Morphology and molecular phylogeny of two new soil ciliates,Hemiurosomoida warreni nov. spec. and Hemiurosoma clampi nov. spec. (Ciliophora,Hypotrichia) from Tibet

Two novel hypotrichous ciliates, Hemiurosomoida warreni nov. spec. and Hemiurosoma clampi nov. spec., isolated from soil in the Lhalu Wetland and Motuo Virgin Forest in Tibet, respectively, were investigated using live observation and protargol staining. Hemiurosomoida warreni nov. spec. strongly resembles the type species H. longa but can be distinguished by its body size in vivo (110–145 × 30–40 μm vs. 50–100 × 18–40 μm), number of adoral membranelles (25–38 vs. 15–22), and numbers of right (29–39 vs. 14–23) and left (26–35 vs. 13–23) marginal cirri, transverse cirri (3 vs. 4 or 5) and macronuclear nodules (4–8 vs. 2). Hemiurosoma clampi nov. spec. is characterized by its vermiform body shape, colourless cortical granules distributed in irregular rows, two macronuclear nodules, three frontal cirri, one buccal cirrus, four frontoventral cirri ranged in a line, two transverse cirri, lacking postoral ventral and pretransverse ventral cirri, and marginal rows that are not posteriorly confluent. Phylogenetic analyses based on SSU rDNA gene sequences suggest that Hemiurosomoida is not monophyletic. A close relationship is revealed between Hemiurosomoida warreni nov. spec., Parakahilella macrostoma, Hemiurosoma clampi nov. spec., and the type species Hemiurosoma terricola. As expected, all these species are classified within the “non-oxytrichid Dorsomarginalia”.     

2000-2017年秦岭山地植被物候变化特征及其南北差异

气候变化背景下开展山地过渡带植被物候变化规律及区域差异研究对于揭示过渡带对气候变化的响应方式具有重要意义。基于2000-2017年MODIS EVI₂数据,反演了秦岭山地植被物候参数并建立了遥感物候数据集,分析了近18年来秦岭山地植被物候变化的时空特征及其南北差异。结果表明：①秦岭山地植被物候变化表现出明显的地形和气候地域分异规律,尤以高海拔区的变化最为显著,全区GSS （物候始期）主要发生于70-130DOY （Day of Year）,83.29%的区域呈提前趋势,提前主要集中在0-5d/10a （44.46%）与5-10d/10a （28.60%）;GSE （物候末期）主要发生于270-310DOY,50.17%的区域呈推迟趋势,变化趋势不明显;GSL （生长期）集中在150-210d,65.34%的区域呈延长趋势,延长在0-5d/10a （19.28%）、5-10d/10a （20.71%）及10-15d/10a （14.12%）均有分布。②秦岭山地GSS对气候变化的响应程度显著大于GSE,南北坡植被物候变化不仅存在区域差异且存在季节差异,GSS北坡较南坡平均约早6.2d且南坡提前趋势较北坡显著,GSE南坡较北坡平均约晚5.8d且北坡推迟趋势较南坡显著,GSL北坡较南坡约长18.7-23.2d。③GSS、GSS及GSS变化表现出显著的海拔敏感性,随着海拔上升,GSS逐渐推迟,GSE逐渐提前,GSL逐渐缩短,三者在海拔≤600m及≥2700m地区随海拔变化的波动幅度较大,南北坡三者随海拔的变化亦存在明显的差异,海拔每上升100m,北坡GSS推迟1.76d,GSE提前0.25d,GSL缩短2.01d;南坡GSS推迟1.50d,GSE提前0.44d,GSL缩短1.94d。④不同植被垂直带上GSS、GSE及GSL的变化存在明显差异,尤以≤600m植被带上及高山灌丛草甸带上的差异最为明显,且三者在高山灌丛草甸带的发生时间及时长北坡与南坡发生转换,表现为GSS、GSE、GSL北坡较南坡分别平均早3.5d、晚2.9d、长6.4d。     

Tunable Multiple Fano Resonances and Stable Plasmonic Band-Stop Filter Based on a Metal-Insulator-Metal Waveguide

Plasmonics - A metal-insulator-metal (MIM) waveguide consisting of two stub resonators and a ring resonator is proposed, which can be used as refractive index sensor and stop-band filter at the...     

黄土丘陵区植物群落多样性及生物量随土壤水分梯度变化特征

了解土壤水分与物种多样性及生物量的关系对探究植物群落特征与分布具有重要意义。以陕北黄土丘陵区吴起、米脂、府谷、定边4个典型区域为研究对象,对比分析降水量影响下的土壤水分梯度对自然恢复植物群落多样性、生物量的影响,为黄土丘陵区植被恢复和生物多样性管理提供科学依据。结果表明:随降水量自东南向西北逐渐减少土壤水分呈降低趋势,吴起、米脂、府谷和定边平均土壤含水量分别为9.77%、9.40%、7.91%和6.40%;4个区域调查统计到植物24科56属71种,其中禾本科、菊科、豆科植物占多数且以草本植物为主;随着土壤含水量降低,4个典型区域植物群落物种组成具有较低的相似性,说明物种组成随土壤水分变化而更替;同时,群落生物量、Margalef指数、Shannon指数以及Pielou指数均表现出逐渐降低趋势,且群落生物量、Margalef指数、Shannon指数与浅层土壤含水量呈显著正相关。研究表明,土壤水分变化对群落物种组成、植物群落多样性及生物量有重要的影响,研究区植被恢复建设必须要考虑土壤水分承载力。     

Population genetic structure of the giant panda staple food bamboo (Fargesia spathacea complex) and its taxonomic implications

The taxonomy of woody bamboo presents many difficulties due to its long blooming interval and complex morphological variation. Whether the current taxonomy reflects genuine species divergence within woody bamboo is an intriguing question. The Fargesia spathacea Franch. complex comprises 15 closely related species with a sympatric distribution in China. Their classification has long been controversial because only a handful of vegetative traits are available, providing a good opportunity to explore the evolutionary relationships and genetic differentiation in woody bamboo. Here, we present a study involving 750 individuals from 39 representative populations in the F. spathacea complex using 14 simple sequence repeat markers. We found varying degrees of genetic diversity across populations of the F. spathacea complex (He = 0.07–0.81) and largely negative F-values at the population level, implying an excess of heterozygotes in the populations. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that all populations were divided into two major groups (clusters A and B), with the majority of the 15 species representing distinct genetic lineages. Based on population genetic analysis along with morphological evidence, we confirmed the identity of three species (F. decurvata J. L. Lu, F. spathacea, and F. murielae Gamble) and suggested the invalidation of four other species (F. scabrida T. P. Yi, F. robusta T. P. Yi, F. denudata T. P. Yi F. murielae (Gamble) T. P. Yi, and F. nitida (Mitford) Keng f. ex T. P. Yi). The delimitation of the remaining eight species has yet to be explored. The analysis of ecological factors and spatial autocorrelation suggested that altitudinal differences might account for the distinct genetic divergence between the two major groups.     

Impact of the Coulomb Potential and the Electrostatic Potential on the Eigen-Frequencies of the Coupled Plasmons

Plasmonics - In this paper, a coupled oscillator model is employed to describe the eigen-frequencies of the coupled plasmons, which are dominated by the coupled coefficient and the frequency offset...     

Correction to: Plant presence reduces root and shoot litter decomposition rates of crops and wild relatives

Plant and Soil - Knowledge on vegetation water sources is crucial to understand the ecohydrological processes and ecological management of arid and semi-arid ecosystems. The identification and...     

Morphology,morphogenesis, and molecular phylogeny of a novel saline soil ciliate,Heterourosomoida sinica n. sp. (Ciliophora,Hypotrichia)

The living morphology, infraciliature, morphogenesis and phylogenetic position of a new hypotrichous ciliate, Heterourosomoida sinica n. sp., discovered in saline soil in Northwest of China, were investigated. Heterourosomoida sinica n. sp. is characterized as follows: body size about 70–95 × 20–30 μm in vivo, ellipsoid or elongate; cortical granules dark green, 0.5 μm across, arranged around dorsal cilia and in short irregular rows on ventral side; consistently 18 frontoventral-transverse cirri; left and right marginal rows composed of 17–24 and 13–21 cirri, respectively; two macronuclear nodules and one or two micronuclei. The detailed morphogenesis of a species of Heterourosomoida is reported for the first time. The ontogenesis on dorsal side is basically similar to that in Urosomoida-species and the process on ventral side is characterized by: 18 frontoventral-transverse cirri develop from six anlagen with the anlagen V and VI formed in the primary mode. Phylogenetic analyses based on SSU rDNA sequence data reveal that Heterourosomoida sinica n. sp. clusters with Kleinstyla dorsicirrata and forms a clade with the type species H. lanceolata.     

Global comparison of bicosoecid Cafeteria-like flagellates from the deep ocean and surface waters,with reorganization of the family Cafeteriaceae

Cafeteria is one of the most common and ecologically significant genera of heterotrophic nanoflagellates in marine plankton. We could isolate and cultivate 29 strains morphologically similar to Cafeteria obtained from surface waters and the deep sea all over the world’s ocean. Morphological characterization obtained by high resolution microscopy revealed only small differences between the strains. Sequencing the type material of the type species C. roenbergensis (CCAP 1900/1) and molecular analyses (18S rDNA, 28S rDNA) of newly isolated strains resulted in a revision and separation of the Cafeteriaceae into two known species (C. roenbergensis, C. mylnikovii) and six new species (C. maldiviensis, C. biegae, C. loberiensis, C. chilensis, C. graefeae, C. burkhardae). Many deposited Cafeteria sequences at GenBank and most of our own sequences clustered within one clade (C. burkhardae) with a p-distance of 5% to strain CCAP 1900/1. Only C. maldiviensis clustered together with the type species C. roenbergensis. While C. burkhardae seems to have a cosmopolitan distribution, the distribution of the other species seems to be more restricted. A strain from the Angola Basin had a p-distance of 10% to Cafeteria species and clustered separately within the Anoecales requiring the erection of a new genus, Bilabrum gen. nov., with B. latius sp. nov. as type species.