AGE, GROWTH, AND REPRODUCTION OF THE FINLESS PORPOISE, NEOPHOCAENA PHOCAENOIDES, IN THE COASTAL WATERS OF WESTERN KYUSHU, JAPAN

Abstract: In the coastal waters of western Kyushu, Japan, a total of 97 incidentally taken or stranded finless porpoises, Neophocaena phocaenoides , was collected for studying age, growth and reproduction. An additional 17 specimens from the Inland Sea were used for a comparison of life history. Mean neonatal body length was 78.2 cm. Both males and females grew to around 140 cm by 5 yr of age. The maximum body lengths of males and females in western Kyushu were 174.5 cm and 165.0 cm, respectively, which were smaller than those recorded in other Japanese waters. Females probably attain sexual maturity at ages of 6–9 yr and at body lengths of 135–145 cm. Males probably mature sexually at ages of 4–6 yr, at body lengths of 135–140 cm and at weight of testis of 40–150 g. The lack of females aged 5–6 yr and males aged 4–5 yr precluded firm conclusions on ages at sexual maturity. Parturition in western Kyushu was estimated to be prolonged from autumn to spring, whereas in the Inland Sea and Pacific waters it was restricted from spring to summer with a peak in April. These geographical differences and available information on distribution implies that the finless porpoises in western Kyushu constitute a local population.     

广西防城港黑翅长脚鹬的繁殖行为

本研究于2021年3～9月,采用目标观察和全事件记录法,对广西防城港市钦州湾八路水湿地黑翅长脚鹬（Himantopus himantopus）的繁殖习性进行全过程观察记录。黑翅长脚鹬的栖息生境主要在盐田、虾塘和鱼塘,而巢主要分布在盐田生境。共发现39巢,雌雄共同营巢,按照主要巢材将其巢分为干草巢、碎石巢、泥皮巢和牛毛毡草巢4种;巢材包括禾本科（Gramineae）和莎草科（Cyperaceae）植物以及碎石、贝壳等;巢外径为（23.3±10.7）cm,巢内径为（11.2±1.9）cm,巢深为（1.6±0.5）cm,巢高为（6.5±4.3）cm(n=39);筑巢需（3±2）d(n=6)。窝卵数2～4枚,1～2 d产1枚卵,7 d内产完满窝卵（n=6）。雌雄均参与孵卵,雄性孵卵时间比雌性长,但二者差异不显著（P> 0.05）,雄性（8 550±245.9）min,雌性（7 530±263.3）min,孵卵期为（25±2）d(n=6)。育雏期（26±3）d(n=6),雌雄轮流育雏,育雏前、中期（雏鸟1～20d日龄）,雌性育雏时间比雄性长,是雄性的2倍,育雏后期（雏鸟大于20 d日龄）,...     

NP配施对平茬后云南松苗木N、P、K化学计量比的影响

为了解NP配施对平茬后云南松（Pinus yunnanensis）苗木各器官N、P、K化学计量比的影响,分析云南松苗木不同器官（根、茎、叶、萌条）的ω（N）∶ω（P）、ω（N）∶ω（K）、ω（P）∶ω（K）化学计量比的季节变化特征,探讨各器官间N、P、K化学计量比的相关性及其变异来源。采用N、P二因素三水平的3×3回归设计开展不同施肥试验,并对苗木采样测定,研究NP配施对平茬后云南松根、叶、茎及其萌条N、P、K化学计量特征的影响。结果表明：平茬后云南松苗木不同器官的营养元素分配没有统一的规律,展现出丰富的变异。随着施肥季节的变化, ω（N）∶ω（P）在根、茎和萌条中逐渐下降,在叶中先下降后上升,但总体差异不大。单施N肥、P肥和NP配施均对云南松苗木生长的影响产生一定差异,总体来看NP配施更有利于促进苗木的生长,且以处理5（N₁P₁）表现为极显著（P<0.01）。云南松苗木各器官N、P、K化学计量比主要受N×P交互作用的影响,其次是N,影响最小的是P。除在根和叶中ω（N）∶ω（P）与ω（N）∶ω（K）之间相关性发生改变之外,其余两两间的正负相关性均保持不变,而 ω（N）∶ω（P）与ω（P）∶ω（K）、ω（N）∶ω（K）与ω（P）∶ω（K）的相关性均随着施肥季节的变化相关性发生改变,且相关系数降低,分别受P和K的调控。平茬改变植株体内的营养元素含量,不同施肥处理促使云南松各器官中N、P、K化学计量特征差异极显著（P<0.01）。NP配施可以有效缓解单施N肥、P肥对植株的限制作用,使养分处于一个平衡状态,从而满足植株对生长的需要。     

GENETIC EVIDENCE FOR MULTIPLE ORIGINS OF DIOECY IN THE HAWAIIAN SHRUB WIKSTROEMIA (THYMELAEACEAE)

Dioecy is unusually common in the Hawaiian Islands, yet little is known about the evolutionary biology of this breeding system. A native shrub, Wikstroemia, has an unusually diverse array of breeding systems: two forms of dioecy, cryptic and morphological dioecy, as well as hermaphroditism (perfect flowers). The existence of two forms of dioecy is significant for three reasons: 1) the presence of cryptic unisexuals that are functionally unisexual, but retain the appearance of hermaphroditism in both sexes, is strong evidence for the ancestral status of hermaphroditism; 2) the production of nonfunctional pollen, by female cryptic unisexuals, is a new instance of a phenomenon which has previously been reported for a few other species; 3) the two forms of dioecy are morphological markers which are useful in hybridization studies for tracing the genetic basis of their inheritance. Crosses were made between cryptically unisexual individuals (C), between morphologically unisexual individuals (M), and between the two types of unisexuality. The offspring of crosses between individuals with the same sex type usually resulted in offspring with that sex type, but most of the progeny of between-sex type crosses were, unexpectedly, perfect-flowered hermaphrodites. These results show that genetic control of sex determination is not homologous in all populations, suggesting that dioecy has evolved at least twice in Hawaiian Wikstroemia. The genetic data further suggest that males are the heterozygous sex.     

Two-phase species–time relationships in North American land birds

The species–time relationship (STR) is a macroecological pattern describing the increase in the observed species richness with the length of time censused. Understanding STRs is important for understanding the ecological processes underlying temporal turnover and species richness. However, accurate characterization of the STR has been hampered by the influence of sampling. I analysed STRs for 521 breeding bird survey communities. I used a model of sampling effects to demonstrate that the increase in richness was not due exclusively to sampling. I estimated the time scale at which ecological processes became dominant over sampling effects using a two‐phase model combining a sampling phase and either a power function or logarithmic ecological phase. These two‐phase models performed significantly better than sampling alone and better than simple power and logarithmic functions. Most community dynamics were dominated by ecological processes over scales <5 years. This technique provides an example of a rigorous, quantitative approach to separating sampling from ecological processes.     

复制型HBV转基因小鼠的遗传与繁育研究

本文采用类似系祖建系的方法,对复制型ＨＢＶ转基因小鼠模型的１７、２１、２５三个系列进行了繁育,通过ＰＣＲ和Ｓｏｕｔｈｅｒｎ分子杂交的方法,检测三个系列小鼠尾组织和血清的ＤＮＡ样品,以确定ＨＢＶ基因的整合和复制情况。结果表明,ＨＢＶ基因已稳定地遗传至第五代（Ｆ５）,且各世代小鼠血清中都存在ＨＢＶＤＮＡ,此外,整合阳性小鼠的血清中能测出ＨＢＶＤＮＡ的比率很高,Ｆ１代为９４．４４％（１０２／１０８）,Ｆ２、Ｆ３代为９５．３１％（６１／６４）,故在繁育中可以通过测血清中的ＨＢＶＤＮＡ来确定小鼠是否整合。     

Diallel analysis for mineral element absorption in tropical adapted soybeans [Glycine max (L.) Merrill]

The Brazilian tropical adapted soybeans contains, in addition to superior morphological characters, genetic factors for tolerance to cultivation in acidic, mineral-stressed soils. However, the selection process for these hindrances has been empirical, and information on the genetics of mineral element uptake by the plant is necessary. The objective of this investigation was to identify the mode of inheritance for the absorption of phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, aluminium, manganese, zinc and copper in a 9 × 9 diallel cross. General combining ability (GCA) was higher than specific combining ability (SCA), with the exception of copper, manganese and zinc, indicating predominantly additive effects. The ratios of GCA/SCA varied between 3.4 (calcium) and 8.5 (magnesium). The regression of covariance (W_r) on variance (V_r) showed that the additive-dominance model explained the genetic differences in this germ plasm. However, the detection of overdominance could be related to possible heterozygosity in the parental varieties for mineral absorption. Broad-sense heritability values were higher than narrow sense heritability values for aluminium, iron, potassium, calcium and magnesium, being in the range of 67.9–86.9% and 42.0–56.6%, respectively. This is an indication that soybeans can be further improved to efficient utilisation of nutrients and to tolerate toxic factors in the soil.     

Individualistic responses of bird species to environmental change

We investigated how the population dynamics of the same bird species varied in different environments, and how the population dynamics of different species varied in the same environment, by calculating long-term population trends for 59 insectivorous songbird species in 22 regions or strata of eastern and central North America using data from the North American Breeding Bird Survey. Of the 47 species that occurred in more than one region 77% increased in some regions and declined in others. Of the 22 regions 91% had some species that increased and others that decreased. There were only slightly more significant correlations between strata in species trends and between species for stratum trends than would be expected by chance. Because of nonlinearities in the data, the actual patterns of population fluctuations of the same species in different regions and of different species in the same region were even more heterogeneous than suggested by our analyses of linear trends. We conclude that these bird species respond to spatial and temporal variation in their environment in a very individualistic fashion. These individualistic responses show that the extrapolation of population trends gained from a few local studies to a larger spatial scale, and the use of a few indicator species to monitor the status of a broader community, are suspect.     

A hierarchical response to differences in ration size in the reproductive performance of female three-spined sticklebacks

The response of female three-spined sticklebacks ( Gasterosteus aculeatus ) to differences in food ration during the breeding season was quantified for several variables related to reproductive performance. The measured protein and lipid contents (mg g⁻¹) of eggs were unaffected by ration. Egg size increased with an increase in both ration and female size, but the proportional increase in egg size was much smaller than the proportional increase in ration. The best predictor of mean batch (clutch) fecundity and weight was female size. There was a small but significant increase in batch fecundity with ration, but the increase was not directly proportional to the increase in ration. The rate of spawning, total breeding season fecundity and total weight of eggs spawned over the breeding season were sensitive to ration with breeding season fecundity and weight increasing in direct proportion to ration. Thus, in female sticklebacks, there is a hierarchy of sensitivity to ration in the response of variables related to reproduction.     

Seasonal migration promoting assortative mating in Littorina brevicula on a boulder shore in Japan

Littorina brevicula Philippi is one of the most common snails found in the upper intertidal zone of Japan. In Amakusa, some of the population of L. brevicula migrate to the lower zone in the winter, while the rest stay in the upper zone. Thus, during the winter, which is its reproductive season, the population of L. brevicula divides into two sub-populations. This leads to a hypothesis that the migration pattern in winter is genetically controlled and this behavioural dimorphism is maintained by reproductive isolation between the two sub-populations. In order to test this hypothesis, the following three points were investigated: (1) whether the same snails migrate in a similar way every winter, (2) whether there is a significant tidal level preference in snails, and (3) whether reproductive isolation occurs between the two sub-populations. The results showed (1) the migration behaviour of each snail was consistent over two successive winters, i.e. the same group of snails migrated downward every winter and the same group of snails stayed in the upper zone every winter, (2) transplanted snails moved toward the original zones where they were caught, suggesting that the snails actively selected their tidal zone in winter, and (3) most of the snails copulated within each sub-population. Therefore, reproductive isolation between the two sub-populations was considered to be established to some extent by the dimorphic migration behaviour. In conclusion, the migratory behaviour of L. brevicula is determined separately for each individual and might be genetically controlled, and the behavioural dimorphism may be maintained by partial reproductive isolation between the two sub-populations.