Male mate choice and the potential for complex mating dynamics in the tree lizard (Urosaurus ornatus)

A growing body of literature is recognizing that males may also play a role in the mating process by behaving non‐randomly toward potential female mates during courtship. In numerous species, discrete color polymorphisms in males are inferred to represent alternative mating tactics, which often correspond with concomitant asymmetries in ecology and behavior. In terms of their mating behavior, these ecological outcomes of a color polymorphism should affect a morph's likelihood and frequency of encountering females in a population, possibly favoring the evolution of morph‐specific mating preferences. Knowledge of how male morphs contribute to a species’ overall mating dynamics will improve our understanding of how sexual selection shapes phenotypic diversity in color polymorphic systems. We conducted a mate choice experiment to evaluate the extent and morph specificity of non‐random mating preferences by male ornate tree lizards, Urosaurus ornatus. We observed the behavior of blue and yellow males in an experimental arena in response to a choice between an orange or yellow female. We found that blue males preferred yellow females over orange females, and although yellow males visited females more often than blue males overall, their attention was not morph‐specific. Given male morph differences in choosiness, and their differences in social dominance, we conclude that female throat color may be partly under sexual selection in U. ornatus. However, a lack of concordance between male and female mating preferences (drawn from an earlier study) suggests that overall mating dynamics may serve to maintain, rather than enhance, color morph differences in this species.     

欧洲卫矛秋冬转色期叶色变化的生理机制

以3个欧洲卫矛(Euonymus europaea)品种‘矮生’(Euonymus europaea‘Pumilis’)、‘八仙花’(E.europaea‘Aldenhamensis’)和‘白果’(E.europaea‘Albus’)为试验材料,测定其秋冬转色期叶色参数及各项生理指标的变化,分析色素与叶色参数、可溶性糖、相关酶的关系,探讨欧洲卫矛转色期叶片的呈色机理,为后期园林应用提供依据。结果表明:(1)‘八仙花’、‘白果’叶片明度参数L*值、色素参数b*值(黄/蓝)呈先升后降的单峰曲线,‘矮生’的L*值、b*值呈先降后升的单峰曲线,3个品种色素参数a*值(红/绿)在转色期间均不断上升。(2)各品种叶片叶绿素含量随生育期整体呈下降的趋势,主要是叶绿素a减少,叶绿素b与类胡萝素下降较为平稳;花色素苷含量、花色素苷/叶绿素比值呈上升趋势,类胡萝素/叶绿素比值整体呈下降的趋势。(3)各品种叶片可溶性糖含量随生育期呈先升后降的单峰曲线,它们的PAL活性呈波动上升趋势,POD活性整体呈下降趋势,PPO活性呈缓慢上升趋势。(4)相关性分析显示,3个品种叶色参数a*值与花色素苷含量均呈极显著正相关关系,‘矮生’花色素苷含量与叶绿素、类胡萝素含量呈显著负相关关系,‘八仙花’、‘白果花’的花色素苷含量与叶绿素、类胡萝卜素含量呈不显著负相关关系。研究发现,影响欧洲卫矛秋冬转色期叶片变红的主要因素是叶绿素、花色素苷和可溶性糖相对含量及PAL、PPO活性,类胡萝卜素含量对叶片变红的贡献不大,POD活性对叶片变红无直接影响。     

Visual orientation of the black fungus gnat,Bradysia difformis,explored using LEDs

Fungus gnats occur worldwide with more than 1 700 described species. They can cause serious damages on ornamentals, crop plants, and edible mushrooms, and are considered to be a serious pest in the last years. Bradysia difformisFrey (Diptera: Sciaridae) represents a common species in Europe. Usually, yellow sticky traps are used for monitoring and control in greenhouses and fluorescent tube‐based light traps are additionally applied for control in mushroom cultivation. The importance of such visual trapping measures for efficient monitoring or alternative control increases in biological and integrated plant protection. However, detailed color preferences of fungus gnats are mostly unknown. We studied the visual orientation of B. difformis with light‐emitting diodes (LEDs) in a broad range of peak wavelengths from 371 nm (ultraviolet, UV) to 619 nm (amber). We determined attractive wavelengths in consecutive choice experiments in daylight and darkness. Highest numbers of adult B. difformis were attracted to UV radiation (382 nm) followed by green‐yellow light (532–592 nm). The responses to UV and the green‐yellow range were relatively unspecific and mostly independent from intensity. Combination of UV and yellow LEDs improved trapping efficacy compared to a single UV or yellow LED trap, as well as compared to a common yellow sticky trap. When both wavelengths were compared to a black surface to increase contrasts, the black surface was preferred over yellow, but was less attractive than UV. Thus, B. difformis displays two, probably wavelength‐specific, behaviors to UV radiation and green‐yellow light, with UV being the most attractive stimulus. These behaviors might be directly related to underlying photoreceptors, suggesting dichromatic vision in B. difformis.     

Alpha-MSH and coat color changes in the mouse

The effect of -MSH on coat color was examined in viable yellow mice (C3H/He-A*^vy). These mice normally grow a coat of darkly pigmented hair at puberty. This darkening effect was also evident in hair that grew in a region that had been plucked at 13 days of age. Administration of -MSH increased the darkness of this hair and the hair which grew naturally in an unplucked area. However, the natural coat darkening that occurred at puberty was not associated with an increase in plasma immunoreactive -MSH levels. Moreover, although bromocryptine, a dopamine agonist that inhibits -MSH release from the pituitary reduced the darkness of the coat that grew after plucking the reduction in coat darkening was unrelated to changes in plasma -MSH. Nevertheless, this effect of bromocryptine was reversed when -MSH was administered together with the drug. Apomorphine had no effect on coat darkening and produced only a slight decrease in plasma -MSH. Melatonin reduced coat darkening slightly but, like apomorphine, had little effect on plasma -MSH concentrations. Although -MSH may have a physiological role in coat darkening in the C3H/He-A*^vy mouse at puberty the response seems to be unrelated to an increase in circulating -MSH. Thus, other factors, such as changes in melanocyte sensitivity to -MSH or inhibitory mechanisms that prevent coat darkening during prepubertal and adult life may be involved in regulation of coat color in the viable yellow mouse.     

太谷核不育小麦花药内游离脯氨酸和总氨基酸含量的变化及其与育性的关系

本文对显性单基因控制的太谷核不育小麦不同发育阶段的可育株和不育株的花药及雌蕊内游离肺氨酸和游离总氨基酸的含量进行了分析。结果表明:(1)在小孢子母细胞减数分裂期,不同育性花药之间游离脯氨酸的含量无明显差异,且含量较低。(2)在小孢子单核初期,可育花药内游离脯氨酸的含量显著高于不育花药,是不育花药的7倍,比减数分裂期增加20倍,高达其干重的1.65％,占其游离总氨基酸的50％。(3)在雌蕊中,游离脯氨酸的含量远远低于花药,不同育性植株之间差异不很明显。(4)关于游离总氨基酸的含量,在花药中减数分裂期,不同育性植株之间无明显差异;在小孢子单核初期,可育株高于不育株。在雌蕊中,相应于小孢子单核初期时,可育株稍高于不育株,受精后迅速趋于一致,但整个变化幅度不大。     

The influence of light on the twilight migrations of grunts

Synopsis Behaviors that precede the daily migrations of mixed-species schools of juvenile grunts (Pomadasyidae), from patch reefs to grass beds at dusk and vice versa at dawn, are defined and utilized to ascertain the precision of the migrations. Although premigratory behaviors differ at dusk and dawn, the migrations are precise twilight events which occur at the same light intensities during dawn and dusk. Histological sections of the retina reveal that both cones and rods are fully exposed to ambient light during the migrations. Under the difficult photic conditions that prevail during migration, the retina is structured photomechanically to maximize the absorption of ambient light. Body colorations of the grunts, which consist mostly of intense colored stripes during the day, are replaced at night by cryptic melanic patterns. The precision of migration, the photomechanical movements in the retina, and the changes in body coloration are considered adaptive because they reduce predation on grunts when they migrate and are most vulnerable to attack. In support of this conclusion, the migrations take place just before the evening and just after the morning quiet period - thus they avoid that period during twilight when predation is highest in tropical fish communities.     

Increased induction and chromosome doubling of androgenetic haploid rye

Summary Further progress of studies aimed at increasing production of androgenetic Secale cereale plants via the culture of anthers is described. Two culture media initially developed for rice and wheat anther culture have been shown to have pronounced influence on rye. It has been possible to increase the average percentages of responsive anthers (i.e. those producing embryoids or calluses) from 0.26% to 10% with a maximum in certain experiments of over 40 %. Of nearly 400 plants produced in 1976, 1/4 are green and can be grown further by transfer to potting compost; 3/4 are albino. Stable green haploid lines were present amongst the plants, and after vegetative propagation of the lines representative samples have been treated with colchicine resulting in diploid, triploid and tetraploid plants. The influence of the genetic background of the donor plants on the success rate of anther culture and on the percentage of albino formation is discussed.     

Correlations between low-temperature tolerance of anther donor clones of potato and the production of anther-derived embryos and calli at low temperatures

The main purpose of this study was to investigate whether the degree of tolerance to low non-freezing temperatures of immature microspores in anther culture was correlated to the degree of low-temperature tolerance, measured by chlorophyll fluorescene, in the anther donor clone. Anther cultures of six tetraploids and eight dihaploids, derived from anther cultures of clone 199.13, were incubated at 10, 15, 20, 25 or 30 °C respectively. The embryo and callus production were determined and subsequently two quotients/clone, designated temperature-related embryo and callus production, were established. The quotients were defined as embryo and callus production at 10 or 15 °C divided by the embryo and callus production, for the individuals clone, at the optimal temperature (20 or 25 °C) for the same production. These quotients were thereafter correlated to the low-temperature tolerances of the anther donors. The tetraploid and dihaploid group were treated separately and significant positive correlations were found in both cases. This indicates that tolerance to low temperatures is expressed in the anther donor plant as well as in the microspores grown in anther culture. It is suggested that in vitro selection through anther culture may be a useful tool for breeding for increased tolerance to low temperatures in potato.     

乳蛋白位点等位基因表达特点的研究

本研究利用聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳,结合区带的相对含量扫描测定分析了乳蛋白位点杂合子奶牛乳样基因型,探讨乳蛋白基因的蛋白质表达特点。结果表明,各乳蛋白位点等位基因的蛋白质表达均有显著的不平衡性。αs l-CN B,C,β-LG A,B,κ-CN A,B相对含量间的差异达显著水平。β-CN位点各等位基因表达的蛋白质含量间差异不显著。     

两种等亮度不同运动图形刺激下的交替OKN眼动

等亮度彩色运动条纹产生视动震颤（ＯＫＮ）眼动反应揭示了ＯＫＮ眼动控制系统中存在颜色通道;而在两个相反方向运动的等亮度彩色运动条纹图象同时显示刺激时能引起交替的两个方向的ＯＫＮ跟踪眼动。故表明了在ＯＫＮ眼动控制系统中各个颜色通道交替地控制产生ＯＫＮ眼动反应。