Patterns of sexual size dimorphism in stingless bees: Testing Rensch’s rule and potential causes in highly eusocial bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae,Meliponini)

Eusocial insects offer a unique opportunity to analyze the evolution of body size differences between sexes in relation to social environment. The workers, being sterile females, are not subject to selection for reproductive function providing a natural control for parsing the effects of selection on reproductive function (i.e., sexual and fecundity selection) from other kinds of natural selection. Patterns of sexual size dimorphism (SSD) and testing of Rensch's rule controlling for phylogenetic effects were analyzed in the Meliponini or stingless bees. Theory predicts that queens may exhibit higher selection for fecundity in eusocial taxa, but contrary to this, we found mixed patterns of SSD in Meliponini. Non‐Melipona species generally have a female‐biased SSD, while all analyzed species of Melipona showed a male‐biased SSD, indicating that the direction and magnitude of the selective pressures do not operate in the same way for all members of this taxon. The phylogenetic regressions revealed that the rate of divergence has not differed between the two castes of females and the males, that is, stingless bees do not seem to follow Rensch's rule (a slope >1), adding this highly eusocial taxon to the various solitary insect taxa not conforming with it. Noteworthy, when Melipona was removed from the analysis, the phylogenetic regressions for the thorax width of males on queens had a slope significantly smaller than 1, suggesting that the evolutionary divergence has been larger in queens than males, and could be explained by stronger selection on female fecundity only in non‐Melipona species. Our results in the stingless bees question the classical explanation of female‐biased SSD via fecundity and provide a first evidence of a more complex determination of SSD in highly eusocial species. We suggest that in highly eusocial taxa, additional selection mechanisms, possibly related to individual and colonial interests, could influence the evolution of environmentally determined traits such as body size.     

Phenolic derivatives with cytotoxic activities from the roots of Fallopia multiflora var. ciliinervis

Fourteen phenolic derivatives including two new compounds (1, 2), one new natural product (10) and eleven known ones (3 - 9 and 11–14) were obtained from the roots of Fallopia multiflora var. ciliinervis. The structures were determined using IR, MS, 1D and ²D NMR spectroscopy and the absolute configuration of the new structure (2) was deduced by ECD experiments. All of the isolated compounds were assayed for their cytotoxic activities against three tumor cell lines (A549, HCT116 and SW620) and the results showed that compounds 12－14 showed cytotoxicities against A549 cells while compounds 10 and 11 showed cytotoxicities against SW620 cells.     

果蝇求偶行为分子调控机制的研究进展

果蝇(Drosophila)的求偶行为受多个基因调控,例如fruitless(fru)、dissatisfaction(dsf)和retained(retn)等。它们通过不同的剪切方式产生特异性产物,利用这些产物来控制雌雄果蝇的求偶行为,它们的剪切方式是雌雄果蝇求偶行为和性别决定所必需的。主要阐述了这些基因在果蝇求偶行为方面的分子调控机制,为进一步研究果蝇的求偶行为和性别决定提供理论依据。     

复方黄连素片中盐酸小檗碱含量测定

目的：建立测试黄连素片中盐酸小檗碱含量的高效液相方法,并对此方法进行系统的方法学验证,以确保应用该方法测试的结果准确、可靠。方法：采用色谱柱：Agilent TC-C18柱（4．6 mm ×150 mm,5μm,Agilent,美国）,流动相：乙腈－0．05 mol／L磷酸二氢钾溶液（45∶55,含5％的0．05 mol／L庚烷磺酸钠溶液）,检测波长为265 nm。结果：盐酸小檗碱在2．5～80μg／mL范围内线性关系良好,得到线性回归方程为Y＝421 ．5X＋17．32,相关系数为0．9997（n＝6）;低、中、高浓度批内精密度的RSD值分别为0．30％、0．58％、0．30％,批间精密度的RSD为0．80％;重复性RSD为0．27％;低、中、高浓度的加样回收率分别为99．66％、99．88％、99．98％;供试品溶液室温放置8h稳定,RSD为0．41％。结论：本方法测定黄连素片中盐酸小檗碱的含量准确、可靠,操作简单、用时短,可用于黄连素片中盐酸小檗碱的含量测定。     

Geranylated tetraoxygenated xanthones from the pericarp of Garcinia pedunculata

Three new xanthones, pedunxanthones D-F (1–3), along with ten known compounds, were isolated from a chloroform extract of the pericarp of Garcinia pedunculata. Their structures were determined using spectroscopic techniques. Cytotoxicity against HeLa and NCI-H460 cells of the isolated compounds using an SRB assay was evaluated with pedunxanthone D (1) as the most active compound (IC₅₀ 24.9 ± 0.4 and 26.1 ± 1.5 μg/ml, respectively).     

养分管理对农田土壤微生物量的影响

土壤微生物与土壤质量、健康、植物的生产力和农业的可持续发展密切相关。任何对土壤中微生物的扰动都可能影响土壤的长期生产力,并可能产生严重后果。大量研究结果表明,肥料类型、施肥处理年限长短、施肥水平高低及施肥措施都会造成土壤成分的变化,进而影响土壤中微生物的生长以及繁殖。简要介绍了微生物量的几种测定方法,综述了各种养分管理措施对农田生态系统中土壤微生物量的影响,从而了解土壤微生物因人类对土壤的利用而发生的变化,以期为农业的可持续发展和生态环境的保护提供理论依据。     

Evolutionary stability of sex chromosomes in snakes

Amniote vertebrates possess various mechanisms of sex determination, but their variability is not equally distributed. The large evolutionary stability of sex chromosomes in viviparous mammals and birds was believed to be connected with their endothermy. However, some ectotherm lineages seem to be comparably conserved in sex determination, but previously there was a lack of molecular evidence to confirm this. Here, we document a stability of sex chromosomes in advanced snakes based on the testing of Z-specificity of genes using quantitative PCR (qPCR) across 37 snake species (our qPCR technique is suitable for molecular sexing in potentially all advanced snakes). We discovered that at least part of sex chromosomes is homologous across all families of caenophidian snakes (Acrochordidae, Xenodermatidae, Pareatidae, Viperidae, Homalopsidae, Colubridae, Elapidae and Lamprophiidae). The emergence of differentiated sex chromosomes can be dated back to about 60 Ma and preceded the extensive diversification of advanced snakes, the group with more than 3000 species. The Z-specific genes of caenophidian snakes are (pseudo)autosomal in the members of the snake families Pythonidae, Xenopeltidae, Boidae, Erycidae and Sanziniidae, as well as in outgroups with differentiated sex chromosomes such as monitor lizards, iguanas and chameleons. Along with iguanas, advanced snakes are therefore another example of ectothermic amniotes with a long-term stability of sex chromosomes comparable with endotherms.     

Shape,size, and maturity trajectories of the human ilium

Morphological traits of the ilium have consistently been more successful for juvenile sex determination than have techniques applied to other skeletal elements, however relatively little is known about the ontogeny and maturation of size and shape dimorphism in the ilium. We use a geometric morphometric approach to quantitatively separate the ontogeny of size and shape of the ilium, and analyze interpopulation differences in the onset, rate and patterning of sexual dimorphism. We captured the shape of three traits for a total of 191 ilia from Lisbon (Portugal) and London (UK) samples of known age and sex (0–17 years). Our results indicate that a) there is a clear dissociation between the ontogeny of size and shape in males and females, b) the ontogeny of size and shape are each defined by non‐linear trajectories that differ between the sexes, c) there are interpopulation differences in ontogenetic shape trajectories, which point to population‐specific patterning in the attainment of sexual dimorphism, and d) the rate of shape maturation and size maturation is typically higher for females than males. Male and female shape differences in the ilium are brought about by trajectory divergence. Differences in size and shape maturation between the sexes suggest that maturity may confound our ability to discriminate between the sexes by introducing variation not accounted for in age‐based groupings. The accuracy of sex determination methods using the ilium may be improved by the use of different traits for particular age groups, to capture the ontogenetic development of shape in both sexes. Am J Phys Anthropol 156:19–34, 2015 © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.