孕期低氧应激对子代雄性大鼠性行为的影响

目的:研究孕期低氧应激对子代雄性大鼠的繁殖行为及相关激素分泌的影响。方法:实验将配对获得的怀孕第14天的母鼠随机分为3组:对照组(Control)、3300m模拟高原低氧应激组和5000m模拟高原低氧应激组,实验组母鼠放入低氧舱中进行持续7天的模拟低氧应激处理,对照组在实验条件下常规饲养。结果:孕期经低氧应激子代雄性性成熟个体具有与雌性个体交配的能力,但是行为能力有不同程度的下降。同时,应激组个体肛阴距变短,血浆睾酮水平下降而皮质酮水平显著升高,而3组动物睾酮、附睾以及肾上腺指数间无显著差异。结论:出生前受到低氧应激对子代雄性个体的性行为能力产生持久的抑制影响。     

虎斑颈槽蛇肾脏两性异型性的结构特点

目的了解虎斑颈槽蛇肾脏两性异型性的结构基础。方法虎斑颈槽蛇(Rhabdophis tigrinus)为性成熟个体,共19条,雄性12条,雌性7条。于2005～2008年的7月份对蛇及其肾脏进行测量和称重,应用光镜和电镜对肾脏进行观察。结果雄性蛇肾脏不仅颜色呈黄色,而且相对长度和重量也均大于雌性;雄性蛇肾脏富含由远曲小管膨大而成的肾性节,而雌性则没有。肾性节细胞呈高柱状,具有典型的分泌性细胞的超微结构特点。结论虎斑颈槽蛇肾脏的两性异型性是由于雄性的肾脏富有特化的肾性节所致。     

Mating experience weakens starvation tolerance in the seed bug Togo hemipterus (Heteroptera: Lygaeidae)

Organisms are exposed to various stresses caused by environmental fluctuations. One of the most common stresses is the shortage of food. Individuals of many species must survive periods of starvation. There appears to be a trade‐off between reproduction and survival. When residual reproductive value declines for an individual, life‐history theory predicts an increase in current reproductive investment. Current reproductive investment differs between virgin and mated individuals. It is likely that mating experience influences starvation tolerance. However, few studies have investigated sex differences in the effect of mating experience on starvation tolerance or clarified the causes of reductions in starvation tolerance in both sexes. In the present study, these questions are investigated using the seed bug Togo hemipterus (Heteroptera: Lygaeidae).The results of the present study demonstrate that mating is costly for both sexes. Mated males show very short survival times and a daily reduction in weight, and daily energy expenditures are significantly greater in mated males than in virgin males. It is possible that starvation increases the mating effort of males, such as behavioural activities and the amount of time spent searching for females. A trade‐off between survival duration and lifetime fecundity is found in virgin females. However, there is no trade‐off in mated females, which have very short survival times. Whether male seminal substances contribute to the short survival times of mated females is considered. This is the first report demonstrating the influence of sex and mating experience on starvation tolerance. Sex‐specific causes for reductions in starvation tolerance are discussed.     

Some new African Milichiidae (Diptera: Cyclorrhapha) having pronounced sexual dimorphism of the frons

Enigmilkhia dimorphka gen. et sp. nov. and Milkhia distinctipennis, fumicoslata, savannaticola and sylvicola spp. nov. are described from tropical Africa. These forms, though belonging to different subfamilies, exhibit a very similar sexual dimorphism in the shape and chaetotaxy of the frons. Such a dimorphism is unknown within the Milichioidea.     

Effect of hypophysectomy and growth hormone replacement on hypothalamic GHRH

Long-term (7 and 14 days) hypophysectomy resulted in a striking decrease in growth hormone releasing hormone-like immunoreactivity (GHRH-LI) in the median eminence (ME) of adult male rats, evaluated by both radioimmunoassay and immunohistochemistry. Treatment with human GH (125 μg/rat, twice daily IP for 14 days) prevented, though partially, depletion of GHRH-LI from the ME, as assessed by both methods. These results demonstrate that circulating GH levels regulate the function of GHRH-producing structures, via a feedback mechanism.     

Phenomorphology and ecomorphological characters of Maytenus senegalensis L. Shrublands in the Iberian Peninsula: A comparison with other Mediterranean plant communities

This work sets out to establish ecomorphological and phenomorphological patterns in the constituent flora of an Iberian Maytenus senegalensis plant community in order to relate it with or separate it from other types of Mediterranean vegetation. This plant community contains tall shrubs, scrubs, palms and vines of a variety of families. Typical ecomorphological adaptations to the Mediterranean climate were observed in the community studied: an abundance of thorny species or species with tomentose leaves and photosynthetic stems, small leaves and a high presence of species with organs capable of post-fire regeneration. However, the community also showed hybrid characteristics between scrubland (predominantly malacophyllous leaves lasting 9 months on average and low biomass) and tall shrubland communities (predominance of phanerophytes up to 3 m in height, predominantly smooth bark, periodical reposition of leaves, mean lifespan of plants 25 years and mainly fleshy fruit). The community also presents an outstanding quantity of amphiphytes (29%). From a phenological point of view, the formation of buds in winter, flowering in spring, summer–autumn seed dispersal and leaf shedding in summer are typical of other Mediterranean communities, while fructification and growth lasting three seasons, as in the case of Maytenus shrubland, is not. The RVA phenophasic index (balance between reproductive and vegetative phenophases) with values of 0.4–2 shows an intermediate value between typical shrubland (0.3–1) and forest community (1–2) values. The APC index (period of phenophasic activity of the community) differentiates it from others, since it remains at 100% for seven months, three of which are winter months. Phenophasic patterns (overlapping, or not, of flower bud formation, flowering and growth) show how similar M. senegalensis shrubland is to forests because of the absence of phenophase pattern type A (characteristic in open-scrublands); in addition, we have detected a new pattern (type G), still regarded as exclusive to M. senegalensis. As regards the existence of coenomorphs (group of species with similar morpho-functional strategies), the studied community showed much greater diversity than other communities studied to date, with an Strategies Richness index (SRi) of 0.79 (11 groups covering the 14 species existing), pointing to the co-existence of a great variety of eco-phenomorphological strategies, each with a successful response to the same ecological conditions. Finally, some of the species in the community, e.g. Asparagus horridus, Chamaerops humilis and M. senegalensis, stand out because of their unique ecomorphological and phenological characteristics.     

Foreword

The morphology of abdominal and alar androconial organs of four species representing four genera of danaine butterflies is described in detail, based mainly on scanning electron microscopy. The findings are discussed with respect to functional significance and phyletic development of the organs.     

Four members of the Sox gene family in channel catfish

The homologous sequences of human or mouse SOX1, SOX4 and SOX11 , and one novel Sox gene (named Ccf-SoxN ) were identified in the genome of channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus . Identification of these genes is a potential step in understanding development regulations including sex determination in channel catfish.