Obligately phototrophic Chloroflexus: primary production in anaerobic hot spring microbial mats

Microbial mats which lack cyanobacteria occur at 50° to 65° C in the sulfide-containing Mammoth Springs of Yellowstone National Park. The principal organisms within these mats are filamentous bacteria which resemble Chloroflexus aurantiacus. The incorporation of [¹⁴C]-HCO ₃ ^- into mat material depended upon both light and sulfide, and was not inhibited when complete natural light was replaced with far-red and infra-red radiation. [¹⁴C]-acetate was incorporated in a light-dependent reaction which was stimulated by, but did not require, sulfide. In situ experiments with microelectrodes demonstrated net sulfide uptake by the mat in the light, and net sulfide production by the mat in the dark, suggesting the operation of a sulfur cycle.Filamentous phototrophic bacteria isolated from the mat were incapable of sustained growth in the presence of O₂.Simultaneous exposure of cultures to light and O₂ caused degradation of bacteriochlorophyll c. The stimulation of light-dependent [¹⁴C]-HCO ₃ ^- -uptake by sulfide was more pronounced in these isolates than in strains of Chloroflexus aurantiacus.     

Root and microbial biomass dynamics under the canopy of the desert shrub Zygophyllum dumosum

Summary A study was done to evaluate the influence of soil moisture and rainfall on root and microbial biomass production under the canopy of the desert shrub Zygophyllum dumosum. During the study period the root biomass production increased following the early rains but subsequently declined, remaining fairly constant thoroughout the season. In contrast microbial biomass and soil organic matter increased during the rainy season and declined with the onset of the dry summer period. Based on our results we suggest that the moisture event and not the amount and the organic matter content regulate root and microbial biomass production at the 0 to 10 cm soil layer.Contribution of the Agricultural Research Organization, The Volcani Center, Bet Dagan, Israel. paper no. 2617-E, 1989 series     

Effects of microbial floras on the distributions of five domestic Drosophila species across fruit resources

Summary The distributions of five Drosophila species and four components of the microflora have been compared across a total of 48 traps baited with four different fruit and vegetable substrates in two domestic compost heaps in Canberra (Australia). Large and consistent differences are found, both among the Drosophila and among the microbial classes, in their distributions across traps baited with different substrates. Moreover the distribution of each Drosophila species shows a unique set of strong associations with the microbial distributions. Thus the distributions of both D. simulans and D. melanogaster are found to be strongly negatively correlated with the abundance of bacteria while D. simulans is also strongly positively correlated with the titre of fermenter yeasts. D. immigrans is strongly positively correlated both with bacteria and with non-fermenter yeasts. D. hydei is positively correlated with nonfermentery yeasts and D. busckii is negatively correlated with fermenter yeasts. Moulds are the only microbial class not consistently associated with the distribution of any of the Drosophila species. The correlations with the other microbial classes are sufficient to explain the majority of the abundance differences of the Drosophila species among the trap types. It is therefore proposed that the clear partitioning of the fruit resources by the Drosophila is due to their differing primary interactions with the microflora.     

Permethrin-impregnated bednets reduce nuisance arthropods in Gambian houses

The prevalence of bedbugs (Cimex hemipterus L.), chicken ticks (Argas persicus Oken) and headlice (Pediculus capitis De Geer) was surveyed in a rural area of The Gambia. At the beginning of the study 37.5% of children's beds were infested with bedbugs and 3.9% with chicken ticks, whilst the prevalence rate of pediculosis in children under 10 years old was 28.8%. Both bedbugs and headlice were clustered within compounds. Headlice prevalence increased with hair length and they were more common on girls than boys. Following this cross-sectional survey all bednets in the sixteen hamlets were either dipped in permethrin or a placebo. About 4 months later it was found that bedbugs and chicken ticks had disappeared from homes in which the bednets had been impregnated with permethrin. There was no reduction in hamlets with placebo-treated bednets. The rate of acquiring headlice between the two surveys was reduced by 91.1% in children who slept under insecticide-treated bednets compared with children with placebo-treated bednets. There were also significantly fewer day-flying and crawling insects, except earwigs, in homes of children who slept under insecticide-treated bednets compared with those with placebo-treated nets. These additional benefits of permethrin-treated bednets should contribute to their widespread acceptance and utilization by the community for personal protection.     

以点杂交方法对人β型血珠蛋白基因的染色质结构与功能进行的研究

我采用点杂交的方法,对人β型血珠蛋白基因簇的染色质结构与基因转录活性之间的关系进行了研究。以对DNase Ⅰ消化的敏感性作为染色质的结构参数,我将β型血珠蛋白基因簇中11个区域之间以及其与不表达基因区(乳糖白蛋白和免疫球蛋白不变区λ轻链基因)的染色结构进行比较。实验的细胞系统为K 562红白血病细胞与人胚皮肤细胞株(HES)。所获得的结果提示,在细胞核内,表达基因的染色质结构疏松,对DNase Ⅰ消化的敏感性远较不表达基因区的为高。此外,本文还对有关点杂交的方法学问题进行了较为详尽的讨论。     

中国的红树林

我国红树林主要分布在热带及亚热带沿海盐滩和河川出口的冲积盐性土上,包括24个科,47种,属于东方群系。从广西钦州湾开始经北海港,沿雷州半岛的海安分为两支,一支往南经海南岛的儋县新英港,向东经琼山县的东寨港和文昌县的清澜港,沿着东海岸至崖县的三亚港,又折向北到达东方县的八所港;另一支向东北经湛江的赤坎,阳江的海陵岛,台山的上下川岛,中山的三灶岛,新会的崖门,再沿海岸往北至福建的福鼎和台湾的新竹港。根据我国红树林的主要构成种类、外貌、生境,大致可分为3大群系和10个群落。(1) 矮灌木群系——这个群系多见于纬度稍高的海滩前缘,包括海榄雌群落和桐花树群落。这些群落在演替上处于前期阶段。(2) 高大稠密灌木群系——这个群系由于气温、年降雨量的差异和土壤性质的不同,组成这个群系的种类也有不同,不过都是以红树族的种类为建群种,它包括4个群落:红树群落、红海兰群落和角果木群落,这些群落在演替上属于中期阶段。(3) 乔木群系——这个群系主要分布在海南岛东北和东部海岸,所在地一般地势较高,前缘地带每日潮涨仍有海水浸淹。后缘地带只有每月大潮时才有海水到达,土壤比较固结,它包括木榄群落、海莲和尖瓣海莲群落、海桑群落及半红树林水椰群落。这些群落在演替上是处于后期阶段。组成我国红树林的种类大多数都具有较高的经济价值,如角果木是优质单宁的原料,有些种类经过发酵处理成为高营养的饲料和肥料。此外,沿海浮游生物的产量有红树林比无红树林的地带高达7倍,因此加强对红树林的经营和保护应采取积极态度和有效措施。     

Growth and turnover of microbial biomass during the decomposition of organic matter(Polygonum cuspidatum) in vitro

Air-dried fresh and dead specimens ofPolygonum cuspidatum were incubated for 250 days in the laboratory, and the growth and turnover of microbial biomass-C in the organic matter were studied. The biomass-C in the fresh leaf and fresh stem attained maximum levels on day 14 and day 7, respectively, and then settled down to stable levels. In the dead leaf and dead stem, increase in biomass-C ceased by day 4 and the biomass-C levels did not change thereafter. The turnover time of the biomass-C was estimated from the amount of biomass-C and the release rate of CO₂-C. The turnover was rapid in the early period of incubation. Then the turnover time became longer and after incubation for 70 days the values approached those in natural soils (longer than 16 days). During the incubation period, nitrogen was not mineralized in any organic matter. In the dead leaf and dead stem, asymbiotic nitrogen fixation activity increased after incubation for about 40 days and disappeared by the end of the incubation period, whereas nitrogen fixation was hardly detected in the fresh leaf and fresh stem.     

中国的红树林

我国红树林主要分布在热带及亚热带沿海盐滩和河川出口的冲积盐性土上,包括24个科,47种,属于东方群系。从广西钦州湾开始经北海港,沿雷州半岛的海安分为两支,一支往南经海南岛的儋县新英港,向东经琼山县的东寨港和文昌县的清澜港,沿着东海岸至崖县的三亚港,又折向北到达东方县的八所港;另一支向东北经湛江的赤坎,阳江的海陵岛,台山的上下川岛,中山的三灶岛,新会的崖门,再沿海岸往北至福建的福鼎和台湾的新竹港。根据我国红树林的主要构成种类、外貌、生境,大致可分为3大群系和10个群落。(1) 矮灌木群系——这个群系多见于纬度稍高的海滩前缘,包括海榄雌群落和桐花树群落。这些群落在演替上处于前期阶段。(2) 高大稠密灌木群系——这个群系由于气温、年降雨量的差异和土壤性质的不同,组成这个群系的种类也有不同,不过都是以红树族的种类为建群种,它包括4个群落:红树群落、红海兰群落和角果木群落,这些群落在演替上属于中期阶段。(3) 乔木群系——这个群系主要分布在海南岛东北和东部海岸,所在地一般地势较高,前缘地带每日潮涨仍有海水浸淹。后缘地带只有每月大潮时才有海水到达,土壤比较固结,它包括木榄群落、海莲和尖瓣海莲群落、海桑群落及半红树林水椰群落。这些群落在演替上是处于后期阶段。组成我国红树林的种类大多数都具有较高的经济价值,如角果木是优质单宁的原料,有些种类经过发酵处理成为高营养的饲料和肥料。此外,沿海浮游生物的产量有红树林比无红树林的地带高达7倍,因此加强对红树林的经营和保护应采取积极态度和有效措施。     

Experimental formulations ofBacillus sphaericus for the control of anopheline and culicine larvae

Summary Four experimental formulations ofBacillus sphaericus Neide (2362 isolate) were evaluated for larvicidal activity against culicine and anopheline larvae in several natural and artificial habitats. A granular formulation (5% primary powder) was tested against natural populations of mosquitoes in two simulated habitats in Florida and in maturing and reflooded rice fields in Louisiana. Larvae ofCulex quinquefasciatus Say were reduced by 97 and 99% after application of the granules at the rate of 10 kg/ha to polluted tanks and 2.5 kg/ha to sod-lined potholes, respectively. Anopheline andPsorophora columbiae (Dyar and Knab) larvae were reduced by 68 and 92–100%, respectively, after application of 5 kg granules/ha to rice fields. A flowable concentrate (12.8% primary powder) applied to unpolluted and organically enriched habitats in Florida at 0.25 kg/ha reduced populations ofCulex spp. by 93–100% and 99%, respectively. Sustained-release briquets (5% primary powder) applied at the rate of one half briquet/1.8 m² sod-lined potholes reduced larval populations ofCx. quinquefasciatus by 88–95% for up to 2 weeks in open sunlight. Sustained-release pellets (30% primary powder) applied to small woodland pools in Memphis, TN at the rate of four pellets/pool virtually eliminated larval populations ofCx. restuans Theobald for over 8 days. Variable persistance of larvicidal activity was noted for the other treatments depending on the formulation, target species and habitat.