珊瑚疾病的主要类型、生态危害及其与环境的关系

与人和其它动物一样,珊瑚也生病。在过去30多年里各种珊瑚疾病对全球珊瑚礁造成了严重破坏。目前已知的珊瑚疾病多达30多种,但确定病原体的仅6种。阐述了造礁石珊瑚的7种最主要疾病类型(黑带病、黑斑病、白带病、白色瘟疫、白斑病、黄带病和珊瑚白化病等)的症状、扩散速率、疾病患病率、珊瑚死亡率等。频繁发生的珊瑚疾病导致主要造礁物种死亡,减少礁区的生物多样性,对珊瑚礁生态系统产生破坏日益严重,甚至引起以珊瑚为主导的珊瑚礁系统转变为以大型藻类为主导的生态系统。全球气温上升和人为活动引起的一系列环境因子的变化被认为是各种珊瑚疾病发生的诱导因素,海水温度升高是Oculina patagonica和Pocillopora damicornis2种珊瑚细菌性白化的先决条件,其它环境因素如营养盐、有机污染物等超过一定量或pH值改变时会对珊瑚造成生理压力,降低其对病毒的抵抗力,也可能改变病原体生存的生态阈值,增强其病原毒力,引发并加速疾病的扩散。此外,珊瑚的生存环境如覆盖度、水深等与疾病的爆发也有一定的关系,一般认为覆盖度高,水深较浅处珊瑚疾病发生频率高。     

基于能值的生态足迹模型及其在资源型城市的应用

为衡量和评价区域发展的可持续状况,针对传统生态足迹模型以土地生产力为基础的不足,结合能值理论和方法,运用能值转换率和能值密度对模型进行改进,建立基于能值的生态足迹模型。改进的模型重点在采用区域能值密度,更加全面真实地反映区域生态承载力的大小以及区域发展模式下生态足迹的需求。能值-生态承载力的计算主要考虑区域可更新自然资源和生物生产性土地的可更新部分;能值-生态足迹计算人民生活需求资源消费量和区域经济发展的资源出口量。模型应用的结果为:资源型城市徐州市2006年人均能值-生态承载力1.03hm2,人均能值-生态足迹37.76hm2,分别是其他改进模型计算结果的4.4倍和4.3倍。如果不进行能值转换率的全球能值基准转换,能值-生态承载力将是2.6倍。生物生产性土地的可更新部分在徐州生态承载力中占有很大比重;当地承载了其他地区发展所需要的大量能值-生态足迹(出口资源)。可持续性评价指数为0.97,表明在为其他地区发展做出巨大生态贡献的同时,徐州的可持续发展状况十分堪忧。适度控制资源开采规模,延长产业链,增加出口产品附加值;开发利用可再生能源是资源型城市兼顾社会经济发展和生态环境持续的发展策略。     

大鲵细菌性败血症病原分离及生物学特性研究

利用湖南润孚生物工程公司大鲵人工养殖场10尾具有典型症状的患病大鲵,从体表病灶和体内器官肠、胃、肝、脾、肾等共分离得到9株细菌。通过人工感染试验、细菌形态观察和生理生化实验对其进行鉴定,结果显示引起该养殖场大鲵发病的病原为嗜水气单胞菌。通过回归感染试验发现,其中一菌株对大鲵的致病力很强,死亡率达到100%。药物敏感性试验结果显示,菌株对环丙沙星、头孢曲松、头孢他啶、头孢孟多、头孢哌酮、庆大霉素、头孢西丁药物相对比较敏感,而对克林霉素、头孢唑林、甲硝唑和复方新诺明具有耐药性。     

rimJ基因缺失不影响大肠杆菌BL21(DE3)生长的温度敏感性

目的:研究rimJ基因对大肠杆菌BL21(DE3)菌株生长的温度敏感性的影响。方法:利用SceⅠ-Red同源重组技术将大肠杆菌BL21(DE3)基因组中的rimJ基因缺失,得到rimJ缺失突变菌;比较缺失突变株和原始菌株在不同温度(25℃、37℃、42℃)下的最大比生长速率,利用统计学方法分析rimJ基因的缺失对BL21(DE3)菌株生长的温度敏感性是否有影响。结果:rimJ基因被成功敲除;统计分析结果表明缺失突变株和原始菌株的最大比生长速率没有明显区别。结论:rimJ基因缺失对大肠杆菌BL21(DE3)生长的温度敏感性无影响。     

Ecological niche modelling as an exploratory tool for identifying species limits: an example based on Mexican muroid rodents

Niche conservatism theory suggests that recently diverged sister species share the same ecological niche. However, if the ecological niche evolves as part of the speciation process, the ecological pattern could be useful for recognizing cryptic species. In a broad sense systematists agree that the niche characters could be used for species differentiation. However, to date such characters have been ignored. We used the genetic algorithm for rule‐set production for modelling the ecological niche as a means of inferring ecological divergence in allopatric populations of muroid rodents for which taxonomic identity is uncertain. Our results show that niche differentiation is significant in most of the identified phylogroups. The differentiation is likely associated with natural evolutionary units, which can be identified by applying species concepts based on phylogenetic and ecological patterns (e.g. phylogenetic, cohesive, evolutionary). Even so, the role of the niche partition within phylogenetic reconstruction may be a limited one.     

Does character displacement initiate speciation? Evidence of reduced gene flow between populations experiencing divergent selection

Character displacement – trait evolution stemming from selection to lessen resource competition or reproductive interactions between species – has long been regarded as important in finalizing speciation. By contrast, its role in initiating speciation has received less attention. Yet because selection for character displacement should act only where species co‐occur, individuals in sympatry will experience a different pattern of selection than conspecifics in allopatry. Such divergent selection might favour reduced gene flow between conspecific populations that have undergone character displacement and those that have not, thereby potentially triggering speciation. Here, we explore these ideas empirically by focusing on spadefoot toads, Spea multiplicata, which have undergone character displacement, and for which character displacement appears to cause post‐mating isolation between populations that are in sympatry with a heterospecific and those that are in allopatry. Using mitochondrial sequence data and nuclear microsatellite genotypes, we specifically asked whether gene flow is reduced between populations in different selective environments relative to that between populations in the same selective environment. We found a slight, but statistically significant, reduction in gene flow between selective environments, suggesting that reproductive isolation, and potentially ecological speciation, might indeed evolve as an indirect consequence of character displacement. Generally, character displacement may play a largely underappreciated role in instigating speciation.     

Did the introduction of maize into Europe provide enemy‐free space to Ostrinia nubilalis? Parasitism differences between two sibling species of the genus Ostrinia

We examined whether maize offers enemy‐free space (EFS) to its pest Ostrinia nubilalis, and may thereby have contributed to its divergence from the sibling species, Ostrinia scapulalis, feeding mainly on mugwort, when introduced into Europe five centuries ago. We collected Ostrinia larvae on maize (70 populations, 8425 individuals) and mugwort (10 populations, 1184 individuals) and recorded parasitism using both traditional (counting emerging parasitoids) and molecular methods (detection by specific polymerase chain reaction). The main parasitoid was Macrocentrus cingulum (Braconidae). On mugwort, parasitism was twice that on maize, and parasitoid‐related mortality was 8 times higher. This suggests that maize affords substantial EFS to Ostrinia feeding on it. The lower Mortality:Infestation ratio in maize suggests that O. nubilalis’ immune response might be stronger than that of O. scapulalis. If so, adapting to maize and diverging from O. scapulalis would decrease the impact of parasitism on O. nubilalis at both ecological and evolutionary levels.     

Stochastic simulations of a multi-group compartmental model for Johne's disease on US dairy herds with test-based culling intervention

Infection elimination may be an important goal of control programs. Only in stochastic infection models can true infection elimination be observed as a fadeout. The phenomena of fadeout and variable prevalence are important in understanding the transmission dynamics of infectious diseases and these phenomena are essential to evaluate the effectiveness of control measures. To investigate the stochastic dynamics of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) infection on US dairy herds with test-based culling intervention, we developed a multi-group stochastic compartmental model (a continuous time Markov chain model) with both horizontal and vertical transmission. The stochastic model predicted fadeout and within-herd prevalence to have a large variance. Although test-based culling intervention generally decreased prevalence over time, it took longer than desired by producers to eliminate the endemic MAP infection from a herd. Uncertainty analysis showed that, using annual culture test and culling of only high shedders or culling of both low and high shedders with a 12-month delay in culling of low shedders, MAP infection persisted in many herds beyond 20 years. While using semi-annual culture test and culling of low and high shedders with a 6-month delay in culling of low shedders, MAP infection in many herds would be extinct within 20 years. Sensitivity analysis of the cumulative density function of fadeout suggested that combining test-based culling intervention and reduction of transmission rates through improved management between susceptible calves and shedding animals may be more effective than either alone in eliminating endemic MAP infection. We also discussed the effects of other factors such as herd size, heifer replacement, and adult cow infection on the probability of fadeout.     

Measuring the importance of competition: a new formulation of the problem

1.  Currently, there is a debate among plant ecologists on the concepts of the intensity of competition and the importance of competition, which is central to many issues of modern plant population ecology and plant community ecology.
2.  It is problematic that the current measures of intensity and importance of competition, typically, are reported as dimensionless indices because they hide the fact that both indices are functions of plant density and the level of the environmental gradient.
3.  Here, a new formulation of the concepts is suggested, which explicitly highlights the functional dependencies on plant density and the level of the environmental gradient. The new measures are a generalization of the previous indices and correspond to the previous indices in the case of a simple experimental design.
4.  The suggested measures of the intensity and importance of competition are exemplified using data from a response surface competition experiment between Agrostis capillaris and Festuca ovina along a herbicide gradient, where the expected clear effect of plant density was demonstrated.
5.   Synthesis . As the suggested measures of the intensity and importance of competition explicitly highlight the functional dependencies on plant density and the level of the environmental gradient, we think that they will help to ensure a closer connection between experimental plant ecology and the attempts to model plant populations and communities.     

Electrophysiological identification of hygroreceptor neurons from the antennal dome-shaped sensilla in the ground beetle Pterostichus oblongopunctatus

This study gives the first electrophysiological evidence of hygroreceptors in carabids. Extracellular recordings from the antennal dome-shaped sensilla of the carabid beetle Pterostichus oblolongopunctatus (Coleoptera, Carabidae) clearly show the presence of moist and dry neuron antagonistically responding to humidity changes. The cold neuron of the same sensillum did not respond to changes in humidity. For the first time, we demonstrate that the binary system of two antagonistic hygroreceptor neurons discriminates differences between steady-state humidity levels more sensitively than either neuron separately. Another advantage of the binary system is that it guarantees immediate and strong phasic-tonic response to rapid humidity changes in either direction. In the hygrosensing system of carabids, this would allow detection of subtle step-changes in humidity with greater sensitivity than differences in steady-state values of humidity. Thus, construction of the hygrosensing system with opposing receptor neurons may allow insects to detect environmental humidity differences critical for their habitat and microhabitat selection, and survival with great precision.