Keep all the pieces: Systematics 2000 and world conservation

Conserving biological diversity requires a major effort in conducting survey and inventories, establishing priorities, selecting protected areas, managing resources and monitoring the effects of management. Systematics has an important contribution to make to each of these five major activities. Further, the new Convention on Biological Diversity requires systematics information to support action under virtually all of its substantive conservation and sustainable use articles. It seems apparent that large reference collections contribute directly to development, and development assistance agencies should recognize that investing in maintaining these collections is a legitimate form of development assistance.     

高原鼠兔与达乌尔鼠兔食物资源维生态位的研究

作者于１９９３年在青海省刚察县年诺索玛地区发现高原鼠兔（Ｏｃｈｏｔｏｎａ ｃｕｒｚｏｎｉａｅ）和达乌尔鼠兔（０．ｄａｕｒｉｃａ）在布哈河谷二阶同域且重叠分布之现象,并从这两种鼠兔的食物资源利用出发,研究了其生态位关系问题。在食物资源维上的生态位宽度（ＰＳ）,高原鼠兔为０．４７４４,达乌尔鼠兔为０．４９６４,即它们具有相近似的生态位宽度。这两种动物的生态位在食物资源谱维上的重叠值（ＦＴ）为０．８０９     

Size-related selection of food plants by bumblebees

Abstract. 1. A positive correlation between the tongue length of conspecific workers collecting nectar from seven plant species and the corolla length of the flowers probed was found for B.lapidarius and B.pascuomm but not B.terrestris . No simple relationship was found between the volume, sugar weight or concentration of nectar in flowers and the tongue or wing length of probing bees.
2. B.terrestris workers collecting pollen from four plant species producing pollen only, were found to differ in size according to the type of pollen presentation mechanism and the pollen content per flower. Body size variation was also related to the foraging of pollen plus nectar from two other plant species.     

畜禽遗传资源冷冻保存中的取样方法探讨

本文基于遗传学和数理统计原理,提出了运用冷冻生殖细胞的方法长期保存畜禽遗传资源时,冷冻生殖细胞的4种取样方法,并推证了其误差公式和最低保存数量的估计公式。最后通过实例对公式的实际应用作了说明和讨论分析。     

南水北调与生态平衡

水是人类赖以生存繁衍的重要资源。我国人口逐年增长,而淡水资源数量有限。多变的自然降水及频繁的旱涝灾害,一直决定着我国农业收成乃至整个国民经济的盛衰。     

Characterization of genetic identities and relationships of Brassica oleracea L. via a random amplified polymorphic DNA assay

Summary Effective conservation and the use of plant genetic resources are essential for future agricultural progress. Critical to this conservation effort is the development of genetic markers which not only distinguish individuals and accessions but also reflect the inherent variation and genetic relationships among collection holdings. We have examined the applicability of the random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) assay for quick, cost-effective, and reliable use in addressing these needs in relation to collection organization and management. Twenty-five decamer oligonucleotide primers were screened individually with a test array composed of individuals representing a range of genetic relationships in Brassica oleracea L. (vegetable and forage cole crops). Over 140 reproducible, polymorphic fragments were generated for study. Each individual of the test array exhibited a unique molecular genotype and composites specific for accessions and botanical varieties could be established. An analysis of similarity based on amplified DNA fragments reflected the known genetic relationships among the selected entries. These results demonstrated that RAPD markers can be of great value in gene bank management for purposes of identification, measurement of variation, and establishment of genetic similarity at the intraspecific level.     

Differential diet breadths and species coexistence in leafroller-hunting eumenid wasps

There are, at least, three possible ways in which similar species coexist; resource partitioning, interference competition, and exploitation competition. Here, I investigated which way contributed to the coexistence of leafroller-hunting eumenid wasp species. Resource partitioning and, in addition, differential diet breadths proved to promote species coexistence in this case. First, I analyze the prey records and diet overlap of four eumenid species in a local area. The larger two eumenids hunted similar-sized prey items and had similar potential taxonomic prey uses. But the diet breadth of the subsocial eumenid was much wider than that of the solitary one. As a result, the diet overlap between the two large eumenids decreased. This was because the solitary eumenid attend repeatedly to the same hunting site inhabited by one abundant prey species, while the subsocial one made random hunting. On the other hand, the two medium-sized eumenids partitioned resources according to prey size. Secondly, I related these results to prey choice by several other species of eumenid obtained from literature sources. Ten Japanese common eumenids were divided into four groups according to their prey size. In each of the four groups, 2 to 3 wasp species differentiated the habitat (1 group) or coexisted by means of differential diet breadths (parallel with differential sociality, 2 groups).     

Declining body size in an endangered large mammal

Body size affects almost every aspect of the biology of a species. According to the ‘resource rule’, decreasing resource availability (e.g. prey density) will lead to a reduction in body size or, alternatively, a decline in mass‐independent energy expenditure. In the present study, we provide a test of this hypothesis, assessing the effect of significantly decreasing prey density on endangered African wild dog (Lycaon pictus) body size and energy expenditure over a 20‐year period. As predicted from the ‘resource rule’, decreasing resource availability resulted in energetic re‐allocation: wild dogs' body size decreased significantly (both shorter and slimmer), whereas our fitness‐related measure of energy expenditure (i.e. litter size) remained constant over time. A phenotypic change of up to 17% within 20 years, as found in the present study, appears to be unprecedented in a nonharvested large mammal, thus advancing the emerging field of eco‐evolutionary dynamics. © 2011 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2012, 105 , 8–12.     

Effects of cryopreservation techniques on the preservation of ear skin – An alternative approach to conservation of jaguar,Panthera onca (Linnaeus, 1758)

Currently, it has been observed that a considerable segment of the jaguar population is declining mainly because of hunting, and destruction and fragmentation of habitat. Given this scenario, efforts of the scientific community have been concentrated on the development of conservation strategies, such as the formation and use of somatic sample banks. We aimed to assess the effects of cryopreservation techniques of the ear skin of jaguar [slow freezing (SF) or direct vitrification in cryovials (DVC) or solid-surface vitrification (SSV)] on the morphological analysis and cell ability during the culture. All cryopreserved fragments regardless of the technique used, showed a reduction in the dermis and total thickness of the skin. Although a collagen matrix similar to the control group (fresh) has been observed only for the fragments from SF and SSV groups, all cryopreserved techniques were able to maintain normal patterns of the fibroblasts. Moreover, DVC and SSV methods maintained the proliferative activity of the tissues even after warming. After the culture, SF and SSV techniques were efficient for the recovery of the somatic cells according to most of the evaluated parameters, especially with regard to the duration of culture and cell metabolic activity. In conclusion, SSV was found to be a more efficient technique for cryopreserving jaguar skin when compared to DVC and SF. These results are relevant for the formation of somatic resource banks of this species, directed at cryopreserving adequate samplings of different individuals and generations for future applications in regenerative medicine, and assisted reproductive technologies.