Effect of ducks on CH4 emission from paddy soils and its mechanism research in the rice-duck ecosystem

The effect of ducks on CH₄ emission from paddy soils and its mechanism were probed in order to decide the optimum number of ducks in the rice-duck ecosystem. Methane emission fluxes from paddy soils were measured by the static box technique. The correlations between methane emission and soil physical and chemical characteristics were also analyzed. The results showed that significant differences (p < 0.01) existed in the dissolved oxygen content of water body in the treatment fields, and the more the ducks, the higher the dissolved oxygen content. Secondly, the soil redox matter content and methanogenic bacteria population of the rice-duck ecosystem reduced more sharply than those of the no-duck rice farming, resulting in a lower methane production. Thirdly, the amount of methane emission differed between the treatments—the more the ducks, the less the methane emission. Other related analyses showed that the negative correlation was significant (p < 0.001) between the methane emission flux and dissolved oxygen content of water body. However, CH4 emission flux had significantly positive correlation (p < 0.01) with the soil redox matter content and rice field methanogenic population.     

白粉病菌侵染苦瓜的生理机制

对大顶苦瓜感染白粉病的发病过程和生理机制进行研究。结果发现,感病苦瓜叶片质膜透性与对照相比增加较少,其增加量与病情指数相关性不高;叶绿素a、b、总叶绿素、类胡萝卜素含量随病情加重均下降,接种15d,与对照比分别下降72.6%、68.5%、71.5%和27.1%,其中叶绿素a、b和总叶绿素含量变化与病情指数相关性很高,以叶绿素a含量变化相关性最高;氧化酶活性测定结果表明,感病苦瓜叶片中POD和PPO活性与对照比上升,且随感病时间延长活性增加更多,接种15d,POD和PPO活性较对照增加528.5%和70.4%,两个酶活性变化与病情指数的相关性也很高。     

湿地植物与丛枝菌根真菌(AMF)相互关系的研究进展

丛枝菌根真菌(arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi,AMF)是湿地植物主要共生菌之一,在湿地生态系统中具有重要的作用.本文就近年来AMF对湿地植物的营养物质吸收、生长发育、抗逆境胁迫和抗污染能力等的作用,湿地植物、水分、季节、土壤理化性质因素对根际AMF的多样性、侵染能力、空间分布、生长发育、孢子密度的影响,以及植物与AMF之间相互作用关系的研究进展进行综述.     

湖南烟区土壤水溶性氯的地区分布特点及其与烤烟氯含量的关系

分析了湖南烟区1341个土壤样品的水溶性氯含量与209个烤烟样品氯含量的空间分布特点。结果表明：湖南烟区土壤水溶性氯含量变幅为1.20～72.10 mg·kg^-1,平均为(13.55±7.75) mg·kg^-1,有40.6%的土样氯含量较低,尤以湘西地区土壤水溶性氯含量最低,为(8.88±8.04) mg·kg^-1;湖南烟区烤烟氯含量变幅为0.15%～0.49%,平均为0.31%±0.09%,不同等级烤烟氯含量呈现出X₂F>C₃F>B₂F的趋势,但等级之间差异不显著;根据土壤水溶性氯含量把样品分组后,对应的烤烟样品氯含量在组间差异达到了显著水平;烤烟氯含量与土壤水溶性氯含量之间存在极显著的线性关系（R²=0.8106,P<0.01）。     

Three flavonoids targeting the beta-hydroxyacyl-acyl carrier protein dehydratase from Helicobacter pylori: crystal structure characterization with enzymatic inhibition assay

Flavonoids are the major functional components of many herbal and insect preparations and demonstrate varied pharmacological functions including antibacterial activity. Here by enzymatic assay and crystal structure analysis, we studied the inhibition of three flavonoids (quercetin, apigenin, and (S)-sakuranetin) against the beta-hydroxyacyl-acyl carrier protein dehydratase from Helicobacter pylori (HpFabZ). These three flavonoids are all competitive inhibitors against HpFabZ by either binding to the entrance of substrate tunnel B (binding model A) or plugging into the tunnel C near the catalytic residues (binding model B) mainly by hydrophobic interaction and hydrogen-bond pattern. Surrounded by hydrophobic residues of HpFabZ at both positions of models A and B, the methoxy group at C-7 of (S)-sakuranetin seems to play an important role for the inhibitor's binding to HpFabZ, partly responsible for the higher inhibitory activity of (S)-sakuranetin than those of quercetin and apigenin against HpFabZ (IC(50) in microM: (S)-sakuranetin, 2.0 +/- 0.1; quercetin: 39.3 +/- 2.7; apigenin, 11.0 +/- 2.5). Our work is expected to supply useful information for understanding the potential antibacterial mechanism of flavonoids.     

Mandible strike: the lethal weapon of Odontomachus opaciventris against small prey

In order to study both the hunting efficiency and the flexibility of their predatory behavior, solitary hunters of the trap-jaw ant Odontomachus opaciventris were offered small prey (termites, fruit flies and tenebrionid larvae), presenting different morphological or defensive characteristics. The monomorphic hunters showed a moderately flexible predatory behavior characterized by short capture sequences and a noteworthy efficiency of their mandible strike (76.7-100% of prey retrievals), even when presented with Nasutitermes soldiers. Contrary to most poneromorph ants, antennal palpation of the prey before the attack was always missing, no particular targeted region of the prey's body was preferred, and no 'prudent' posture was ever exhibited. Moreover, stinging was regularly performed on bulky, fast moving fruit flies, very scarcely with sclerotized tenebrionid larvae, but never occurred with Nasutitermes workers or soldiers despite their noxious chemical defense. These results suggest that, whatever the risk linked to potentially dangerous prey, O. opaciventris predatory strategy optimizes venom use giving top priority to the swiftness and strength of the lethal trap-jaw system used by hunters as first strike weapon to subdue rapidly a variety of small prey, ranging from 0.3 to 2 times their own body size and from 0.1 to 2 times their weight. Such risk-prone predatory behavior is likely to be related to the large size of O. opaciventris colonies where the death of a forager might be of lesser vital outcome than in small colony-size species.     

昆虫记忆的形成机制及生态适应性

介绍近十几年来利用蜜蜂Apis mellifera L.、果蝇Drosophila melanogaster Meigen和寄生蜂等昆虫对学习和记忆行为研究的成果。这些研究表明昆虫的记忆形成是多阶段的。从短时记忆向长时记忆的形成过程中,cAMP反应元件结合蛋白(cAMP response element-bindingprotein,CREB)起重要的作用;而蘑菇体是学习、记忆形成的主要位点。已有的研究还表明昆虫记忆的动态是适应于不同物种的生态学需要。这些研究为探索昆虫和其它动物记忆的形成和生态适应性提供了理论基础。     

Nesting habitat use and partitioning of three sympatric ninespine sticklebacks (genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pungitius</Emphasis>): implications for reproductive isolation

The nest site characteristics and distribution patterns of nests of three sympatric ninespine sticklebacks, the brackish- and fresh-water types and Pungitius tymensis, were investigated in the Shiomi River, eastern Hokkaido, Japan. In this river, most of the males of the brackish-water type were found to build their nests in the lower reach with higher salinity (mean 13.5‰) and water temperature (mean 13.3°C), whereas the males of the freshwater type and P. tymensis built their nests in the upper reach with lower salinity (mean 0.6 and 0.8‰, respectively) and water temperature (both mean 11.3°C). The ranges of their nesting areas, however, overlapped within the river, because the nests of the brackish-water type were widely distributed in the river. A comparison of the nest site characteristics in the area where nest overlapped indicated that there were no significant differences for all of five characteristics (the distance from the nest to the shore, the distance from the nest to the bottom, the distance to the nearest nest, the nest density and the amount of cover around the nest). Using canonical discriminant analysis, the nests of the three sticklebacks could not be distinguished using the five nest characteristics. These results suggest that habitat isolation through physical factors functions as an important mechanism of reproductive isolation between the brackish-water type and the other two sticklebacks.     

雷公藤的杀虫作用研究与应用

卫矛科植物雷公藤(Tripterygium wilfordli Hook)是我国著名的杀虫植物。文章对雷公藤的杀虫活性、主要有效成分、作用机理及田间药效4个方面的研究与应用进行综述。雷公藤对多种昆虫有毒杀、拒食、麻醉、生长发育抑制和种群抑制作用;雷公藤定碱、雷公藤次碱、雷公藤春碱、雷公藤吉碱、雷公藤嗪碱、雷公藤新碱和雷公藤甲素、雷公藤内酯酮是其主要杀虫活性成分;雷公藤生物碱作用于昆虫的神经系统和中肠肠壁细胞,Na+,K+-ATP酶可能是雷公藤甲素的靶标之一;雷公藤还具有较好的田间防效。最后,对雷公藤作为杀虫植物资源的开发利用前景和今后的研究方向作了展望。     

水稻品种对稻纵卷叶螟抗性的物理及生化机制

稻纵卷叶螟Cnaphalocrocis medinalis连年大发生,为在其治理中培育和推广抗虫品种,本文应用扫描电镜和生化测定研究了5个常用水稻栽培品种扬辐粳8号、扬稻6号、扬粳9538、淮稻9号和宁梗1号叶片中的硅含量、硅颗粒大小、蜡质含量等物理指标和一些生化指标与抗虫性的关系,并比较了稻纵卷叶螟幼虫危害不同水稻品种后其体内生化反应的差异。结果表明抗虫品种宁梗1号、淮稻9号叶片表面的硅含量显著高于感虫品种,硅颗粒大小在品种间无显著差异。宁粳1号叶片蜡质含量显著高于其他品种。由此表明叶片表面硅和蜡质含量与抗性有关。稻纵卷叶螟幼虫取食后,抗虫品种体内的过氧化物酶（POD）、超氧化物岐化酶（SOD）活性显著高于感虫品种,但丙二醛(MDA)含量低于感虫品种。稻纵卷叶螟幼虫取食不同品种后,其体内一些酶的活性明显不同,取食抗虫品种的幼虫体内POD和谷胱甘肽-S-转移酶(GST)活性显著高于取食其他品种的幼虫,SOD活性显著低于取食感虫品种的幼虫, 表明抗虫品种对稻纵卷叶螟幼虫有毒害作用。