EFFECTS ON FITNESS COMPONENTS OF P-ELEMENT INSERTS IN DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER: ANALYSIS OF TRADE-OFFS

We analyzed the trade-offs between fitness components detected in four experiments in which traits were manipulated by inserting small (control) and large (treatment) P-elements into the Drosophila melanogaster genome. Treatment effects and the interactions of treatment with temperature, experiment, and line were caused by the greater length and different positions of the treatment insert. In inbred flies, the treatment decreased early and total fecundity. Whether it increased the lifespan of mated females depended upon adult density. Analysis of line-by-treatment-by-temperature interactions revealed hidden trade-offs that would have been missed by other methods. They included a significant trade-off between lifespan and early fecundity. At 25°C high early fecundity was associated with decreased reproductive rates and increased mortality rates 10–15 days later and persisting throughout life, but not at 29.5°C. Correlations with Gompertz coefficients suggested that flies that were heavier at eclosion also aged more slowly and that flies that aged more slowly had higher fecundity late in life at 25°C. The results support the view that lifespan trades off with fecundity and that late fecundity trades off with rate of aging in fruitflies. Genetic engineering is an independent method for the analysis of trade-offs that complements selection experiments.     

Influence of 50 Hz electric and magnetic fields on the pulse rate of human heart

This investigation studied the effects of 50 Hz electric and magnetic fields on the pulse rate of the human heart. The ECG (electrocardiograms) of 41 male volunteers were recorded with a Holter recorder. Twenty-six subjects were measured in and outside real fields, and 15 subjects were measured in and outside “sham” fields. The blood pressure and EEG (electroencephalogram) were also measured, but this article presents only the results of ECG recordings. The measurements took 3 h. The subjects were first sitting for 1 h outside the fields, then 1 h in the real or “sham” fields, and then, again, 1 h outside the fields. The electric field strength varied from 3.5 to 4.3 kV/m and the magnetic flux density from 1.4 to 6.6 μT. An analysis of the ECG recordings showed that the subjects' pulse rates were the same in and outside the fields. No response occurred when the subjects were exposed to real or “sham” fields. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

NSA－Ⅱ型生理信号处理系统

介绍一种ＩＢＭ－ＰＣ系列微机生理信号采集、处理系统。该系统信号采集卡集程控放大、脉冲甄别、Ａ／Ｄ、Ｄ／Ａ等电路于一体,可满足各种生理信号的采集需要。采集信号时可长时间显示,动态观察。采样后,按需要给出各种图表与结果。部分处理方法采用独特数学模型,使结果更加精确。     

Environmental and physiological factors influencing phototactic flight of Bemisia tabaci

Abstract. Experiments were conducted in a glasshouse and in the laboratory to determine the environmental and physiological parameters that affect flight behaviour of Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae). The number of whiteflies taking off and exhibiting a positive response to sky light in the glasshouse was greatest from 08.30 to 10.00 hours. During peak flight activity less than 5% of the population engaged in phototactic orientation. Temperature was the best single predictor for the phototactic response, accounting for 75% of the variability in whitefly ascent. Sex ratios were determined for individuals remaining on poinsettia, Euphorbia pulcherrima (Willd.), and for individuals that exhibited phototactic orientation; both groups deviated from an expected 1:1 ratio. Males were more prevalent on the plants (1:0.76), whereas females were much more prevalent (1:3.02) among the whiteflies responding to sky light. A higher percentage of the females displaying a phototactic response contained eggs when compared to females remaining on poinsettia (87 v 65%). The two groups of females did not differ significantly in their weights, but males that remained on the plants were heavier than males that responded to sky light. Mark–recapture studies and experiments where phototactic individuals were removed from the population established that the response was short-lived. Whiteflies exhibiting a phototactic response in the glasshouse were more likely to exhibit long-duration, phototactic flights in a vertical flight chamber when compared to individuals that remained on poinsettia (80.7 ± 6.7 v 36.0 ± 5.8% phototactic response; 7.0 ±3.2 v 0.7±0.2min flights). There was also less deviation in flight across the horizontal plane among the individuals that exhibited a positive response to sky light in the glasshouse in comparison to individuals that remained on their host. However, initial rates of climb were not significantly different between the two groups of whiteflies.     

Carryover effects from environmental change in early life: An overlooked driver of the amphibian extinction crisis?

Ecological carryover effects, or delayed effects of the environment on an organism's phenotype, are central predictors of individual fitness and a key issue in conservation biology. Climate change imposes increasingly variable environmental conditions that may be challenging to early life-history stages in animals with complex life histories, leading to detrimental physiological and fitness effects in later life. Yet, the latent nature of carryover effects, combined with the long temporal scales over which they can manifest, means that this phenomenon remains understudied and is often overlooked in short-term studies limited to single life-history stages. Herein, we review evidence for the physiological carryover effects induced by elevated ultraviolet radiation (UVR; 280–400 nm) as a potential contributor to recent amphibian population declines. UVR exposure causes a suite of molecular, cellular and physiological consequences known to underpin carryover effects in other taxa, but there is a lack of research linking embryonic and larval UVR exposures to fitness consequences post-metamorphosis in amphibians. We propose that the key impacts of UVR on disease-related amphibian declines are facilitated through carryover effects that bridge embryonic and larval UVR exposure with potential increased disease susceptibility post-metamorphosis. We conclude by identifying a practical direction for the study of ecological carryover effects in amphibians that could guide future ecological research in the broader field of conservation physiology. Only by addressing carryover effects can many of the mechanistic links between environmental change and population declines be elucidated.     

Nitrogen addition promotes terrestrial plants to allocate more biomass to aboveground organs: A global meta-analysis

A significant increase in reactive nitrogen (N) added to terrestrial ecosystems through agricultural fertilization or atmospheric deposition is considered to be one of the most widespread drivers of global change. Modifying biomass allocation is one primary strategy for maximizing plant growth rate, survival, and adaptability to various biotic and abiotic stresses. However, there is much uncertainty as to whether and how plant biomass allocation strategies change in response to increased N inputs in terrestrial ecosystems. Here, we synthesized 3516 paired observations of plant biomass and their components related to N additions across terrestrial ecosystems worldwide. Our meta-analysis reveals that N addition (ranging from 1.08 to 113.81 g m⁻² year⁻¹) increased terrestrial plant biomass by 55.6% on average. N addition has increased plant stem mass fraction, shoot mass fraction, and leaf mass fraction by 13.8%, 12.9%, and 13.4%, respectively, but with an associated decrease in plant reproductive mass (including flower and fruit biomass) fraction by 3.4%. We further documented a reduction in plant root-shoot ratio and root mass fraction by 27% (21.8%–32.1%) and 14.7% (11.6%–17.8%), respectively, in response to N addition. Meta-regression results showed that N addition effects on plant biomass were positively correlated with mean annual temperature, soil available phosphorus, soil total potassium, specific leaf area, and leaf area per plant. Nevertheless, they were negatively correlated with soil total N, leaf carbon/N ratio, leaf carbon and N content per leaf area, as well as the amount and duration of N addition. In summary, our meta-analysis suggests that N addition may alter terrestrial plant biomass allocation strategies, leading to more biomass being allocated to aboveground organs than belowground organs and growth versus reproductive trade-offs. At the global scale, leaf functional traits may dictate how plant species change their biomass allocation pattern in response to N addition.     

The evolution and ecology of multiple antipredator defences

Prey seldom rely on a single type of antipredator defence, often using multiple defences to avoid predation. In many cases, selection in different contexts may favour the evolution of multiple defences in a prey. However, a prey may use multiple defences to protect itself during a single predator encounter. Such “defence portfolios” that defend prey against a single instance of predation are distributed across and within successive stages of the predation sequence (encounter, detection, identification, approach (attack), subjugation and consumption). We contend that at present, our understanding of defence portfolio evolution is incomplete, and seen from the fragmentary perspective of specific sensory systems (e.g., visual) or specific types of defences (especially aposematism). In this review, we aim to build a comprehensive framework for conceptualizing the evolution of multiple prey defences, beginning with hypotheses for the evolution of multiple defences in general, and defence portfolios in particular. We then examine idealized models of resource trade-offs and functional interactions between traits, along with evidence supporting them. We find that defence portfolios are constrained by resource allocation to other aspects of life history, as well as functional incompatibilities between different defences. We also find that selection is likely to favour combinations of defences that have synergistic effects on predator behaviour and prey survival. Next, we examine specific aspects of prey ecology, genetics and development, and predator cognition that modify the predictions of current hypotheses or introduce competing hypotheses. We outline schema for gathering data on the distribution of prey defences across species and geography, determining how multiple defences are produced, and testing the proximate mechanisms by which multiple prey defences impact predator behaviour. Adopting these approaches will strengthen our understanding of multiple defensive strategies.     

微生物发酵法生产S-腺苷甲硫氨酸的研究进展

S-腺苷甲硫氨酸(S-adenosyl-l-methionine, SAM)广泛存在于生物体内,主要参与生物体内的转甲基过程、转硫过程及转氨丙基过程,具有重要的生理功能,其生产备受重视。目前SAM生产的研究主要集中于微生物发酵法,该方法与化学合成法和酶催化法相比,成本较低且更容易实现工业化生产。随着需求量的迅速增加,通过菌种改良提高SAM产量备受关注。当前SAM生产菌种改良的主要策略包括常规育种和代谢工程。本文综述了提高微生物生产SAM能力的近期研究进展并探讨了SAM生产中的瓶颈问题及解决方法,以期为进一步提高SAM产量提供思路。     

人类小腿肌肉对运动训练生理响应的电学特性研究

目的 运动训练已被证明能够改善许多慢性肌肉功能疾病,被用于治疗衰老型肌萎缩。本文采用电阻抗成像(electrical impedance tomography,EIT)研究人类小腿肌肉对运动训练生理响应的电学特性,旨在使用EIT方法可视化运动训练对人类小腿响应肌肉隔室内肌肉纤维体积增加的效果。方法 实验对象被要求在连续5个实验日进行左、右腿单侧提踵训练,应用EIT检测每日运动训练前和运动训练后小腿肌肉的电导率分布。为了定量分析运动训练对响应肌肉隔室的作用,使用配对样本t检验分析EIT重建图像的空间平均电导率<σ>。结果 运动训练后,由小腿腓肠肌组成的M₁肌肉隔室空间平均电导率<σ>_M1显著增加。此外,连续5个实验日的EIT测量结果显示,运动训练前的空间平均电导率<σ^pre>_M1呈上升趋势。所有实验对象在实验日1早晨进行实验前的腿部瘦体重与<σ>_M1呈线性关系,即<σ>_M1随腿部瘦体重增加而增加;运...     

珍稀濒危植物蒜头果种子萌发特征与幼苗类型的研究

以去除果皮后阴干的珍稀濒危植物蒜头果种子为材料,在温室大棚沙池内进行层积处理,从层积处理开始至子叶出土的不同萌发阶段,考察蒜头果种子发育形态、贮藏物质积累、酶活性以及幼苗类型等变化特征,初步探讨其种子休眠形成原因。结果显示：(1)蒜头果种子从解除休眠开始至萌发形成幼苗的过程约需195 d,其中幼胚的形态发育后熟约需75 d,随后30 d内是种子集中萌发的时期,其发芽率达到最高(53.33%);依据种胚发育形态的标志特征将此过程划分为7个阶段(S1～S7阶段):S1阶段种子未萌发,S2阶段种胚“露白”,S3阶段胚根突破种皮长超过1 cm, S4阶段下胚轴与胚根连接处形成弯钩结构,S5阶段“S”型胚形成及胚根前端膨大,S6阶段种子不仅具有膨大的胚根且已有侧根的分化,S7阶段子叶脱落,胚芽出土,真叶出现。(2)蒜头果种子在湿沙层积过程中,种胚胚长和胚率从S1阶段的(5.49±1.57)mm和(19.48±5.72)%分别增加至S6阶段的(67.92±2.94)mm和(240.75±15.29)%,胚率平均增加了12.4倍,显示蒜头果种子的胚需要经历后熟过程才能萌发,属于胚后熟型种子。(3)从...