Ecology of gorillas and its relation to female transfer in mountain gorillas

Understanding the principles that underly primate social evolution depends on integrated analysis of data on behavioral ecology, demography, life history tactics, and social organization. In this paper, data on the behavioral ecology of gorillas are reviewed and comparisons made among the three subspecies. Gorillas are selective feeders; and, their patterns of food choice are consistent with models of feeding by large generalist herbivores. They rely heavily on terrestrial herbaceous vegetation, which provides an abundant supply of densely distributed food. Availability of this food varies little in space and time; and, gorilla foraging activity can maintain its productivity. The level of frugivory and the extent of seasonal variation in diet and habitat use vary among and within populations. Low variability in food distribution patterns makes cooperative defense of foraging areas not worthwhile; but, it also means that ecological costs associated with gregariousness are low. However, demographic and life history data on mountain gorillas show that these costs may be sufficient to reduce female reproductive success as group size increases. Advantages to being with high quality males apparently can outweigh these costs. The implications of these data for the evolution of the mountain gorilla social system, and the possible roles of male protection, predation, and female/female competition in this regard, are discussed.     

POLLEN-TUBE COMPETITION AND MALE FITNESS IN HIBISCUS MOSCHEUTOS

The stigmas of animal-pollinated flowers often capture more pollen than is needed to fertilize all available ovules, and mixed-donor pollen loads are probably common. When this is the case, variation in average pollen-tube growth rates can potentially affect the number of seeds sired by a given plant. Despite considerable interest in effects of postpollination processes on male fitness, little is known about the extent of variation in pollen performance among plants from natural populations. To examine this question in Hibiscus moscheutos (rose mallow), we conducted mixed-donor hand-pollination experiments with 39 pollen donors bearing distinctive isozyme markers. Pairs of competing donors were compared on sets of 11 to 15 recipient plants per pair. These donors often differed in the proportions of seeds they sired, with the maximum deviation from an expected ratio of 50:50 being 68:32. Furthermore, three intensively studied plants exhibited consistent trends in relative pollen performance when each was tested against (1) the same three competitors, and (2) groups of 14 competitors chosen at random from the study population. In a separate experiment, we investigated the effects of salinity stress and high soil nutrients on pollen performance. These environmental factors had anticipated effects on leaf production, flower production, and petal length, but style length and (most importantly) the number of seeds sired relative to a standard pollen donor were not affected. In summary, this study provides the strongest evidence to date that pollen-tube competitive ability varies among coexisting plants and may be an important component of male fitness in plants.     

Functional morphology of genitalia of four species of julidan millipedes (Diplopoda: Nemasomatidae; Julidae)

The functional anatomy of the genitalia of Nemasoma varicorne (Nemasomatidae), Brachyiulus lusitanus, Unciger foehdus and Cylindroiulus boleti (Julidae) was investigated by shock freezing of animals in copula followed by serial semithin sectioning of the engaged genitalia. The species show conspicuous differences in the functional mechanism of their genitalia. In M varicorne and B. lusitanus the vulvae remain within the vulval sac during copulation while in U.foetidus and C. boleti parts of the gonopods (promerite and mesomerite) form clasper-like structures that pull out the vulvae from the vulval sacs. With the exception of C. boleti all investigated species have a 'central funnel' on the vulva which leads into the receptaculum seminis. The sperm-transferring part of the male gonopods (solenomerite) is introduced into this funnel during copulation. In B. lusitanus and C. boleti a projection of the posterior gonopods (end-projection, brachite) fits into a slit anterior to the openings of the receptacula. The results are discussed with regard to sexual selection theory and a hypothesis is proposed that explains the evolutionary change of millipede genitalia by a combination of female choice and sperm competition phenomena.     

光敏核不育水稻61kD特异性蛋白质的纯化和N—端序列分析

用制备型聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳和制备型等电聚焦纯化了曾报道的光敏核不育水稻 (Oryza sativa)农垦 58S叶绿体的特异性蛋白质 P2 ,得到 SDS- PAGE和等电聚焦 (IEF )纯的 P2。经 SDS- PAGE和 IEF测定 ,该纯蛋白质的分子量是 61 k D,等电点是 5.8。现称 P2为 P61。氨基酸序列分析表明 P61的 N-端氨基酸序列与水稻和大麦叶绿体 ATPaseβ亚基的 N-端氨基酸序列同源。     

Localization of mating behavior of releasedBactrocera dorsalis flies on host fruit in an orchard

Oriental fruit flies,Bactrocera dorsalis, cultured in the laboratory for six generations, were released when 12–14 days old in an orchard of nonfruiting host trees that were furnished with either food and water, nonpunctured host fruit, punctured host fruit, or no resources. Nearly all flies of both sexes, all sexual behavior of males, and all mating pairs were observed on trees with fruit. Moreover, on trees with fruit, nearly all flies of both sexes, nearly all sexual behavior of males, and nearly all mating pairs occurred on the fruit itself rather than on the foliage or branches. In a subsequent test, both sexes were found to be strongly attracted to the odor of host fruit. For a polyphagous species of a tropical tephritid, these findings are the first to show a high level of male aggregation and a high amount of male sexual behavior on the fruit of host trees. Findings are discussed in relation to current knowledge of tephritid mating behavior. An additional quality-control test for laboratory cultured males used in the sterile insect technique of fly management is recommended.     

一个恢复力受单基因控制的水稻CMS育性回复突变体

利用￣（６０）Ｃｏ－γ射线对具有印尼水田谷细胞质的籼稻细胞质雄性不育系Ⅱ－３２Ａ干种子进行诱变处理,获得了一育性回复突变体Ｔ２４。育性基因未纯合的突变体分离出可育株和完全不育株,比例为３∶１;其与Ⅱ－３２Ａ和珍汕９７Ａ测交,Ｆ１代分离出１∶１的可育株和不育株。育性稳定株系与Ⅱ－３２Ａ和珍汕９７Ａ杂交,Ｆ２分离成３∶１的可育株和不育株。表明其育性回复是由一对基因显性突变所致。这一突变体对不育系的育性恢复机制不同于明恢６３、２０９６４等恢复系,后者表现为两对显性恢复基因作用。未观察到Ｔ２４与亲本Ⅱ－３２Ａ除育性以外的其他性状的差异,因而两者构成育性恢复基因的近等基因系。本文还对不育系育性回复类型和Ｔ２４的理论意义与育种价值进行了讨论。     

Floral evolution and male reproductive success: Optimal dispensing schedules for pollen dispersal by animal-pollinated plants

Summary Selection favouring an outcrossing plant's ability to sire seeds generally promotes floral characters that increase (1) the frequency of pollinator visits, (2) the number of pollen grains dispersed to other plants by each pollinator and (3) the probability of a pollen grain successfully fertilizing an ovule after reaching a stigma. Flowers influence pollen dispersal and fertilization probabilities by determining the pattern of pollen removal during a series of visits (dispensing schedule). We model male reproductive success to identify optimal dispensing schedules, which characteristically involve monotonic increases in the proportion of remaining pollen removed during successive visits. These schedules balance the benefits of restricted removal, which counteracts the diminishing returns associated with animal pollination (e.g. pollinator grooming, local mate competition), with the advantages of increased removal to avoid time-dependent losses in fertilization ability (e.g. pollen precedence, declining viability). Because pollinator availability mediates this balance, the most effective dispensing schedule allows dynamic adjustment of removal to the prevailing frequency of visits experienced by individual plants. As an example of such dynamic removal we demonstrate that the dispensing mechanism ofLupinus sericeus flowers allows facultative adjustment of removal to the interval between visits. Because optimal control of pollen removal can increase a plant's mating opportunities by an order of magnitude, dispensing mechanisms should be a common component of floral design.     

Immunocytochemical study of seminal γ-glutamyltransferase using monoclonal antibodies

We produced three monoclonal antibodies, SG1, SG2 and SG3, specific for human seminal -glutamyltransferase when characterized by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immunoblotting. Seminal -glutamyltransferase was localized, by immunostaining, to the epithelial cells of the ductus epididymidis, seminal vesicle and prostate gland with SG1, those of the prostate gland with SG2, and those of the seminal vesicle with SG3. Rabbit polyclonal anti-seminal -glutamyltransferase serum reacted with the proximal convolution of the kidney and the bile capillaries of the liver, and with the epithelial cells of the reproductive organs. However, immunoreactivity was not observed in the kidney or liver with the monoclonal antibodies. Thus, these monoclonal antibodies are probably all specific to seminal -glutamyltransferase but recognize different epitopes.     

Somatic hybrids with substitution type genomic configuration TCBB for the transfer of nuclear and organelle genes from Brassica tournefortii TT to allotetraploid oilseed crop B. carinata BBCC

Oilseed crop Brassica carinata BBCC is a natural allotetraploid of diploid species B. nigra BB and B. oleracea CC. To transfer the nuclear and organelle genes in a concerted manner from an alien species, B. tournefortii TT, to B. carinata, we produced somatic hybrids with genomic configuration TCBB using B. nigra and B. oleracea stocks that carried selectable marker genes. B. tournefortii TT was sexually crossed with hygromycin-resistant B. oleracea CC. Protoplasts isolated from shoot cultures of hygromycin-resistant F₁ hybrids of B. tournefortiixB. oleracea TC were fused with protoplasts of kanamycin-resistant B. nigra BB. In two different fusion experiments 80 colonies were obtained through selection on media containing both hygromycin and kanamycin. Of these, 39 colonies regenerated into plants. Analysis of 15 regenerants by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers showed the presence of all three genomes, thereby confirming these to be true hybrids. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of organelle genomes with heterologous chloroplast (cp)and mitochondrial (mt) DNA probes showed that the chloroplast genome was inherited from either of the two parents while mitochondrial genomes predominantly showed novel configurations due to either rearrangements or intergenomic recombinations. We anticipate that the TCBB genomic configuration will provide a more conducive situation for recombination between the T and C genomes during meiosis than the TTCCBB or TCCBB type configurations that are usually produced for alien gene transfer. The agronomic aim of producing TCBB hybrids is to transfer mitochondrial genes conferring cytoplasmic male sterility and nuclear genes for fertility restoration from B. tournefortii to B. carinata.