Hammondia pardalis sp. n. (Sarcocystidae) from the Ocelot, Felis pardalis, and Experimental Infection of Other Felines

Synopsis.
Hammondia pardals sp. n. (Eimeriorina: Sarcocystidae) from Panama Canal Zone is described as an obligate heteroxenous coccidian, with felids as the final host and laboratory mice as the experimental intermediate host. Ovoid oocysts. measuring 40.8 (36–46) × 28.5 (25–35) m. are shed unsporulated. Oocysts were infective only for the intermediate host. the laboratory mouse, Mus musculus , and the intracellular cysts were infective only for felids. Attempted passage of tissue cysts from mouse to mouse was unsuccessful.
Mice fed 5 × 10⁴ sporulated oocysts were found to harbor small intracellular cysts, 13–16 × 10–15 m, in the mesenteric lymph nodes, lungs, and intestinal submucosa 15 days postinfection. The meronts in these early cysts were stubby and measured 3 × 6 m. The prepatent period in the felids was 5 to 8 days and the patent period 5–13 days. Experimental infections of definitive hosts were successful with 6/6 domestic laboratory-reared kittens, Felis catus ; 5/5 ocelots, F. pardalis ; and 1/1 jaguarundi, F. yagouaroundi. None of the exposed raccoons, Procyon lotor , shed oocysts.     

Are red wood ants (Formica rufa-group) tectonic indicators? A statistical approach

Recent research in seismically active areas indicated that the spatial distributions of geochemical soil gas anomalies and nests of red wood ants (RWA; Formica rufa-group) are strongly correlated. Here we applied a modified Hough Transform (mHT) and an Iterative Mode Detection (IMD) to RWA nest positions, which we mapped in two Southwest German study areas (Black Forest and Bodanrück), to test for statistical significance of correlation with tectonic features. RWA densities in the seismically active study areas reaching up to 1600 nests/100 ha are about 100× higher than overall values for Northern and Southern Germany. Since the shape of edges of the study area was found to strongly influence the selection of distribution patterns, all subsequent analyses were carried out for circular study areas. Results of the mHT applied on the RWA nests in both study areas clearly showed several modes which correspond to preferred directions. Centres of the modes further processed by IMD transferred into a GIS as RWA prototype lines showed very dominant directions of RWA nest distributions in right lateral strike-slip mode in WNW-ESE resp. NW-SE direction but also in extension direction caused by the recent main stress field in NW-SE resp. NNW-SSE direction. It could thus be clearly shown that the large scale spatial distribution of RWA nests directly reflects significant components of the present day stress field and its accompanying conjugated shear systems: Linear alignments of RWA nests indicate the course of active degassing faults zones and nest clusters indicate area-wide geochemical anomalies respectively crosscut zones of different fault systems. Furthermore, directions of re-activated shear systems, e.g. from Eocene-Oligocene but also from Late Jurassic that had been modified by overprinting due to changes of the main stress field could be identified. Therefore, RWA prototype lines complement and clarify the shear sense and the tectonic regime identified in previous tectonic studies. The high degree of statistical significance of these results will also allow a rating with former contrasting interpretations as to the drivers of RWA distributions.     

Variability in the mean latitude of the Atlantic Intertropical Convergence Zone as recorded by riverine input of sediments to the Cariaco Basin (Venezuela)

Changes in the strength and position of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) are an important component of climate variability in the tropical Atlantic. The Cariaco Basin, located on the northern margin of Venezuela, is sensitive to tropical Atlantic climate change and its sediments provide a record of past ITCZ behavior. Today, the Cariaco Basin experiences two distinct seasons that reflect the annual migration of the Atlantic ITCZ. Between January and March, when the ITCZ lies south of the equator, northeasterly trade winds sit directly over Cariaco Basin and strong coastal upwelling and dry conditions dominate. Beginning in June-July, as the ITCZ moves north, local rainfall reaches a maximum and the upwelling diminishes or disappears. Here we summarize new and previously published data on the river-derived terrigenous fraction of Cariaco Basin sediments, as well as comparisons to other paleoclimate records, which together suggest a coherent climatologic response in the tropical Atlantic triggered by a pattern of ITCZ migration that mimics the seasonal cycle. During periods of cooler North Atlantic SSTs, on time-scales ranging from the Little Ice Age to the Younger Dryas to the cold stadials of the last glacial, decreased detrital delivery to Cariaco Basin from local rivers suggests a southward shift in the mean latitudinal position of the ITCZ. During warm interstadials and periods of Holocene and deglacial warmth, northward shifts in ITCZ position and its belt of convective rainfall are inferred from increased detrital delivery to the basin. Whether the rapid shifts in ITCZ position and precipitation recorded by Cariaco Basin sediments and other regional records reflect a response to forcing originating in the high latitude Atlantic or to forcing potentially sourced in the tropics is a key question yet to be fully answered.     

Speciation in two neotropical butterflies: extending Haldane's rule

Anartia fatima and A. amathea form a hybrid zone in Panama where F1 and back-cross hybrids are found. Crosses were carried out to determine the nature of any reproductive isolation between these two butterflies. A novel analysis demonstrated both strong assortative mating among the pure forms and an unusual example of Haldane''s rule: F1 hybrid females (the heterogametic sex) from the cross A. amathea (female) multiplied by A. fatima (male) have a reduced tendency to mate. Historically, Haldane''s rule has been restricted to hybrid mortality or sterility and most studies have concentrated on taxa (predominantly Drosophila) between which strong barriers to gene flow already exist. Our data suggest that Haldane''s rule might be extended to cover any decrease in hybrid fitness and that mating propensity may provide a sensitive and comparable means of assessing such decreases. Other barriers to gene flow were also evident in Anartia: F1 hybrid females have reduced fertility (also a Haldane effect) and larval survivorship was greatly reduced in F2 hybrids of both sexes. These examples of hybrid disruption are expected under the dominance theory of Haldane''s rule but do not exclude other explanations.     

引黄灌区土壤有机碳密度剖面特征及固碳速率

为揭示灌溉耕作对土壤有机碳密度剖面(0—100 cm)分布产生的影响,通过在宁夏引黄灌区进行实地调查与采样,以无灌溉耕作的自然土壤作为对照,研究不同灌溉耕作时间序列下灌区土壤有机碳密度的剖面分布特征,并估算其平均固碳速率。结果表明:灌区土壤有机碳含量具有随土层深度增加而下降的剖面分布特征,灌溉耕作对增加表层土壤有机碳含量作用最明显;灌区土壤剖面碳密度与灌溉耕作时间和土壤类型均显著相关(P0.01),相关系数分别为0.63和0.74,且因灌溉耕作时间和土壤类型的不同,土壤有机碳密度差异性显著(P0.05);灌溉耕作影响的土层深度及剖面土壤有机碳密度的增加量因灌溉耕作时间长短的不同而异;引黄灌区5类土壤的平均固碳速率为0.53 MgC·hm-2·a-1。引黄灌溉耕作在增加农田土壤固碳中发挥着重要作用。     

鄱阳湖生态经济区资源环境综合承载力评价

随着社会经济的发展,人口、资源与环境之间的矛盾日趋加剧.因此,资源环境承载力问题成为各国（地区）政府所关注的焦点问题之一.本文通过对鄱阳湖生态经济区内资源、环境的现状及问题进行调查分析,选取土地资源、水资源、生物资源、矿产资源、生态-地质环境、水环境及大气环境作为评价准则层,在对上述7个单因素进行评价基础之上,以县（市、区）为评价单位,采用状态空间法对全区的资源环境承载力进行综合评价.结果表明：当前全区内生物资源较丰富,大气、水环境质量良好,地质环境整体较稳定,制约因素主要为土地资源、水资源和矿产资源;全区资源环境承载力表现为可载状态,但部分县（市、区）表现为超载状态.利用状态空间法进行区域资源环境综合承载力研究是可行的,具有意义明确、评价精度高等优点,可为区域资源环境综合承载力评价提供另一种途径.     

药物敏感试验药片法研究

药敏药片对国际三株标准菌试验,抑菌圈直径范围均符合判定标准。与进口药敏药片符合率为１００％。与药敏纸片片间差比较试验,药片抑菌圈＝１～２ｍｍ,精密度高,符合国际要求,而纸片抑菌圈＝９～１３ｍｍ,均匀度检测明显不合格。药片变异系数ＣＶ＝１．３１～２．９２,纸片ＣＶ＝１４．７８～２１．６７表明药片变量离散度小,片间差很小;而纸片变量离散度明显大,故纸片片间差很大。     

In Vitro Antimicrobial Activity of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Acacia catechu</Emphasis> and Its Phytochemical Analysis

Acacia catechu, commonly known as catechu, cachou and black cutch is an important medicinal plant and an economically important forest tree. The methanolic extract of this plant was found to have antimicrobial activities against six species of pathogenic and non-pathogenic microorganisms: Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhi, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida albicans. The maximum zone of inhibition (20 mm) was found to be exhibited against S. aureus. For this organism the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of the crude extract was 1,000 μg/ml. The extract was found to be equally effective against gram positive and gram negative bacteria. The antimicrobial activity of the extract was found to be decreased during purification. The chemical constituents of organic plant extracts were separated by thin layer chromatography (TLC) and the plant extracts were purified by column chromatography and were further identified by Gas chromatography–mass selection (GC–MS) analysis. The composition of A. catechu extract had shown major components of terpene i.e. camphor (76.40%) and phytol (27.56%) along with other terpenes in minor amounts which are related with their high antibacterial and antifungal properties.     

Fire and Pinus mugo Turra communities in the western Alps (Susa Valley, Italy) during the Lateglacial-Holocene transition: an evidence of refugia area

In western Italian Alps, small distinct populations of Pinus mugo Turra raise some questions concerning its ecological status and dynamics in the occidental Alps. This note present new palaeobotanical data based on cone imprints of Pinus mugo, identified in travertine systems located in the Val di Susa and dated back to the Late Dryas (11506+/-66 BP) and the Early Holocene (10145+/-225 et 9475+/-670 BP). Heliophilous species and charcoal fragments were also identified, testifying to the oldness of wildfires in this region. The data support the hypothesis that this zone was a refuge area of this pine during the last glaciation. Here we discuss about the postglacial dynamics of the Pinus mugo in the occidental Alps.