Coccidian Parasites of Intertidal Fishes from Wales: Systematics, Development, and Cytochemistry

SYNOPSIS. Examination of littoral fish Blennius pholis and Cottus bubalis caught at Aberystwyth and Porth Cwyfan, Wales. U.K., revealed 2 species of coccidia.
Eimeria dingleyi sp. n. Oocysts spherical (16.1–19.2) to subspherical (13.9–14.2 × 18.8–20.0) μm, with thin walls; sporulation outside the host to produce ellipsoid sporocysts; endogenous phases in epithelial cells throughout intestine; 26 of 58 B. pholis infected.
Eimeria variabilis (Thélohan) Reichenow. Oocysts spherical (11.9–14.6) to subspherical (9.2–10.9 × 13.9–14.3) μm; sporulation in lining of pyloric ceca and rectum; previously unrecorded schizonts and gametocytes present; 21 of 25 C. bubalis infected.
Electron microscopy revealed that the oocyst wall of E. variabilis consists of a thin membrane whereas the sporocyst wall is thick and 3-layered. Typical oocyst wall-forming bodies were absent from the macrogamete. Cytochemical tests on the endogenous stages of E. dingleyi and E. variabilis indicated that in general they resembled other coccidia in their chemical constitution.     

华北低丘山区栓皮栎生态系统氧同位素日变化及蒸散定量区分

利用稳定同位素技术对华北低丘山区栓皮栎生态系统氧同位素日变化及蒸散定量区分进行研究,为华北低丘山区森林生态系统水汽交换研究提供基础。试验采用离轴积分腔输出光谱技术(OA-ICOS)连续测定生态系统不同高度水汽浓度和δ18O值,同时采用真空提取和液态水同位素分析仪测定枝条和土壤的δ18O值。结果显示,4个晴天中大气水汽浓度日变化复杂,变化趋势差异大,而δ18O日变化均成高-低-高的"V"型变化,最小值出现在12:00—18:00。Keeling方程在10:00—12:00的相关系数R2均大于0.71,方程达到极显著水平,表明此时段蒸腾速率较高,满足植物蒸腾的同位素稳定态假设。利用Keeling方程估算的栓皮栎生态系统δET值有相似的低-高-低日变化,与大气的δv值变化趋势相反。同位素分割结果显示栓皮栎生态系统中蒸腾占蒸散比例日变化呈现低-高-低的趋势,10:00—14:00蒸腾占蒸散比例达到90%以上,尽管6:00—10:00和14:00—18:00的蒸腾占蒸散比例下降,但平均值仍高达69.38%,表明华北低丘山区栓皮栎生态系统的蒸散主要来源于植物蒸腾。     

鱼腥藻苯丙氨酸脱氨酶的基因克隆、表达及最适反应pH改造

【目的】表达鱼腥藻苯丙氨酸脱氨酶(AvPAL),并经分子改造降低其最适反应pH。【方法】PCR克隆AvPAL编码基因,并在大肠杆菌中表达,用Ni2+亲和层析柱和凝胶柱纯化重组蛋白。利用GETAREA软件筛选与催化残基距离较近的暴露于酶分子表面的氨基酸位点,将其突变为带电性质不同的氨基酸,并对突变体进行酶学性质研究。【结果】在大肠杆菌中成功表达了AvPAL,纯化后得到电泳纯的重组酶。突变体E75Q和E75R的最适反应pH从8.5分别偏移到7.5和7.0。E75Q在pH 7.5时的比酶活较原酶提高了25%,在pH 6.5–9.5之间酶的稳定性良好,其最适反应温度为50 °C,在此温度下保温1 h酶活无显著变化。在最适反应条件下,E75Q的kcat/Km值较原酶提高了26.6%。【结论】改变AvPAL酶分子中起路易斯碱作用的关键氨基酸残基(质子受体)附近与之有相互作用的氨基酸的带电性质,降低了AvPAL的最适反应pH,提升了其在医疗领域的应用前景。     

云居山栓皮栎群落特征及多样性研究

栓皮栎群落是我国暖温带和亚热带落叶阔叶林的重要森林群落类型之一,也是赣北珍稀森林群落之一,在森林演替和植物资源利用中占有重要的地位。通过对江西云居山栓皮栎(Quercus variabilis)群落进行实地调查,采用区系分析、生活型谱分析、物种多样性和双向聚类等方法对其群落特征进行了研究,发现云居山自然保护区栓皮栎群落结构简单,层次明显,多样性程度不高。物种调查及区系研究结果显示,云居山栓皮栎群落维管束植物共计43科56属70种,植物区系主要以泛热带、东亚及北美间断、北温带分布为主,表现出从温带区系向热带区系过渡的特征;生活型谱以高位芽植物为主(占70%),其他生活型相对较少,反映出中亚热带森林以高位芽植物为主的特点。群落物种丰富度、多样性指数均为乔木层小于灌木层和草本层,均匀度指数分析表明,乔木层为聚集分布、灌木层和草本层为均匀分布。双向聚类分析表明,调查的5个样地均为栓皮栎群落,以乔木层物种多度可将5个样地分为3类,组成群落的24个主要物种可分为10类。     

Distribution and abundance of the hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) L. in New Zealand, 1869–1973

An account is given of early liberations and the spread of hedgehogs throughout New Zealand between 1869 and 1973. Evidence, gathered largely from questionnaires and personal observations, is summarised in tables and maps to show the present range and abundance of the species. Hedgehogs dispersed from many points of liberation; their numbers increased dramatically in the South Island between 1910 and 1940, and in the North Island between 1920 and the 1950s. By the 1940s they had colonised most of the lowland areas, and their range had extended to the foot of the bushed mountainous regions; a few were found at altitudes of 2000 m. Since 1948 they have extended their range a little to include parts of the central volcanic plateau of the North Island, areas of inland Nelson, and northern Westland. Their numbers appear to have stabilised over the past 25 years. Today, hedgehogs are most abundant in intensively farmed lowland districts, towns, and suburbs. They become less numerous with increasing altitude, and few are encountered above 800 m or in wet, bushed areas. They are absent from areas where rainfall exceeds 250 cm/year or where more than 250 frosts occur annually. Factors limiting the abundance of hedgehogs in New Zealand are discussed.     

三角酵母D-氨基酸氧化酶基因在大肠杆菌中的克隆和表达

从三角酵母中提取总RNA ,反转录后进行PCR扩增得到D 氨基酸氧化酶 (D AminoAcidOxidase ,DAAO)基因 ,经测序可知 ,与文献中三角酵母的DAAO基因序列的同源性在 99%以上。将DAAO基因用NcoⅠ和BamHⅠ双酶切后 ,与相同酶切的大肠杆菌表达载体pET 2 8a连接 ,转化大肠杆菌TOP 1 0F′,并筛选得到重组质粒pET DAAO ,转化BL2 1 (DE3)感受态细胞 ,得到重组大肠杆菌BL2 1 (DE3) pET DAAO。对重组大肠杆菌中的D 氨基酸氧化酶进行了诱导表达 ,考察了诱导温度、菌浓度、诱导剂IPTG用量以及溶氧等因素对酶活的影响。结果表明 ,在 2 8℃、菌浓度 (OD6 0 0 ) 1 0、IPTG浓度 1mmol L时 ,DAAO酶活最高达 2 3 3U mL。研究进一步显示 ,用廉价无毒的乳糖可以替代IPTG进行诱导 ,当乳糖浓度为 2mmol L ,DAAO酶活可达 2 2 7U mL。经过补料分批培养和乳糖诱导 ,DAAO酶活可以达到 1 75U mL。     

Comparison of novel and conventional methods of trapping ixodid ticks in the southeastern U.S.A.

Tick‐borne disease surveillance and research rely on resource‐effective methods for tick collection. This study compared the respective performances of several trapping methods in a mixed grassland–forest habitat in western Tennessee. To test for temporal differences in effectiveness, sites were sampled monthly (April–August 2013) using dry ice, dragging, flagging, sweep netting, carbon dioxide (CO₂) dragging and CO₂ flagging methods. To evaluate the effect of habitat on method effectiveness, four methods (dragging, CO₂ dragging, CO₂ flagging and dry ice) were compared in four habitat types (bottomland deciduous, upland deciduous, coniferous and grassland) in June 2014. In the temporal comparison, ticks were found to be most abundant in April and May, and there was a significant sampling period and method interaction, such that method effectiveness varied across sampling period. Sweep netting was significantly less effective than the other methods. In the habitat comparison, dry ice trap collections represented the most effective method in upland deciduous and coniferous habitats. Flagging using CO₂ was significantly less effective than CO₂ dragging and dragging in bottomland deciduous habitats. The success of the various collection methods did not differ significantly within grassland habitats. Overall, dry ice trapping and dragging were the most effective methods for tick collection across time and habitat.     

Tracking the role of alternative prey in soybean aphid predation by Orius insidiosus: a molecular approach

The soybean aphid, Aphis glycines (Hemiptera: Aphididae), is a pest of soybeans in Asia, and in recent years has caused extensive damage to soybeans in North America. Within these agroecosystems, generalist predators form an important component of the assemblage of natural enemies, and can exert significant pressure on prey populations. These food webs are complex and molecular gut-content analyses offer nondisruptive approaches for examining trophic linkages in the field. We describe the development of a molecular detection system to examine the feeding behaviour of Orius insidiosus (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) upon soybean aphids, an alternative prey item, Neohydatothrips variabilis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), and an intraguild prey species, Harmonia axyridis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae). Specific primer pairs were designed to target prey and were used to examine key trophic connections within this soybean food web. In total, 32% of O. insidiosus were found to have preyed upon A. glycines, but disproportionately high consumption occurred early in the season, when aphid densities were low. The intensity of early season predation indicates that O. insidiosus are important biological control agents of A. glycines, although data suggest that N. variabilis constitute a significant proportion of the diet of these generalist predators. No Orius were found to contain DNA of H. axyridis, suggesting intraguild predation upon these important late-season predators during 2005 was low. In their entirety, these results implicate O. insidiosus as a valuable natural enemy of A. glycines in this soybean agroecosystem.     

Divergence in parental care, habitat selection and larval life history between two species of Peruvian poison frogs: an experimental analysis

Changes in the nature of the ecological resources exploited by a species can lead to the evolution of novel suites of behaviours. We identified a case in which the transition from large pool use to the use of very small breeding pools in neotropical poison frogs (family Dendrobatidae) is associated with the evolution of a suite of behaviours, including biparental care (from uniparental care) and social monogamy (from promiscuity). We manipulated breeding pool size in order to demonstrate experimentally that breeding habitat selection strategy has evolved in concert with changes in parental care and mating system. We also manipulated intra- and interspecific larval interactions to demonstrate that larval adaptation to the use of very small pools for breeding affected the evolution of larval competition and cannibalism. Our results illustrate the intimate connection between breeding pool ecology, parental care and mating strategies in Peruvian poison frogs.     

秦岭北坡不同生境栓皮栎种子雨和土壤种子库动态

为了阐明栓皮栎种子雨和种子库动态,以秦岭北坡林下、林窗、林缘3种生境栓皮栎天然林为对象,采用离地和地面收集种子的方法,连续定位观测了栓皮栎种子雨、种子库的数量、质量动态,以及幼苗发育过程.结果表明:栓皮栎种子雨从8月中旬开始,9月中旬到10月上旬达到高峰期,11月上旬结束;3种生境种子雨降落历程、发生时间和组成不同;林下种子雨强度最大,为(39.55±5.56)粒·m-2,林窗种子雨降落时间最早,持续时间最长,种子活力最高,而林缘成熟种子占其种子雨的比例最大,达58.7％.从种子雨降落结束到翌年8月,土壤种子库总储量均以林下最大,林缘最小;各生境的土壤种子库中成熟、未成熟、被啃食种子数量和种子活力均随时间变化呈递减趋势,而霉烂种子数量则相反.各生境的土壤种子库中的种子均主要集中在枯落物层,其次为0～2 cm土层,2～5 cm土层中只有极少量种子存在.3种生境中栓皮栎幼苗的密度差异显著,林窗幼苗最多,林缘次之,林下最少.说明林窗更适合栓皮栎种子的萌发和幼苗生长.在栓皮栎林的经营中,通过适当间伐、增加林窗数量,可以促进栓皮栎林的天然更新.