具体、效率高、成本低,是药物研发的重要手段。本文重点介绍了分子对接的主要模块及其在研究群体感应抑制剂中的进展。     

防治平贝母菌核病的木霉菌筛选及室内防效

【背景】由病原菌Sclerotium denigrans侵染引起的平贝母菌核病是其主要的鳞茎病害之一,给平贝母种植产业带来了巨大的损失。【目的】筛选出对平贝母菌核病具有拮抗效果的木霉菌株。【方法】以平贝母菌核病作为靶标菌,采用平板对峙试验、平板对扣法、圆盘滤膜法与发酵液抑菌试验筛选对平贝母菌核病具有拮抗效果的木霉菌株。采用顶空固相微萃取的方法检测拮抗效果较好的木霉菌挥发性成分;二硝基水杨酸(dinitrosalicylic acid, DNS)比色法测定木霉菌的β-1,3葡聚糖酶的活性;室内防效试验验证其对平贝母菌核病的防治效果。【结果】平板对峙试验发现木霉菌F1、F2和D6对平贝母菌核病菌的生长具有较强的抑制作用,其抑菌率分别为91.06%、87.00%和86.12%;平板对扣法发现木霉菌E17和A26对菌核病菌的抑制效果最为明显,抑菌率分别为74.96%和75.86%;圆盘滤膜法发现菌核病菌在F2、C6、D3、F4、A26、B30、D4和D6的琼脂培养基上均不生长,抑菌率达100%;发酵液抑菌试验表明木霉菌D3抑制效果最强,可完全抑制菌核病菌的生长,抑菌率为100%;对A26、D4、E8、E17和D3这5株木霉进行GC/MS挥发性产物分析,在E17发现了具有抗真菌活性的6-戊基-2H-吡喃-2-酮等活性物质;DNS比色法发现β-1,3葡聚糖酶活性最高的木霉菌为F1;室内防效试验测定发现D3能明显抑制平贝母鳞茎菌核病的病变,对平贝母菌核病具有潜在的生防活性。【结论】木霉菌D3在防治平贝母菌核病中是极具开发价值的菌种。     

Projection of climate variables by general circulation and deep learning model for Lahore,Pakistan

Climate change significantly impacts the hydrological cycle and environment. The key parameters driving climate change for densely populated city of Lahore in Pakistan were studied. The projections of these parameters were evaluated using General Circulation Model (GCM) named Community Climate System Model (CCSM4) under two Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP 4.5 and 8.5) scenarios. The outputs of CCSM4 model were bias corrected using quantile mapping using historical data. Additionally, a deep learning model named long short-term memory (LSTM) was developed applying machine learning applications to forecast the climate parameters for the future. LSTM model with two LSTM layers including one fully connected layer was modeled for the projection of climate variables in the region. Total number of parameters were 9888, and the input and forecasted output length was kept as 24 sequential months without overlapping. The conventional projection methods of GCM were compared with LSTM outputs for bridging the gap. The LSTM model was found to be more effective and dependable in forecasting the climate with significant improvement in the statistical parameters for the region. The LSTM model can be applied for projections of climate in comparison to GCM with sufficient precision.     

Trend analysis and changepoint detection of monthly,seasonal and annual climatic parameters in the Garo Hills of Northeast India

This study seeks to identify the change points, tendencies, and trends in climatic parameters and to investigate their relationship with forest cover loss and carbon dioxide (CO₂) emission in the Garo Hills region of Northeast India.This study is based on secondary data on Precipitation, Maximum Temperature, Minimum Temperature, Relative Humidity, Tree cover loss, and CO₂ emission in Garo Hills from 1984 to 2019. Mann-Kendall's and Sen's slopes were employed to calculate the trend of monthly and seasonal climatic parameters, and Pettitt's test was used to estimate the breakpoints.We further attempted to identify the relationship between the variables under consideration using Pearson's correlation and regression analysis. The results indicate that precipitation levels were generally decreasing over the majority of months and seasons.The maximum temperature showed a marked increase, while the minimum temperature experienced a decrease in all seasons after 2008. From 1999 onwards, the relative humidity has been on the rise in all seasons except monsoon. Regression analysis reveals that the relative humidity and maximum temperature contributed negatively to precipitation. The maximum temperature was positively correlated with both forest cover loss (r = +0.58) and CO₂ emission (r = +0.59), while the minimum temperature was negatively correlated with both (r = −0.59 and r = −0.59). This study will provide stakeholders with an understanding of how weather factors vary over time, how forest cover loss and CO₂ emissions affect weather patterns in the region, and how to develop climate mitigation strategies.     

中国东北地区三种蜜环菌的生物学特性及奥氏蜜环菌人工培养

蜜环菌属Armillaria真菌具有较高的食药用价值。由于蜜环菌的生长发育过程较复杂,还未完全实现商业化栽培,野生资源的供应受到季节性和地域性的影响。本研究以采自东北地区蜜环菌属的3个菌株为研究对象,通过培养物的形态特征及分子标记确定菌株JG19016为奥氏蜜环菌A. ostoyae,菌株JG19017为高卢蜜环菌A. gallica,菌株JG19018为中国蜜环菌生物种C。奥氏蜜环菌JG19016最适生长温度为25 ℃,高卢蜜环菌JG19017的最适生长温度为22 ℃,中国蜜环菌生物种C JG19018则在22-25 ℃时菌丝生长速度最快;3个菌株最适pH为5-6。奥氏蜜环菌JG19016对葡萄糖和蔗糖利用率较好,高卢蜜环菌JG19017对葡萄糖利用率较好,中国蜜环菌生物种C JG19018对葡萄糖和淀粉利用率较好;蛋白胨对3个菌株促进作用最强,为最适氮源。培养基中加入VB₁,对3个菌株的菌丝生长均有明显的促进作用。奥氏蜜环菌JG19016菌丝生长的最优培养基配方为：葡萄糖20 g,蛋白胨3 g,磷酸二氢钾2 g,硫酸镁1.5 g,VB₁ 10 mg,琼脂20 g,水1 L。在木屑基质中培养,其配方的最优碳氮比为38:1,最佳木屑粗细比为3:1以上。出菇条件探索结果显示,菌丝及菌索长满菌袋(17 mm×33 mm×5 mm丝聚乙烯袋)需要50-60 d,之后在18 ℃、60%湿度和12 h散射光的环境中,10 d左右可观察到原基产生。增加菇房湿度到90%-95%,2-3 d可观察到1-3 cm的幼子实体,7 d左右菌柄和菌盖完全分化,10 d左右观察到菌盖展开。