Geographical range size of tropical plants influences their response to anthropogenic activities

Biodiversity patterns may be influenced by the species geographical range sizes, but this is rarely shown. We used a highly replicated and large-scale study in coastal Ecuador to determine for the first time the importance of latitudinal range size of plant species in their response to land-use activities. We examined herbaceous plant communities of five land-use types with decreasing anthropogenic disturbance (from the most intervened rice and pasture to the less intervened managed agroforest, abandoned agroforest, and forest) in a low and a high impact human-dominated landscape. All species were classified in four latitudinal range size quartiles, from the 25% species with the narrowest to the 25% with the widest range size. We found notable differences between patterns of total species richness and those of individual range size quartiles. Whereas total species richness was higher in more intervened land-use types, percentages of narrow-ranged species were significantly higher in less intervened land-use types. In contrast, percentages of wide-ranging species were higher in more intervened land-use types. Hence, responses of plant species to human activities were influenced by traits that determine their range sizes. An analysis of floristic similarity between land-use types revealed that narrow-ranged species were mainly preserved in forest fragments, but the other land-use types supported many unique narrow-ranged species and therefore made an important contribution to their preservation at the landscape level. Conservation efforts should combine protection of natural habitats with strategies to maintain a diversity of low-intensity land-use types, looking for win-win solutions or trade-offs between biodiversity conservation and human welfare in human-dominated landscapes.     

武汉城市圈生态网络时空演变及管控分析

武汉城市圈正历经城乡发展转型升级和空间格局调整，生态用地受到一定挤压和切割占用，生态系统功能和景观生态格局受到一定程度的扰动，为贯彻生态文明建设和绿色低碳环保发展的要求，构建以生态廊道、生态节点所组成的整体城市圈的生态网络空间体系。基于形态学空间格局方法和最小累积阻力模型构建4个时期（1990、2000、2010和2018年）的生态网络，利用景观连通性指数和重力模型对源地和廊道进行重要性评价，并提出武汉城市圈生态网络管控的建议。结果表明：（1）1990-2018年，武汉城市圈生态源地总体上表现为逐渐减少的趋势，从16个减少为10个；从空间上看，大型源地斑块并未发生变化，主要分布在研究区南部和北部，林地和水域是生态源地的主要组成景观，但细碎斑块大量减少对区域生态网络具有较大影响。（2）4个时期研究区的生态廊道分别为66条、120条、99条和45条，廊道数量呈现减少的趋势；重要廊道主要分布在研究区北部和东南部，对南北之间的物质和能量交换具有重要作用。（3）景观连通性南北高东西低，中部地区受人类活动干扰综合阻力大，东西部生态节点较少，物种迁移阻碍较大。（4）通过建设踏脚石、修复生态断裂点和廊道差异化保护策略以增强区域景观连通性，促进生物多样性保护，提升生态网络的稳定性。"两型社会"试验区设置后武汉城市圈生态网络水平呈现优化态势，但生态源地之间的相互作用关系还有待增强。研究结果为城市圈未来的国土空间规划和重要生态系统保护和修复工程提供科学参考。     

Emergence,evolution, and vaccine production approaches of SARS-CoV-2 virus: Benefits of getting vaccinated and common questions

The emergence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Wuhan city, China at the end of 2019 made it urgent to identify the origin of the causal pathogen and its molecular evolution, to appropriately design an effective vaccine. This study analyzes the evolutionary background of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2 or SARS-2) in accordance with its close relative SARS-CoV (SARS-1), which was emerged in 2002. A comparative genomic and proteomic study was conducted on SARS-2, SARS-1, and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS), which was emerged in 2012. In silico analysis inferred the genetic variability among the tested viruses. The SARS-1 genome harbored 11 genes encoding 12 proteins, while SARS-2 genome contained only 10 genes encoding for 10 proteins. MERS genome contained 11 genes encoding 11 proteins. The analysis also revealed a slight variation in the whole genome size of SARS-2 comparing to its siblings resulting from sequential insertions and deletions (indels) throughout the viral genome particularly ORF1AB, spike, ORF10 and ORF8. The effective indels were observed in the gene encoding the spike protein that is responsible for viral attachment to the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) cell receptor and initiating infection. These indels are responsible for the newly emerging COVID-19 variants αCoV, βCoV, γCoV and δCoV. Nowadays, few effective COVID-19 vaccines developed based on spike (S) glycoprotein were approved and become available worldwide. Currently available vaccines can relatively prevent the spread of COVID-19 and suppress the disease. The traditional (killed or attenuated virus vaccine and antibody-based vaccine) and innovated vaccine production technologies (RNA- and DNA-based vaccines and viral vectors) are summarized in this review. We finally highlight the most common questions related to COVID-19 disease and the benefits of getting vaccinated.     

基于MODIS NDVI的长江中游区域植被动态及与气候因子的关系

基于1999-2015年的MODIS NDVI时间序列遥感数据，应用趋势分析、变异系数、重标极差分析和偏相关分析等方法，分析了长江中游的植被时空变化特征及其与气象因子的关系。结果表明，长江中游地区NDVI均值总体上呈上升趋势（从0.72增加到0.80）。从空间分布来看，NDVI低值区域（0.1-0.5）占1.40%，高值区域（>0.7）占87.15%；NDVI空间格局呈"西高东低、北高南低"的分布特征，低值区域表现为以三省省会城市为中心向外辐射。Hurst指数显示，研究区大部分区域（60.54%）的NDVI变化趋势具有不确定性，持续性改善区域（34.78%）主要分布在西部山地区，持续性退化区域（3.26%）主要分布在人类活动频繁的较发达城市区域。在年际尺度上，研究区NDVI与各气象因子关系均不显著；月际尺度上，NDVI与降水、相对湿度和日照时数显著相关，降水和日照时数有明显的时滞性。区域内NDVI动态趋势以不确定性发展为主，城市群周边NDVI呈现持续退化的区域应该引起关注。     

Aroid scarabs in the genus Peltonotus Burmeister (Coleoptera,Scarabaeidae, Dynastinae): key to species and new distributional data

The southeast Asian scarab beetle genus Peltonotus Burmeister (Scarabaeidae, Dynastinae, Cyclocephalini) is reviewed. New country records for Peltonotus morio Burmeister (Myanmar and Vietnam), Peltonotus nasutus Arrow (southern China and Cambodia), and Peltonotus favonius Jameson and Wada (Myanmar) are reported, including a new record in the Palearctic/Sino-Japanese biogeographic region. The first female specimen of Peltonotus favonius is described. Biological associations with aroid inflorescences are reviewed, and human consumption of Peltonotus beetles is reported. A key to all species, paralectotype designations for Peltonotus nasutus, diagnoses, and distributions using dynamic mapping tools are included.     

高密度中心城区蓝绿空间冷岛效应及其影响因素——以北京五环路以内地区为例

蓝绿空间作为城市绿色基础设施的重要组成部分，对促进城市热环境健康、改善局地微气候具有重要作用。利用Landsat 8遥感影像、土地利用等数据，基于辐射传输方程算法、K均值聚类算法、相关性分析等方法，量化了典型的高密度中心城区--北京五环快速路以内地区的1199块1hm²以上的蓝绿空间冷岛效应的表征指标，并分析与蓝绿空间规模、形状复杂度、景观组成、环境组成、植被覆盖等要素的相关关系，还根据蓝绿空间的不同降温特性进行分类，探讨每类蓝绿空间在缓解高密度中心城区热岛效应中的独特作用、优势与机制。结果表明：（1）蓝绿空间的规模、形状复杂度、景观组成等景观要素与冷岛效应的关系显著，如总面积、绿地面积和水体面积与降温幅度、降温范围、降温服务呈显著正相关，与降温效率和降温速率呈显著负相关；周长与降温范围、降温服务呈显著正相关，与降温效率和速率呈显著负相关；周长面积比与降温幅度和降温服务呈显著负相关，与降温效率和蓝绿空间自身温度呈显著正相关，而形状指数则与降温范围和降温服务呈显著正相关。（2）蓝绿空间的环境要素与冷岛效应也存在相关关系。蓝绿空间之间会产生冷岛效应的协同与促进现象，蓝绿空间降温范围内的其他蓝绿空间的总面积与该蓝绿空间的降温幅度、降温范围、降温服务和辐射距离呈显著正相关，与蓝绿空间自身温度呈显著负相关。（3）蓝绿空间的总面积、水体面积、周长与降温幅度之间，周长面积比与降温效率之间存在阈值，为节约土地资源、保证降温效果，建议不应过多超过阈值。（4）基于蓝绿空间在降温幅度、效率、辐射距离等方面的差异，将蓝绿空间划分为4类。高密度中心城区蓝绿空间规划建设应充分评估区域降温需求，了解蓝绿空间降温现状，合理配置具有不同降温特性和优势的蓝绿空间，在土地和资金有限的情况下，充分发挥各类蓝绿空间的冷岛效应。本研究有助于政府和规划师摸清当前蓝绿空间冷岛效应的现状、问题和发展潜力，对理论和实践具有一定参考意义。     

Intra- and interbreed genetic variations of mitochondrial DNA major non-coding regions in Japanese native dog breeds [Canis familiaris)

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) major non-coding regions were amplified from 73 dogs of eight Japanese native dog breeds and from 21 dogs of 16 non-Japanese dog breeds by the polymerase chain reaction and their DNA sequences were determined. A total of 51 nucleotide positions within the non-coding region (969–972 base pairs) showed nucleotide variations of which 48 were caused by transition. These nucleotide substitutions were abundant in the region proximate to tRNA^Pro. In addition to the nucleotide substitutions, the dog mtDNA D-loop sequences had a heteroplasmic repetitive sequence (TACACGTÀCG) involving size variation. The DNA sequences of the non-coding region were classified into four different groups by phylogenetic analysis and the deepest branchpoints of this dog phylogeny was calculated to about 100 000 years before the present. Phylogenetic analysis showed that Japanese native dog breeds could not be clearly delimited as distinct breeds. Many haplotypes found in members of some clustering groups were seen in each dog breed, and interbreed nucleotide differences between Japanese dog breeds were almost the same as the intrabreed nucleotide diversities.     

Distinct functions of maternal and somatic Pat1 protein paralogs

We previously identified Xenopus Pat1a (P100) as a member of the maternal CPEB RNP complex, whose components resemble those of P-(rocessing) bodies, and which is implicated in translational control in Xenopus oocytes. Database searches have identified Pat1a proteins in other vertebrates, as well as paralogous Pat1b proteins. Here we characterize Pat1 proteins, which have no readily discernable sequence features, in Xenopus oocytes, eggs, and early embryos and in human tissue culture cells. xPat1a and 1b have essentially mutually exclusive expression patterns in oogenesis and embryogenesis. xPat1a is degraded during meiotic maturation, via PEST-like regions, while xPat1b mRNA is translationally activated at GVBD by cytoplasmic polyadenylation. Pat1 proteins bind RNA in vitro, via a central domain, with a preference for G-rich sequences, including the NRAS 5′ UTR G-quadruplex-forming sequence. When tethered to reporter mRNA, both Pat proteins repress translation in oocytes. Indeed, both epitope-tagged proteins interact with the same components of the CPEB RNP complex, including CPEB, Xp54, eIF4E1b, Rap55B, and ePAB. However, examining endogenous protein interactions, we find that in oocytes only xPat1a is a bona fide component of the CPEB RNP, and that xPat1b resides in a separate large complex. In tissue culture cells, hPat1b localizes to P-bodies, while mPat1a-GFP is either found weakly in P-bodies or disperses P-bodies in a dominant-negative fashion. Altogether we conclude that Pat1a and Pat1b proteins have distinct functions, mediated in separate complexes. Pat1a is a translational repressor in oocytes in a CPEB-containing complex, and Pat1b is a component of P-bodies in somatic cells.