Reflections on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Genetic Resources in the Deep Seabed Beyond the Limits of National Jurisdiction

Attention is increasingly being given to genetic resources in the deep seabed beyond the limits of national jurisdiction owing to their considerable potential scientific and economic value. At the same time, there are concerns that the increased demand for these genetic resources may result in their unsustainable collection or even in the extinction of species in the deep seabed. At present there is no specific legal framework governing these resources in international law. Thus, this article explores the relevant rules of international law applicable to the conservation and sustainable use of genetic resources in the deep seabed.     

A general principle for the allocation of limited resources

Summary A marginal fitness theorem is derived for the allocation of a limited resource among alternative activities that have effects on the fitness of an individual. The marginal advantage theorem states that at the evolutionarily stable strategy (ESS), the marginal gains from increasing each of the allocations (expressed as partial derivatives of the fitness advantage of a rare mutant) are equal. The theorem is true for all proportional allocations (a + b + c + ...=j), regardless of the number of allocations, the nature of the response curves describing the direct effects of the allocations [f(a), etc.], or the way the effects of different allocations combine into fitness. The theorem is extended to size-number compromises and packaging strategies. The marginal advantage theorem is used to derive general theorems about the marginal effects of allocations [f (a), etc.] at the ESS and matching rules concerned with the total fitness to cost ratios of allocations at the ESS. The marginal advantage theorem is applicable to diverse allocation strategies, and provides a method for obtaining ESS allocations for any number of allocations and their components.     

Genetic diversity and environmental associations of wild barley,Hordeum spontaneum (Poaceae), in Iran

Genetic diversity and structure of populations of the wild progenitor of barleyHordeum spontaneum in Iran was studied by electrophoretically discernible allozymic variation in proteins encoded by 30 gene loci in 509 individuals representing 13 populations of wild barley. The results indicate that: a)Hordeum spontaneum in Iran is extremely rich genetically but, because of predominant self-pollination, the variation is carried primarily by different homozygotes in the population. Thus, genetic indices of polymorphismP-1% = 0.375, range = 0.267–0.500, and of genetic diversity,He = 0.134, range = 0.069–0.198, are very high. b) Genetic differentiation of populations includes clinal, regional and local patterns, sometimes displaying sharp geographic differentiation over short distances. The average relative differentiation among populations isGst = 0.28, range = 0.02–0.61. c) A substantial portion of the patterns of allozyme variation in the wild gene pool is significanctly correlated with the environment and is predictable ecologically, chiefly by combinations of temperature and humidity variables. d) The natural populations studied, on the average, are more variable than two composite crosses, and more variable than indigenous land races of cultivated barely,Hordeum vulgare, in Iran. — The spatial patterns and environmental correlates and predictors of genetic variation ofH. spontaneum in Iran indicate that genetic variation in wild barley populations is not only rich but also at least partly adaptive. Therefore, a much fuller exploitation of these genetic resources by breeding for disease resistance and economically important agronomic traits is warranted.     

四川大型真菌资源调查研究

本文介绍了四川大型真菌资源348种,包括药用真菌163种、食用真菌123种、有毒真菌41种、菌根真菌101种等。全国新记录26种。其中冬虫夏草(cordyceps sinensis)、凉山虫草(c.liangshanensis)、松口蘑(Tricholoma matsutake)、银耳(Tremella fuciformis)、短裙竹荪(Dictyophora duplicata)猴头(Hericium erinaceus)、鸡(土从)(Termitomyces albuminosus)、木耳(Auricuiaria auricula)、灵芝(Ganoderma lucidum)等尤为著名。并对四川大型真菌中部分重要种类的分布、资源及用途进行了分析和评价。为合理开发利用及有关教学科研提供了资料。     

Feeding habits of Japanese butterfyfishes (Chaetodontidae)

Synopsis Stomach content data from 32 species of Japanese butterflyfishes of the family Chaetodontidae were used to classify them into feeding groups and to determine their important food resources. Four major feeding groups were distinguished: (1) obligative coral feeders which prey exclusively or mostly on Scleractinian corals, (2) facultative coral feeders that take both corals and other benthic organisms, (3) noncoralline invertebrate feeders which consume benthic invertebrates other than corals, and (4) zooplankton feeders. Ten species representing 31% of the butterflyfishes belong to the first category. The second and third categories include 13 (41%) and 8 (25%) species, respectively. The fourth category is represented by only one species which picks individual zooplankters, especially calanoid copepods, in midwater above the reefs. Facultative coral feeders consumed varying quantities of scleractinians (from 2 to 74% of food volume), along with a variety of benthic organisms including algae, alcyonarians, sea anemones, sedentary polychaetes, sponges, hydroids, etc. Noncoralline invertebrate feeders, on the other hand, tend to have low diversified diets, predominated by one prey item such as sea anemones, zoanthideans, polychaetes, or colonial ascidians. These dietary data suggest that scleractinian corals are the most important food resource for the Japanese butterflyfishes, and next important are sea anemones, sedentary polychaetes, alcyonarians, and algae.     

安徽省达到芒属植物资源及其开发利用

安徽省芒属植物有3种量变种:五节芒(Miscanthus floridulus)、芒(M.sinensis var. sinensis)、紫芒(M. sinensis var. purpurascens)和荻(M. saccharifl-orus);其中紫芒为本省地理分布新记录。它们的资源量大;如全省仅连片五节芒草地即达260多万亩,一般亩产鲜草1000—2500公斤。芒属植物是利用价值很高的资源禾草:饲用价值“良等”;保持水土能力强;纤维品质优良,为制浆造纸及编织的上等原料;并可药用。最后,提出了开发利用芒属植物资源的几点建议。     

Disproportionate allocation of mineral nutrients and carbon between vegetative and reproductive structures in Banksia hookeriana

We compared above-ground allocation patterns in mature shrubs of Banksia hookeriana from three 13-year-old populations, growing on nutrient-impoverished sands to determine whether C (dry mass) could be a substitute for mineral nutrients (N, P, K, Ca, Mg and NA). The percentage of reproductive structures to total above-ground growth (reproductive effort; RE) was integrated over nine successive reproductive cycles. Only 0.5% of above-ground dry mass was allocated to seeds compared with 31% to total RE. Allocations of N (24%) and P (48%) to seeds, and N (44%) and P (65%) to RE were much higher. Allocations of K, Ca, Mg and Na to seeds (<1–3%), and RE (21–35%) were closer to that of dry mass. Relative allocation (RA) is defined as the proportion of a nutrient element allocated to a structure relative to its dry mass. RA of P to seeds was 91 and N was 44, but for K, Ca, Mg and Na ranged from only 6 for K to<1 for Na. Thus P, and to a lesser extent N, provide a much more sensitive measure of the relative cost of reproduction than C in this nutrient-limited system.     

蔷薇属38个野生种果实的维生素含量及其与分组的关系

对蔷薇属 (Rosa) 38个野生种果实 (以下简称蔷薇果 )的经济性状进行了分析 ,并测定了 VC、VE 和胡萝卜素等重要维生素的含量。蔷薇果 VC 含量在该属种间差异很大 ,以秦岭蔷薇 (R.tsinglingensis)的含量为最高 (2 576mg/ 1 0 0 g) ,德钦蔷薇 (R.deqenensis)的含量为最低 (49mg/ 1 0 0 g)。胡萝卜素含量种间差异明显 ,以软条七蔷薇 (R.henryi)的含量为最高 (1 9.2 4 mg / 1 0 0 g) ,黄刺玫 (R.xanthina)的含量为最低 (0 .0 6 mg/ 1 0 0 g)。 VE 含量种间差异较小 ,在 1 .34 mg/ 1 0 0 g(黄刺玫 )至 3.86 mg/ 1 0 0 g(硕苞蔷薇R.bracteata)之间。对蔷薇亚属 54种野生种果实重要维生素含量的统计分析表明 ,维生素含量与分组具有一定相关性 ,尤以 VC 含量与分组的相关性最为明显 ,桂味组和小叶组 Vc含量很高 (均值都高于 1 80 0mg/ 1 0 0 g) ;合柱组、月季组、木香组和硕苞组含量很低 (均值都在 30 0 mg/ 1 0 0 g以下 ) ,芹叶组除宽刺蔷薇 (R.platyacantha) VC含量很高外 ,其余种类含量都很低 (均值为 1 90 mg/ 1 0 0 g)。胡萝卜素含量与分组也具有一定相关性 ,桂味组、芹叶组、合柱组和硕苞组的胡萝卜素含量较高 ,均值在 6 mg/ 1 0 0 g以上 ;月季组、小叶组和木香组含量较低 ,均值在 0 .4mg/ 1 0 0 g以下。V     

Virtual resource development in the glycosciences

The development of Internet-based virtual resources is a relatively new area of scientific and technical activity that is currently undergoing rapid expansion. Major factors fuelling recent growth include the emergence of multimedia capabilities through the rapid evolution of the World Wide Web, the reduction in cost of high quality personal computers and graphics workstations and the provision of mass-marketed provider services. Prior to 1995 the presence of Internet resources in the glycosciences was virtually non-existent. Existing scientific knowledge was primarily made available on the Net through the provision of databases from gopher and ftp sites. A particular example in the glycosciences is the Carbbank database of biological carbohydrate sequences. We will describe here our efforts in 1994–95 in establishing The Glycoscience Network (TGN, http://bellatrix.pcl.ox.ac.uk/TGN/). These activities included the establishment of a newsgroup, mailing lists, Web resources and the running of the First Electronic Glycoscience Conference (EGC-1, http://bellatrix.pcl.ox.ac.uk/egc/). EGC-1 included many novel initiatives in the glycosciences including electronic posters and papers, a Virtual Conference Centre, a Web-based hyperglossary, Virtual Trade and Employment Centres, refereed electronic publishing, and the creation of a Virtual Reality Gallery. We would like to look towards the near future and discuss several initiatives in virtual resource creation that we believe will have significant scientific impact on the glycosciences including the development of bioinformatics-based servers, sophisticated interactive databases, and videoconferencing. Furthermore, we cherish the belief that these resources will foster international scientific collaboration and progress of an extent never previously possible. Finally, we indulge in speculation and make some suggestions on the form and long-term impact of Glycoscience Virtual Resources. We predict that their development may completely reconstruct the scientific environment that we work in as scientists and we reflect on the probable benefits and pitfalls to be encountered.This paper was presented at the First Electronic Glycoscience Conference (EGCI) on the World Wide Web, September 1995.