The abundance of the blue shark,Prionace glauca,in the western English Channel

Synopsis Since 1952, a sport fishery for the blue shark,Prionace glauca, has existed off the south coast of Cornwall in England. Annual catches from this fishery have ranged from < 200 to>6000 sharks. The fishery was based on a previously unexploited stock in the 1950s. The abundance of the species in the English Channel declined in the early 1960s and again in the mid-1970s. The declining abundance was investigated in relation to sea surface temperature (SST), prey abundance, and fishing pressure. Short-term fluctuations in SST were found to be responsible for changes in the distribution of the population, but not for changes in abundance. The abundance of prey species in the Channel was observed to be inversely related to the abundance of blue sharks. The reduced abundance of blue sharks lowered the level of effective predation on the prey populations, allowing their abundance to increase. It was concluded that the nature of the fishing practice off the Cornish coast was responsible for a significant part of the decrease in shark abundance. By killing large numbers of sub-adult females, the reproductive capacity of the population was lowered. Continued fishing pressure prevented the population from recovering; and as of 1987, the abundance of the species in the Channel is still declining. Various conservation measures have been proposed.     

Ambient temperature cycles entrain the free-running circadian rhythms of the stripe-faced dunnart,Sminthopsis macroura

Summary We examined the effect of cycles of 12 h warm (35 ± 2 °C) and 12 h (21 ± 2 °C) ambient temperature (Ta) upon the circadian activity rhythms of stripe-faced dunnarts, Sminthopsis macroura, free-running in conditions of constant dark (DD) or constant light (LL). It was hypothesized that dunnarts would entrain to the temperature cycles (TaHLs) or show perturbations of period, and that LL would act synergistically with the TaHLs in these effects. Under DD, 2 of 6 animals showed clear entrainment to the TaHLs. Other animals exhibited changes of period () and heavy negative masking of activity during the warm fraction of the TaHLs. Under LL, 3 of 12 animals entrained to the TaHLs. It was concluded that Ta is a significant though weak Zeitgeber for S. macroura compared to light. It is possible that TaHLs entrain homeotherm activity rhythms by altering the rhythm of body temperature, which is usually tightly coupled to activity.Abbreviations TaHL a cycle of Higher and Lower ambient temperature - TaC Constant Ta - Tb body temperature     

Effect of short-and long-term exposure to low environmental temperature on brain regional GABA metabolism

Single exposure of adult male rats to low environmental temperature (LET, 12 ± 0.5°C) for 2 h significantly increased the hypothalamic and striatal GABA levels without affecting those in other regions of brain. The activity of glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) was elevated in hypothalamus (H) and corpus striatum (CS) under these conditions. GABA accumulation rate (measured with ethanolamine-O-sulfate, an inhibitor of GABA-transaminase) was also increased in both H and CS of rats exposed to LET for 2 h. Unlike after a single exposure, the repeated exposure (2 h/day) for 7, 15, and 30 onsecutive days did not change the hypothalamic GABA metabolism. No change in GABA metabolism was observed in CS when rats were repeatedly exposed to LET for 7 consecutive days. Prolongation of repeated exposure to LET (2 h/day) for 15 and 30 consecutive days decreased the striatal GABA level and increased the activity of GABA-transaminase, although GAD activity was not altered under these conditions. These results suggest that single exposure to LET accelerates GABA synthesis and may reduce the GABAergic activity in both H and CS; whereas repeated exposure to LET for 15 or 30 consecutive days enhances GABAergic activity with the stimulation of GABA utilization only in CS without affecting its synthesizing process. Thus, it may be suggested that the hypothalamic and striatal GABA system may play a characteristic role in response to short-and long-term exposure to LET.     

Influence of temperature and nitrogen concentration on photosynthesis ofDunaliella viridis Teodoresco

The photosynthetic behaviour ofDunaliella viridis has been studied under a combination of three variables: irradiance (0–900 mol m^–2 s^–1), temperature (15, 23, 31, 38, 42 °C) and nitrogen concentration (0.05, 0.5, 1.5, 5, 10 mM NO ₃ ^- ) at a salinity of 2 M NaCl.The highest rates of photosynthesis have been found at 31 °C and a nitrate concentration of 10 mM. There exists a synergistic effect between temperature and nitrogen availability on the photosynthesis ofD. viridis; under nitrogen deficiency oxygen evolution is low, even null at high temperature. The interaction between these two variables of control occurs in a multiplicative way. There is also a general increase in photosynthetic pigments following the increase in nitrogen concentration in the culture medium. The normalization of net photosynthesis data in relation to chlorophylla shows that nitrogen concentration makes an indirect control of the photosynthetic rate ofD. viridis through the variation of pigment concentration.     

环境因子对两种海洋双壳类幼体趋性行为中的调节作用

本文研究了温度、盐度和重金属等几种因子对缢蛏和长牡蛎幼体趋地性和趋光性行为的影响。结果表明:1)降低温度能增强缢蛏幼体的正趋地性,而长牡蛎幼体却由正趋地性转变为负趋地性,同时两种幼体的正趋光性受到抑制作用;升高温度对缢蛏幼体趋光性的影响不明显,但能加强牡蛎幼体的正趋光性。2)盐度提高时缢蛏幼体的正趋光性趋于增强,正趋地性趋于减弱。3)重金属Cu和Zn在各自的亚致死浓度下具有提高缢蛏幼体正趋地性和降低正趋光性的作用,而牡蛎幼体的正趋地性却趋于减弱,正趋光性趋于增强。本文据上述幼体的行为变化,还讨论了这几种因子对幼体垂直分布的调节作用。     

Proton transfer reactions in aqueous solutions of pyridoxamine phosphate

UV-visible and ¹³C NMR measurements described in the literature and our ³¹P NMR measurements support the following mechanism of proton transfer reactions in aqueous solutions of pyridoxamine phosphate: Only the tautomeric equilibrium between neutral form, A _N, and zwitterion, A _Z, which is analogous to the tautomeric equilibrium of 3-hydroxypyridine in aqueous solution, is important, and that equilibrium does not change upon the dissociation of the second phosphate proton. With these simplifying assumption, we have simulated the relaxation spectrum of the proton transfer reactions of pyridoxamine phosphate in water using parameters from analogous reactions and compared it with our ultrasound and temperature jump measurements. We have found that the relaxation process measured by the temperature jump experiment is mainly caused by the overall reaction A _N=A _Z (or A _N ^- =A _Z ^- ) and the ultrasound absorption at the isoelectric point between pK₂ and pK₃ is mainly caused by the overall reaction .     

Correction of chlorophyll-defective male-sterile winter oilseed rape (Brassica napus) through organelle exchange: Characterization of the chlorophyll deficiency

Jarl, C. I., Ljungberg, U. K. and Bornman, C. H. 1988. Correction of chlorophyll-defective male-sterile winter oilseed rape ( Brassica napus ) through organelle exchange: Characterization of the chlorophyll deficiency. - Physiol. Plant. 72: 505–510.
As is known, the introduction of male-sterile Raphanus sativus L. cytoplasm into Brassica napus L. results in male-sterile oilseed rape plants, which display a temperature-related chlorophyll defect. The influences of temperature and irradiance on this defect were investigated. Compared to a line of normal (green phenotype) male-fertile oilseed rape, the male-sterile line had reduced chlorophyll content, fewer chloroplasts per cell, an altered ultrastructure of the chloroplasts and reduced activities of both photosystems, although the relative amounts of the photosystems and the chlorophyll a/b ratio were similar. The lower activity of the photosystems is explained by a decreased functional antennae size and a reduced efficiency in the interactions between the nuclear-encoded light-harvesting proteins and the reaction centres coded for by the plastome. Some thylakoid polypeptides differed in proportion between the male-fertile line with green phenotype and the male-sterile line with chlorotic phenotype. Characters, in which the two lines exhibited differences, are ascribed to difficulties in molecular communication between the oilseed rape nucleus and the radish cytoplasm, which are combined in the deficient male-sterile line.     

Combined effect of light and temperature on triacylglycerol accumulation in Dicranum elongatum

In the subarctic moss Dicranum elongatum Schleich & Schwaegr., the level of total lipids and triacylglycerols (TAG) was high in late winter and spring and low in autumn and winter. Four-week exposure of field material to continuous light (135μmol m⁻²s⁻¹) at 1°C resulted in a considerable increase in the amount of TAG in the autumn material acclimated to low temperatures and rhythmic light in the field. In contrast, the same treatment did not cause any increase in TAG in the spring material, acclimated to low temperatures and continuous light in the field. Results from experiments, in which moss cultivated for 4 months at 9°C on 12-h photoperiods (135μmol m⁻²s⁻¹) was kept for 3 weeks at low temperatures (9°C and −3°C) either in continuous light (135 or 70 μmol m⁻²s⁻¹) or with 12-h photoperiods (135 μmol m⁻²s⁻¹), indicated that the TAG level was higher at higher light intensity. At 9°C it was also higher in continuous light of both intensities than in rhythmic light. These results strongly suggest that decreasing irradiance and decreasing daylength limits the accumulation of TAG in D. elongatum during autumn in the subarctic.     

Induction of secondary dormancy in sunflower seeds by high temperature. Possible involvement of ethylene biosynthesis

High temperature (45°C) inhibits seed germinition and seedling sunflower ( Helianthus annuus L. cv. Mirasol). Treatment of imbibed seeds at 45°C for more than 48 h induces a secondary dormancy, which is associated with progressive decrease of germination ability at optimal temperature (25°C) as well as with abnormal seedling growth. Ethylene (55μl l⁻¹) and 2-chloroethylphosphonic acid (ethephon) (2.5 m M ) improve germination of thermodormant seeds at 25°C. but the abnormal growth of the seedlings remains. O₂-enriched atmosphere and dry storage improve germination and normal seedling growth. The induction of thermodormancy in sunflower seeds seems associated with loss of their ability to convert 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) to ethylene. Possible effects of high temperature on membranes and ethylene forming enzyme (EFE) are discussed.     

Soybean nodule gas permeability,nitrogen fixation and dirunal cycles in soil temperature

While diurnal cycles in nitrogen fixation rates are sometimes assumed to result from diurnal variation in photosynthetically active radiation, contradicting evidence exists that indicate soil temperature is the primary environmental influence. These studies assessed the significance of temperature on soybean nitrogen fixation under field conditions. Two groups of intact field-grown soybean plants, one at ambient and the other exposed to a 10°C diurnal variation in soil temperature, were nondestructively assayed for acetylene reduction rates. Activity was closely associated with soil temperature (R²=0.85), even when temperature was 12 h out of phase with ambient. Data were also obtained to determine if the effects of rhizosphere temperature on nitrogen fixation are mediated through an effect on the nodule oxygen permeability. Nodule oxygen permeability of intact, aeroponically grown soybean was closely correlated with the diurnal changes in temperature (R²=0.90).