Functional morphology of the caudal skeleton in teleostean fishes

The basic function of the caudal skeleton in teleostean fishes is to support the caudal fin, but its parts contribute to this function in somewhat different ways. The main axis for this support is the upturned terminal end of the vertebral column, which ends at the base of the uppermost principal rays. The uroneural struts just ahead of this axis provide support for it. The parts of the caudal skeleton behind and below this upturned axis, the hypurals and parhypural, not only support the caudal rays but also provide a means for differential movements between the upper and lower parts of the fin base. This basic caudal skeleton varies with the position of the fish in the sequence of teleosten evolution, the way in which the fish uses its caudal fin, and to some extent with the shape of the fin.     

Can spatial sorting associated with spawning migration explain evolution of body size and vertebral number in Anguilla eels?

Spatial sorting is a process that can contribute to microevolutionary change by assembling phenotypes through space, owing to nonrandom dispersal. Here we first build upon and develop the “neutral” version of the spatial sorting hypothesis by arguing that in systems that are not characterized by repeated range expansions, the evolutionary effects of variation in dispersal capacity and assortative mating might not be independent of but interact with natural selection. In addition to generating assortative mating, variation in dispersal capacity together with spatial and temporal variation in quality of spawning area is likely to influence both reproductive success and survival of spawning migrating individuals, and this will contribute to the evolution of dispersal‐enhancing traits. Next, we use a comparative approach to examine whether differences in spawning migration distance among 18 species of freshwater Anguilla eels have evolved in tandem with two dispersal‐favoring traits. In our analyses, we use information on spawning migration distance, body length, and vertebral number that was obtained from the literature, and a published whole mitochondrial DNA‐based phylogeny. Results from comparative analysis of independent contrasts showed that macroevolutionary shifts in body length throughout the phylogeny have been associated with concomitant shifts in spawning migration. Shifts in migration distance were not associated with shifts in number of vertebrae. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that spatial sorting has contributed to the evolution of more elongated bodies in species with longer spawning migration distances, or resulted in evolution of longer migration distances in species with larger body size. This novel demonstration is important in that it expands the list of ecological settings and hierarchical levels of biological organization for which the spatial sorting hypothesis seems to have predictive power.     

Ecological and phylogenetic variability in the spinalis muscle of snakes

Understanding the origin and maintenance of functionally important subordinate traits is a major goal of evolutionary physiologists and ecomorphologists. Within the confines of a limbless body plan, snakes are diverse in terms of body size and ecology, but we know little about the functional traits that underlie this diversity. We used a phylogenetically diverse group of 131 snake species to examine associations between habitat use, sidewinding locomotion and constriction behaviour with the number of body vertebrae spanned by a single segment of the spinalis muscle, with total numbers of body vertebrae used as a covariate in statistical analyses. We compared models with combinations of these predictors to determine which best fit the data among all species and for the advanced snakes only (N = 114). We used both ordinary least‐squares models and phylogenetic models in which the residuals were modelled as evolving by the Ornstein–Uhlenbeck process. Snakes with greater numbers of vertebrae tended to have spinalis muscles that spanned more vertebrae. Habitat effects dominated models for analyses of all species and advanced snakes only, with the spinalis length spanning more vertebrae in arboreal species and fewer vertebrae in aquatic and burrowing species. Sidewinding specialists had shorter muscle lengths than nonspecialists. The relationship between prey constriction and spinalis length was less clear. Differences among clades were also strong when considering all species, but not for advanced snakes alone. Overall, these results suggest that muscle morphology may have played a key role in the adaptive radiation of snakes.     

SPONTANEOUS AND LIGHT-EVOKED DISCHARGE OF THE ISOLATED ABDOMINAL NERVE CORD OF CRAYFISH IN VITRO REVEALS CIRCADIAN OSCILLATIONS

We examined the well-known spontaneous discharge (SD) and lightevoked (PD) discharge of the crayfish caudal photoreceptor for the possible existence of a daily rhythm in spike frequency. To do this, we isolated the abdominal nerve cord in vitro and studied its discharge frequency in constant darkness. Single cosinor analysis revealed significant SD and PD circadian rhythms (P <. 05) with periods τ = 24.4h and 24.2h, respectively. These oscillations correspond to an endogenous circadian discharge of the caudal photoreceptor that is enhanced by light. The importance of this rhythm in the adaptive behavior of crayfish is discussed. (Chronobiology International, 18(5), 759–765, 2001)     

Micro-CT检测中等强度跑台运动对去卵巢大鼠腰椎微结构的影响

目的用micro-CT方法,评估中等强度跑台运动对去卵巢大鼠腰椎微结构的影响。方法将30只3月龄雌性SD大鼠按体重分层后随机分为假手术、去卵巢静止和去卵巢运动三个组。运动组每周进行4次45min、速度18 m/min、坡度5°的跑台训练。正式运动处理14周时,取第2腰椎检测骨密度,取第4腰椎行micro-CT分析及三维结构重建;取第3腰椎椎体进行椎体压缩实验。结果去卵巢运动组第2腰椎骨密度、第3腰椎最大载荷、最大应力和弹性模量以及第4腰椎骨小梁体积和骨小梁数目显著高于去卵巢静止组,骨小梁分离度显著低于去卵巢静止组,而骨小梁厚度无显著变化。结论中等强度跑台运动能改善去卵巢大鼠腰椎的微结构。     

Vertebral evolution and ontogenetic allometry: The developmental basis of extreme body shape divergence in microcephalic sea snakes

Snakes exhibit a diverse array of body shapes despite their characteristically simplified morphology. The most extreme shape changes along the precloacal axis are seen in fully aquatic sea snakes (Hydrophiinae): “microcephalic” sea snakes have tiny heads and dramatically reduced forebody girths that can be less than a third of the hindbody girth. This morphology has evolved repeatedly in sea snakes that specialize in hunting eels in burrows, but its developmental basis has not previously been examined. Here, we infer the developmental mechanisms underlying body shape changes in sea snakes by examining evolutionary patterns of changes in vertebral number and postnatal ontogenetic growth. Our results show that microcephalic species develop their characteristic shape via changes in both the embryonic and postnatal stages. Ontogenetic changes cause the hindbodies of microcephalic species to reach greater sizes relative to their forebodies in adulthood, suggesting heterochronic shifts that may be linked to homeotic effects (axial regionalization). However, microcephalic species also have greater numbers of vertebrae, especially in their forebodies, indicating that somitogenetic effects also contribute to evolutionary changes in body shape. Our findings highlight sea snakes as an excellent system for studying the development of segment number and regional identity in the snake precloacal axial skeleton.     

Slow growth of the overexploited milk shark Rhizoprionodon acutus affects its sustainability in West Africa

Age and growth of Rhizoprionodon acutus were estimated from vertebrae age bands. From December 2009 to November 2010, 423 R. acutus between 37 and 112 cm total length (L_T) were sampled along the Senegalese coast. Marginal increment ratio was used to check annual band deposition. Three growth models were adjusted to the length at age and compared using Akaike's information criterion. The Gompertz growth model with estimated size at birth appeared to be the best and resulted in growth parameters of L_∞ = 139·55 (L_T) and K = 0·17 year^?1 for females and L_∞ = 126·52 (L_T) and K = 0·18 year^?1 for males. The largest female and male examined were 8 and 9 years old, but the majority was between 1 and 3 years old. Ages at maturity estimated were 5·8 and 4·8 years for females and males, respectively. These results suggest that R. acutus is a slow‐growing species, which render the species particularly vulnerable to heavy fishery exploitation. The growth parameters estimated in this study are crucial for stock assessments and for demographic analyses to evaluate the sustainability of commercial harvests.     

混合应用罗哌卡因、氯胺酮在新生儿骶管阻滞中的作用

目的:探明罗哌卡因、氯胺酮混合液在新生儿骶管阻滞术后镇痛的疗效和不良反应.方法:选取45例即将行骶管阻滞的新生儿,随机分成A、B、C三组,每组15人,其中A组患者行罗哌卡因骶管阻滞,B组患者行罗哌卡因骶管阻滞并氯胺酮皮下注射,C组患者行罗哌卡因、氯胺酮混合液骶管阻滞.术后于1、2、4、6、8、12、24h分别记录各患者的镇痛情况以及镇痛时间,采用FLACC法评价镇痛效果,以评分＜4分的维持时间作为有效镇痛时间.并且观察术后48h内不良反应的发生情况.结果:A组与B组之间比较镇痛时间以及术后不同时间点不需要镇痛的患者例数,发现两组间并没有较大差别(P＞0.05).相比较于A、B两组,C组患者阵痛时间明显延长,并且术后4、6、8、12、24h患者不需要镇痛明显增多(P＜0.05).而在不良反应方面,三组患者均未表现出过强的不良反应.结论:罗哌卡因、氯胺酮混合液用于新生儿骶管阻滞效果较佳,且不良反应少.     

单侧PKP术对骨质疏松压缩性骨折相邻椎体高度的影响

目的：探讨单一椎体骨质疏松性压缩性骨折行单侧PKP 术后对相邻上下椎体高度的影响。方法：62 例行T12 椎体骨质疏松 性压缩性骨折单侧PKP 术后的患者,测量术前,术后2 天、6 个月、1 年T11 椎体及L1 椎体前缘、中央及后缘高度,计算椎体压缩 率,比较两椎体各时相点椎体前缘、中央及后缘椎体压缩率的变化。结果：术后2 天L1 和T11 的椎体前缘、中央及后缘压缩率比 较差异无统计学意义(P 均>0.05);术后6 个月、1 年后两椎体前缘、中央及后缘高度压缩率比较（P均<0.05）差异有统计学意义。 L1 和T11 术后2 天、6 个月、12 个月不同时相,三点压缩率越来越大,差异有统计学意义(P均<0.05)。结论：单侧PKP术后椎体相 应负荷的改变,对下位邻近椎体较上位椎体高度影响较大,可能与相邻下位椎体承受的重力高于上位相邻椎体有关。