Signal reliability compromised by genotype-by-environment interaction and potential mechanisms for its preservation

Sexual selection based on signaling requires that signals used by females in mate choice are reliable indicators of a male's heritable total fitness. A signal and the preference for it are expected to be heritable, resulting in the maintenance of genetic covariance between these two traits. However, a recent article has proposed that signals may quickly become unreliable in the presence of both environmental variation and genotype-by-environment interaction (G x E) with crossing reaction norms, potentially compromising the mechanisms of sexual selection. Here we examine the heritability and plasticity of a male dominance advertisement in the bank vole, Clethrionomys glareolus, in stable and changing rearing environments from father to son. The bank vole is naturally exposed to considerable sources of spatial and temporal environmental variation and male reproductive success is determined by both intra- (male-male competition) and inter- (females prefer to mate with dominant males) sexual selection. Significant G x E for male dominance was found with crossing reaction norms. Plasma testosterone level (T), rather than condition, determined a male's dominance and T also showed a significant G x E. Dominance showed a considerable plasticity across environments, but was only heritable under stable conditions. We document a negative between-environments correlation of male dominance, suggesting that when the environment changes between father and son, the dominance signal is unreliable to females and sexual selection may be compromised. We discuss how G x E and environmental variation interacting with other mechanisms may preserve the reliability of signals and thus the mechanism of sexual selection itself.     

一株拮抗番茄叶霉病菌的放线菌筛选、鉴定及发酵条件研究

菌株xjy是一株从新疆棉田土壤中筛选出的对番茄叶霉病菌(Fulviafulva)有较强拮抗作用的放线菌,其对23种常见植物病原真菌和6种细菌有较好的抑制效果,抗菌谱广。其形态特征、培养特性、生理生化特性、细胞壁组分与放线菌中的淡紫灰链霉菌(Streptomyces lavendulae)相同,16SrDNA序列同源性达99.6%。研究发现该菌的摇瓶发酵配方和培养条件为:大豆粉2%、葡萄糖2%、NaCl0.8%、CaCO30.2%、(NH4)2SO40.32%,起始pH7.0、28℃、180r/mim、摇瓶培养6d,这些结果为该菌株今后的应用、抗生素的分离提纯和产业化提供了实验依据。     

脂肪酶产生菌的筛选、鉴定及其产酶条件优化

目的:寻找合适的产酶菌。方法:从富油土壤中分离到一株脂肪酶产生菌,并通过16S rRNA部分序列分析和系统发育分析将其鉴定为假单胞菌属,定名为:Pseudomonas sp.26-2。本研究进一步通过正交试验设计对该菌株的产脂肪酶条件进行了优化。结果:在摇瓶培养条件下,其最适产酶条件为:淀粉1.5%,酵母提取物3%,硫酸镁0.05%,K2HPO40.2%,橄榄油0.2%;反应起始pH值为7.0,发酵温度为30℃。在此条件下,发酵脂肪酶活力可达15.5U/ml。结论:所获得的假单胞菌26-2具有一定的脂肪酶生产能力,并为该菌株的菌种改良以及脂肪酶的高效基因工程菌的构建奠定了基础。     

一株海洋真菌菌株M-01产抑菌物质发酵条件研究

对从海泥中分离到的1株海洋真菌菌株M-401产抑菌物质的发酵条件及所产抑菌物质的热稳定性、pH稳定性进行了初步的研究。结果表明,菌株M-401适宜发酵培养基组成为马铃薯40%,蛋白胨0.6%,酵母膏0.2%,葡萄糖1%,海水100%;培养基初始pH值为6.0~7.0;发酵温度24℃,发酵时间48~72 h;抑菌物质80℃处理1 h,残留活性60%,pH稳定范围在4~8之间。     

影响米根霉产γ-亚麻酸的几种因素

利用气相色谱仪对根霉属的部分菌株进行脂肪酸成分分析,发现中华根霉(Rhizopus chinensis)、米根霉(Rhizopus oryzae)和匍枝根霉(Rhizopus stolonifer)均能产生γ-亚麻酸,其中米根霉R316菌丝体中γ-亚麻酸的含量较高达11.47%,对R316的液体发酵产脂条件进行研究,发现液体摇瓶培养菌丝体的油脂含量可达53.24%,γ-亚麻酸的含量提高到20.12%。R316菌丝体生长的最适碳源为葡萄糖、最适氮源为蛋白胨、最适培养温度20℃。但γ-亚麻酸积累的最适碳源为甘油、最适氮源是尿素、最适温度15℃。同时发现逆境是高产多不饱和脂肪酸的关键。     

伊犁河流域红果小檗资源分布与形态调查

红果小檗(Berberis nummularia Bge.)系小檗科(Berberidaceae)小檗属(Berberis L.)植物,是新疆及中亚地区特有的植物物种之一.对伊犁河流域的药食兼用植物红果小檗(Berberis nummularia Bge.)的资源分布、形态特征、生态条件、繁殖特征及人工栽培等进行了综合调查、对植物各部位标本采集及采样分析研究,并对其药用价值、经济价值、生态价值、观赏价值、资源开发及保护管理等方面进行了系统地探讨,为民族药的发掘和整理、丰富中华民族中药宝库以及野生植物资源的保护和合理开发可持续性利用提供了科学依据.     

黑曲霉(Aspergillus niger)产菊粉酶菌株的筛选及培养条件的研究

Ak3个地区7个土壤样品中筛选高产菊粉酶的黑曲霉菌株,对筛选出的黑曲霉菌株进行了形态鉴定,探讨了温度、pH值对菊粉酶活力的影响,比较了固体和液体两种扩大培养法对黑曲霉菌株产菊粉酶的影响。结果表明：经过初筛和复筛得到A4、A6、A8、A12、At4、A15和A16共7株黑曲霉菌株,菊粉酶活力大于15．0U／mL,经数码生物摄影显微镜镜检符合黑曲霉的形态特征。A8菌株的菊粉酶酶活最高,达到25．0U／mL,在60℃、pH值5．0的条件下酶活性最大。     

Carotenoid and protein supplementation have differential effects on pheasant ornamentation and immunity

A currently popular hypothesis states that the expression of carotenoid-dependent sexual ornaments and immune function may be correlated because both traits are positively affected by carotenoids. However, such a correlation may arise for another reason: it is well known that immune function is dependent on nutritional condition. A recent study has suggested that the expression of ornaments may too depend on nutritional condition, as males in good nutritional condition are better at assimilating and/or modulating carotenoids. Thus, carotenoid-dependent ornaments and immune function may be correlated because both are dependent on nutritional condition. To elucidate if, and how, ornamentation and immune function are linked, pheasant diets were supplemented with carotenoid and/or protein in a fully factorial experiment. Carotenoid treatment affected wattle coloration and tail growth, but not cellular or humoral immunity. Immunity was unrelated to males' initial ornamentation including wattle colour. Males in better body condition, measured as residual mass, increased their wattle coloration more when carotenoid supplemented. Protein positively affected humoral but not cellular immunity, but had no effect on ornaments. Cellular, but not humoral, immunity increased with male body condition. Thus, there was no evidence that an immune-stimulatory effect of carotenoids resulted in wattle coloration honestly signalling immune function, but wattle coloration may still signal male body condition.     

Influence of developmental environment on male- and female-mediated sperm precedence in Drosophila melanogaster

Length of the sperm flagellum and of the female's primary sperm-storage organ, the seminal receptacle (SR), exhibit a pattern of rapid correlated evolution in Drosophila and other lineages. Experimental evolution studies with Drosophila melanogaster indicate that these traits have coevolved through sexual selection, with length of the SR representing the proximal basis of female sire discrimination, biasing paternity according to sperm length. Here, we examine the impact of experimentally varying the developmental environment, including larval density and larval and adult nutrition, on sperm length, SR length and on the pattern of sperm precedence. Expression of SR length was far more sensitive to variation among developmental environments than was sperm length. Nevertheless, there was striking co-variation in sperm and SR length. The developmental environment of both females and second males, but not first males, significantly contributed to variation in male competitive fertilization success.     

Maternal and paternal condition effects on offspring phenotype in Telostylinus angusticollis (Diptera: Neriidae)

It is widely recognized that maternal phenotype can have important effects on offspring, but paternal phenotype is generally assumed to have no influence in animals lacking paternal care. Nonetheless, selection may favour the transfer of environmentally acquired condition to offspring from both parents. Using a split-brood, cross-generational laboratory design, we manipulated a key environmental determinant of condition - larval diet quality - of parents and their offspring in the fly Telostylinus angusticollis, in which there is no evidence of paternal provisioning. Parental diet did not affect offspring survival, but high-condition mothers produced larger eggs, and their offspring developed more rapidly when on a poor larval diet. Maternal condition had no effect on adult body size of offspring. By contrast, large, high-condition fathers produced larger offspring, and follow-up assays showed that this paternal effect can be sufficient to increase mating success of male offspring and fecundity of female offspring. Our findings suggest that both mothers and fathers transfer their condition to offspring, but with effects on different offspring traits. Moreover, our results suggest that paternal effects can be important even in species lacking conventional forms of paternal care. In such species, the transfer of paternal condition to offspring could contribute to indirect selection on female mate preferences.