Examining the impact of a symbiotic lifestyle on the fecundity of the marine gastropod Crepidula plana

The marine gastropod Crepidula plana has an extensive latitudinal range along the eastern coast of the United States. It is usually found living within gastropod shells occupied by hermit crabs, although individuals can sometimes also be found living on rocks and on the exposed surfaces of shells. Our study sought to determine the extent to which residing inside periwinkle (Littorina littorea) shells occupied by the hermit crab Pagurus longicarpus at a study site in coastal Massachusetts compromises the fecundity of C. plana, through size limitation. The egg masses of symbiotic and free‐living females of C. plana included comparable numbers of egg capsules and embryos per female despite the smaller sizes of the symbionts; symbiotic females compensated for their smaller size by producing significantly more embryos per milligram of female body tissue than their free‐living counterparts. These data raise interesting questions about why—unlike its congener C. fornicata—C. plana has not yet become a successful invasive species.     

施钾对苜蓿上牛角花齿蓟马产卵选择、生长发育、 成虫寿命和繁殖力的影响

【目的】为了探讨施钾对苜蓿上牛角花齿蓟马Odontothrips loti的产卵选择、生长发育、成虫寿命和繁殖力的影响,明确施钾苜蓿叶片营养物含量与牛角花齿蓟马生命参数的关系。【方法】在不同钾量(40, 60, 80和100 mg/kg)处理下(以不施钾作为对照),观察记录牛角花齿蓟马在紫花苜蓿品种甘农3号Medicago sativa cv. Gannong No. 3叶片上的产卵量,幼期各龄期发育历期和存活率以及二代成虫的寿命和繁殖力,同时测定不同施钾量下苜蓿叶片的可溶性糖、游离氨基酸及钾含量。【结果】随着施钾量的增加,牛角花齿蓟马在苜蓿叶片上的产卵量(粒/复叶)先降低后升高,在60 mg/kg钾处理降幅最大,较对照降低了45.58%;卵孵化率和1-2龄若虫的存活率变化不显著,但3-4龄若虫的存活率和幼期总存活率显著下降,分别在100 mg/kg 和80 mg/kg钾处理下降幅最大,较对照分别下降了54.36%和48.48%。不同施钾量下苜蓿叶片上牛角花齿蓟马卵和1-2龄若虫发育历期无显著变化,3-4龄若虫及幼期总发育历期均延长;牛角花齿蓟马二代成虫的繁殖力均显著下降,成虫寿命显著缩短(40 mg/kg钾处理除外)。施钾后,苜蓿叶片可溶性糖含量、钾含量和糖氮比增大,游离氨基酸含量减少。相关关系分析表明,苜蓿叶片钾含量与牛角花齿蓟马幼期总存活率和成虫繁殖力无显著相关性,而苜蓿叶片可溶性糖含量和糖氮比均与3-4龄若虫存活率和繁殖力极显著负相关,与幼期总存活率呈显著负相关。【结论】施钾苜蓿对牛角花齿蓟马成虫产卵产生显著的排趋性;施钾提高了苜蓿叶片的可溶性糖含量及糖氮比,不利于若虫的生长发育,并使成虫寿命缩短、繁殖力下降,对牛角花齿蓟马产生了显著的抗生作用。     

Ptk2b deletion improves mice folliculogenesis and fecundity via inhibiting follicle loss mediated by Erk pathway

Ptk2b has been found playing critical roles in oocyte maturation and subsequent fertilization in vitro. But what is the exact in vivo function in reproduction still elusive. Here, by constructing Ptk2b mutant mice, we found Ptk2b was not essential for mice fertility, unexpectedly, contrary to previously reported in vitro findings, we found Ptk2b ablation significantly improved female fecundity. Follicle counting indicated that the number of primordial follicles and growing follicles in matured mice was significantly increased in the absence of Ptk2b, whereas the primordial follicle formation showed no defects. We also found this regulation was in an autophosphorylation independent pathway, as autophosphorylation site mutant mice (PTK2B^Y402F) show no phenotype in female fertility. Further biochemistry studies revealed that Ptk2b ablation promotes folliculogenesis via Erk pathway mediate follicle survival. Together, we found a novel biological function of Ptk2b in folliculogenesis, which could be potentially used as a therapeutic target for corresponding infertility.     

短时极端高温对松毛虫赤眼蜂成虫致死作用及子代适合度的影响

极端高温天气事件在高产作物种植区频繁发生,潜在影响了寄生蜂对害虫的防控能力.为明确短时极端高温对松毛虫赤眼蜂Trichogramma dendrolimi Matsumura成虫致死作用及子代发育适合度的影响,本研究模拟夏季田间最高气温,以42℃高温处理松毛虫赤眼蜂成蜂0.5h和1 h,统计并观测了各处理条件下母代蜂致死率、繁殖力、子代蜂寿命、羽化率、性比和畸形率.结果显示:短时高温对松毛虫赤眼蜂有致死作用,表现为雌、雄蜂直接死亡及子代羽化率降低.42℃处理1 h,雌、雄蜂死亡率分别为40.28％和58.25％.短时极端高温导致松毛虫赤眼蜂子代适合度降低,表现为雌蜂寿命缩短、繁殖力下降,子代蜂畸形率增加及子代蜂雄性比上升.结果表明,短时极端高温对松毛虫赤眼蜂适合度产生负面影响,降低种群数量.本研究为夏季田间释放松毛虫赤眼蜂提供重要理论依据.     

A comparison of the reproductive performance in primiparous sows following two timed artificial insemination protocols

Timed artificial insemination (TAI) is an efficient reproductive technology in batch farrowing production that aids management in pig farms. However, the effect of TAI on the reproduction performance is still controversial. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of two TAI protocols on the reproductive performance of primiparous sows. A total of 332 weaned sows were randomly allocated into three treatments. Sows assigned to Control (n = 110) were untreated and inseminated on each day in oestrus after weaning. Sows assigned to eG-TAI (n = 112) received equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG) 24 h after weaning and gonadotropin-releasing hormone (Gonadorelin: GnRH) at oestrus, and were inseminated at 8 and 32 h later if oestrus at 0800, or 16 and 40 h later if oestrus at 1600. Sows assigned to 2e-TAI (n = 110) received eCG and GnRH 24 h and 96 h after weaning, respectively, and were inseminated 16 and 40 h after GnRH administration. Sows showing oestrus at GnRH administration or 64 h after were inseminated immediately, for a total of three inseminations. Ultrasonographic evaluations were performed to determine the follicular diameter and time of ovulation. Most sows in the 2e-TAI and eG-TAI groups ovulated 0–48 h after the GnRH injection. Our results indicated that oestrus rate within seven days after weaning in the experimental groups was higher, and weaning-to-oestrus interval was shorter than in the control group (99.3 h vs 113.5 h, P < 0.05). The breeding and farrowing rates in the experimental groups were significantly higher than in the control group (P < 0.05), while the numbers of total born, live-born and stillborn were not different among the three groups (Control: 12.7, 11.6 and 1.1; 2e-TAI: 12.4, 11.3 and 1.0; eG-TAI: 12.0, 11.4 and 0.4, respectively). These results indicated that TAI could ensure a high farrowing rate in primiparous sows under batch farrowing management.     

Development of a Genotyping Microarray for Studying the Role of Gene-Environment Interactions in Risk for Lung Cancer

A microarray (LungCaGxE), based on Illumina BeadChip technology, was developed for high-resolution genotyping of genes that are candidates for involvement in environmentally driven aspects of lung cancer oncogenesis and/or tumor growth. The iterative array design process illustrates techniques for managing large panels of candidate genes and optimizing marker selection, aided by a new bioinformatics pipeline component, Tagger Batch Assistant. The LungCaGxE platform targets 298 genes and the proximal genetic regions in which they are located, using ∼13,000 DNA single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), which include haplotype linkage markers with a minimum allele frequency of 1% and additional specifically targeted SNPs, for which published reports have indicated functional consequences or associations with lung cancer or other smoking-related diseases. The overall assay conversion rate was 98.9%; 99.0% of markers with a minimum Illumina design score of 0.6 successfully generated allele calls using genomic DNA from a study population of 1873 lung-cancer patients and controls.     

The short‐ and long‐term fitness consequences of natal dispersal in a wild bird population

Dispersal is a key process in population and evolutionary ecology. Individual decisions are affected by fitness consequences of dispersal, but these are difficult to measure in wild populations. A long‐term dataset on a geographically closed bird population, the Mauritius kestrel, offers a rare opportunity to explore fitness consequences. Females dispersed further when the availability of local breeding sites was limited, whereas male dispersal correlated with phenotypic traits. Female but not male fitness was lower when they dispersed longer distances compared to settling close to home. These results suggest a cost of dispersal in females. We found evidence of both short‐ and long‐term fitness consequences of natal dispersal in females, including reduced fecundity in early life and more rapid aging in later life. Taken together, our results indicate that dispersal in early life might shape life history strategies in wild populations.     

The song of the old mother: Reproductive senescence in female drosophila

Among animals with multiple reproductive episodes, changes in adult condition over time can have profound effects on lifetime reproductive fitness and offspring performance. The changes in condition associated with senescence can be particularly acute for females who support reproductive processes from oogenesis through fertilization. The pomace fly Drosophila melanogaster is a well-established model system for exploring the physiology of reproduction and senescence. In this review, we describe how increasing maternal age in Drosophila affects reproductive fitness and offspring performance as well as the genetic foundation of these effects. Describing the processes underlying female reproductive senescence helps us understand diverse phenomena including population demographics, condition-dependent selection, sexual conflict, and transgenerational effects of maternal condition on offspring fitness. Understanding the genetic basis of reproductive senescence clarifies the nature of life-history trade-offs as well as potential ways to augment and/or limit female fertility in a variety of organisms.     

Reproductive biology of Bagrus docmak in the Victoria Nile,Uganda

Aspects of the reproductive biology of Bagrus docmak in the Victoria Nile were investigated between November 2005 and October 2006. Macroscopic and histological analysis of the gonads confirmed it as an asynchronous batch spawner which spawns throughout the year with bimodal spawning peaks coinciding with rainfall seasons. The first spawning peak occurred from March to May, the second from September to November. The sex ratio did not significantly deviate from 1:1. Length at sexual maturity was 33.6 cm and 31.6 cm fork length (FL) for females and males, respectively. Batch fecundity ranged from 1 000 eggs in 34 cm FL fish to 43 000 eggs in 79 cm FL fish, and correlated linearly with FL (r = 0.72) and body weight (r = 0.79). Mean relative batch fecundity was 6 eggs g^?1 (SE 2). These results could guide research into the possibility of artificially inducing the fish to spawn, and its subsequent culture.