The pineal gland of the gerbil,Meriones unguiculatus

Summary By means of morphometric analytical procedures, a diurnal rhythm in the cellular volume of gerbil pinealocytes was determined. This rhythm has been attributed primarily to a change in the cytoplasmic volume of the pinealocytes which is low during the daylight hours and increases to reach a peak during the middle of the dark period. At the ultrastructural level, six cytoplasmic components of the pinealocytes were found to exhibit a rhythm: free cytoplasm, smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER), rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) and ribosomes, secretory vesicles, microtubules, and mitochondria. The presumptive secretory vesicles and the microtubules reached a peak in volume one hour before lights-off. It is suggested that lights-on and lights-off both signal a decrease in size and/or number of the secretory vesicles. The SER and RER/ribosomes reached their peak volume one hour after lights-off which is interpreted as indicating a peak in indoleamine synthesis and protein synthesis, respectively. The volume of free cytoplasm exhibits two peaks; one occurs one hour before lights-off while the second peak occurs in the middle of the dark phase. It is suggested that, although part of the secretory product of the pinealocyte may be present in dense-cored vesicles, other locations could include the free cytoplasm and clear secretory vesicles.Supported by NSF grant #PCM 77-05734     

Lipid yolk synthesis in a marine teleost,Blennius pholis L.

Summary The site of lipid yolk synthesis in the marine teleost Blennius pholis L. is examined. The relative distributions of cellular organelles and inclusions in the developing oocytes are analysed by morphometric analysis, which indicates that synthesis is probably endogenous occurring in the perinuclear cytoplasm. The role of lipid yolk in this species is discussed.     

Accumulation of myocardial lipid droplets in dexamethasone-treated mice

Summary Conventionally fixed and plastic-embedded myocardial tissue from mice treated with 1 mg/kg body weight dexamethasone for 48 h was examined in the electron microscope. The dexamethasone-treated mice showed a marked increase in the accumulation of lipid droplets as compared with control animals. The per cent volume of lipid droplets, calculated by morphometric analysis, showed a significant increase in the dexamethasone-treated mice. No other ultrastructural difference between dexamethasone-treated mice and controls was observed.     

A functional classification for predicting the dynamics of landscapes

Abstract. Functional classifications have been derived for various purposes using subjective, objective and deductive approaches. Most of the classifications were derived to describe a static state of a region or landscape rather than to predict the dynamics of the system. Here, we suggest a simple, but comprehensive functional classification based on life history parameters that can predict the dynamics of plant communities subject to recurrent disturbances. The predicted dynamics are described in terms of survival and local extinction of the functional groups. The groups derived from the classification are probably largely independent of functional groupings that may be derived for other aspects of community composition (e.g. structure, phenology) and community interactions (roughness, albedo etc.). We emphasize that functional classification is context-dependent and we should not expect to find a useful, universal classification into functional groups. Software has been developed to help classify the species into functional groups, to derive successional sequences and to predict community composition under different disturbance regimes both in point and landscape models.     

分形理论及其在土壤空间变异研究中的应用

土壤具有不同程度的空间变异性,土壤空间变异研究对于土壤管理有重要意义.本文简要综述了分形理论及其在土壤空间变异研究中的应用,重点讨论了利用矩方法计算土壤属性分形维,多重分形分析土壤空间变异性及基于多重分形谱参数的土壤属性尺度转换.早期研究验证了分形理论在分析土壤空间变异中的有效性和应用潜力,国内外近期研究则报道了利用分形及多重分形理论分析土壤空间变异的最新进展.分形理论可以成为量化土壤属性空间变异性及尺度转换的重要工具.     

肱骨骨干骨密质厚度的二维可视化及其定量分析

形态示量图是一种展示三维形态测量信息的二维可视化手段,能有效地反应骨密质厚度的分布特点。虽然现代人、更新世古老型人类和大猿的骨密质厚度分布存在差别,但全新世现代人内部是否有变异存在尚未被充分研究。本文选择全新世华中、华北地区的6个农业人群的34例右侧肱骨标本（23例男性、11例女性）,使用形态示量图对其骨干骨密质厚度的分布特征进行了全面分析。在方法上,本文比较了通过厚度最大值和生物力学长度对骨密质厚度进行标准化后分析结果的差别,并验证了主成分分析在形态示量图上的适用性。结果显示,在全新世华中、华北地区的农业人群中,男、女的厚度分布模式存在一定差异,而不同人群男性的差别并不明显。本文虽通过全新世华中、华北地区的农业人群揭示出全新世现代人在肱骨骨干骨密质厚度分布上存在一定程度的变异,但仍需在未来工作中依托本文方法,选择人群种类更丰富、标本量更大、个体变量控制更严格的材料,进一步验证或扩展本文所得结论。     

基于NDVI绿洲-荒漠过渡带宽度识别——以河西走廊中部荒漠绿洲为例

绿洲-荒漠过渡带是荒漠与绿洲之间的生态缓冲区,在维持绿洲能量流动、物质循环和景观稳定方面具有重要作用。过渡带宽度和属性直接影响到了其在整个绿洲系统中的功能发挥。以河西走廊中部张掖绿洲的Landsat(OLI)NDVI(归一化植被指数,Normalized Difference Vegetation Index)数据为基础,结合野外调查将过渡带类型划分为绿洲与石质裸山、砾质荒漠、沙质荒漠和人工固沙区4类。采用缓冲分析、分段线性趋势分析和尺度分别为30 m、90 m、210 m、330 m焦点分析等方法研究了不同类型过渡带宽度和尺度依赖特征。结果表明,在不同尺度上绿洲外缘NDVI变化存在二种线性回归趋势,趋势线交点至绿洲边界距离可确定为过渡带宽度。不同尺度分析表明,绿洲-石质裸山过渡带宽度为165—220 m,在其内NDVI线性变化趋势显著(P0.05)。绿洲-砾质荒漠过渡带宽度保持在330 m,在其内NDVI变化趋势极显著(P0.001)。绿洲-沙质荒漠过渡带宽度变化在230—290 m,NDVI变化趋势也为极显著(P0.001)。绿洲-人工固沙区过渡带宽度变化在570—580 m,与其它类型不同地是在过渡带内存在二种变化趋势,在210—240 m范围内变化趋势极显著(P0.001),超出此范围线性回归趋势不显著(P0.05)。     

基于属性识别模型的巢湖流域生态安全评价

为建立有效的流域生态安全评价模型,采用AHP赋权方法与属性识别模型相耦合的途径,以巢湖流域生态安全为研究对象,对基于属性识别模型的巢湖流域及其次级评价单元的生态安全评价问题进行了研究.结果表明:巢湖流域9区(县)及流域整体生态安全状况从优到劣的排序结果依次为合肥、流域整体、居巢、无为、和县、含山、舒城、庐江、肥东和肥西;合肥和肥西的生态安全状况分别为Ⅳ级和Ⅰ级,其它评价单元均处于Ⅱ级.基于属性识别模型的流域生态安全评价方法涵义明确、计算过程简单,能同时实现生态安全等级的分类和排序,在其它生态系统综合评价中具有一定的应用价值.     

The accuracy of morphometric characteristic analysis depends on the type of the assessed traits of honey bees (Apis cerana F. and Apis mellifera L.)

Conservation of honey bees as pollinators and honey producers requires their assessment using convenient general methods. One of the most commonly used methods involves assessment of morphometric characteristics using random traits. The purpose of the study was to determine a set of morphometric characteristics for identifying the local (R, H: Apis cerana koreana) and adapted (A, C, F: Apis melifera ligustica; D: Apis mellifera carpathica; V: Apis mellifera) lines of honey bees bred in Korea. We found traits with significant differences (p < 0.001), high discriminant coefficient (>100), and range of variation (<50 %). The analysis demonstrated that the widths of the abdomen, forewing, and head, and the lengths of the antenna, body, proboscis, tergites 4 and 3, and forewing can be used as the nine main morphological characteristics for distinguishing the bred lines of honey bees. Furthermore, the last two traits and the length of the head can be used for distinguishing the adapted subspecies A. m. ligustica and A. m. carpathica. Our observations can be used for improving the morphometric method for the conservation of honey bees.