The effects of culture medium rigidity on adventitious bud production and tissue vitrification in needle cultures of Sitka spruce [Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr.]

Adventitious bud formation on Sitka spruce [ Picca sitchensis (Bong.) Carr.] needle explants was strongly dependent upon the rigidity of the culture medium. In general, of organogenesis was greatest on weak gels and poorest on more rigid gels resulting from increased medium pH or agar strength. There was a significant interaction between agar strength and pH, with the optimum pH for organogenesis declining with increasing agar strength. Poor organogenesis at high agar concentrations was not due to toxic impurities since increased adventitious bud production could be stimulated by decreasing the medium pH whilst maintaining a high agar strength and an agar washing treatment had no significant effect. Although high levels of organogenesis could be sustained on weak gels the resultant adventitious shoots often showed severe vitrification. The frequency of shoots showing vitrification could be reduced by growing the tissues on harder media but this resulted in reduced shoot elongation. Vitrification of needle tissues did not stimulate the formation of adventitious buds in the absence of cytokinins.     

Four New Species of Xenylla (Collembola: Hypogastruridae) from Korea

ABSTRACT Four new species of the collembolan genus Xenylla, X. convexopyga, X. longistriata, X. dotata and X. marina from Korea are described. X. convexopyga is characterized by an absence of the dorsal seta m₃ on Th. II-III. While the other three new species share similarities in dorsal chaetotaxic characters. However, they are dissimilar in the following respects: ventral chaetotaxy, body colour, presence or absence of inner teeth on unguis, the length proportion of abdominal segments and thoracic segments, arrangement of anal papillae and the general shape of apical bulb of fourth antennal segment. As a result of this study, a total of 25 species in 6 genera of Hypogastruridae have been recorded from the Korean Peninsula.     

Induction and Repression of CAM in Sedum telephium L. in Response to Photoperiod and Water Stress

Lee, H. S. J. and Griffiths, H. 1987. Induction and repressionof CAM in Sedurn relephluni L. in response to photopcnod andwater stress.—J. exp. Bot. 38: 834–841. The introduction and repression of CAM in Sedurn telephiunmL, a temperate succulent, was investigated in watered, progressivelydrouglited and rewatered plants in growth chambers. Measurementswere made of water vapour and CO₂ exchange, titratable acidity(TA) and xylem sap tension. Effects of photoperiod were alsostudied. CAM was induced by drought under long or short days,although when watered no CAM activity was expressed. C₃-CAM intermediate plants were used for the investigation ofwater supply. Those which had received water and those drought-stressedboth displayed a similar nocturnal increase in TA, with a day-nightmaximum (H+) of 69 µmol g^–1 fr. wt. The wateredplants took up CO₂ at a maximum rate of 2?2 µmol m^–2s^–1 only in the light period, while the droughted plantsshowed a maximum nocturnal CO₂ uptake rate of 0?69 µmolm^–2 s^–1. Subsequently, as CAM was repressed, thewatered S. telephiwn displayed little variation in TA, withconstant levels at 42 µmol g^–1 fr. wt. (day 10).After 10 d of drought stress, the CAM characteristics of S.telephiurn were aLso affected, with reduced net CO₂ uptake andH+. The transition between C₃ and CAM in S. telephium can be describedas a progression in terms of the proportion of respiratory CO₂which is recycled and refixed at night as malic acid, in comparisonwith net CO₂ uptake. Recycling increased from 20% (day 1) to44% (day 10) as a result of the drought stress and was highin both the CAM-C₃ stage (no net CO2 uptake at night) and alsoin the drought-stressed CAM stage (reduced net CO₂ uptake atnight). The complete C₃-CAM transition occurred in less than8 d, and the stages could be characterized by xylem sap tensionmeasurements: CAM = 0?50 MPa C₃-CAM = 0?36 MPa C₃ = 0?29 MPa. Key words: CAM, Sedum telephium L., recycling     

Development of Vacuolar Volume in the Root Tips of Pea

Cell and vacuole areas were measured by light microscopy inlongitudinal and transverse sections cut at 0.4-mm intervalsalong the apical 7.2 mm of the primary root of pea. The vacuolararea (or volume) fraction — that is, vacuole area (orvolume) divided by cell area (or volume) — increased fromabout 15 % in cells 0.4 mm from the distal boundary of the apicalmeristem (the cap /root junction), to about 85% in cells situated6.8–7.2 mm from that boundary. At each distance, vacuoledevelopment tended to be greater in the cortex than in the stele.Vacuoles occupied about 22% of the tissue volume in the first1 mm length of root (measured from the cap/root junction), about31 % of the tissue volume in the first 2 mm, and about 45% whensummed over the apical 5-mm length of root. Phosphorus supplyor deprivation produced only minor and non-significant changesin vacuole development. The results have implications affectingprevious estimates of cytoplasmic and vacuolar phosphate concentrationsin pea root tips. Pisum sativum L., pea, root, vacuole, volume     

Carbon isotopes as indicators of elephant diets and African environments

Stable carbon isotope ratios have been successfully used to assess modern animal diets and to reconstruct prehistoric diets of animals and humans (Vogel & van der Merwe, 1977; van der Merwe & Vogel, 1978; Burleigh & Brothwell, 1978; Vogel, 1978a; DeNiro & Epstein, 1978; Tieszen et al., 1979; Tieszen & Imbamba, 1980; Chisholm, Nelson & Schwarcz, 1982; Tauber, 1981). We have used ¹³C/¹²C ratio measurements of bone collagen to study the diets of African elephants in twelve wildlife refuges. These represent most of the habitats in which elephants live, including such diverse plant communities as primary rain forest, savanna woodland and desert. The δ¹³C values were found to have a simple linear relationship with tree density in most cases. When translated into relative amounts of dietary browse (C₃ plants) and graze (C₄ plants), the grass content is seen to be systematically under-represented, presumably due to inefficient metabolism. This does not affect the relationship between elephant diet and tree density, which has implications for the study of elephant-woodland interactions, and for reconstructions of past African environments.     

拟澳洲赤眼蜂生殖系统的研究

拟澳洲赤眼蜂(Trichogramma confusum)的体长约0.6mm,腹部长度约0.3mm.雌蜂生殖系统(包括卵巢、生殖腔、受精囊及三种附腺)位于腹部后端,约占腹腔的2/3.成熟的卵巢由两条多滋式的卵巢管组成.两条成熟卵巢的端段细长,扭卷成一条疏松索,基部膨大,内脏贮存大量卵粒.成对的侧输卵管较短,分别开口于生殖腔后方的两侧,中输卵管缺如.受精囊呈梨形,开口于生殖腔后方.雌性生殖系统三种附腺中,第一种附腺是成对的,呈锤状,分别连接于生殖腔前方两侧;第二种附腺,腺体呈球状,其前端以短曲的小管通进膨大的贮腺囊,贮腺囊端部成柄状的弯曲小管,连接于产卵管的基部开口处.第三种附腺的腺体呈棒状,前端为细长的小管,开口于第二种附腺贮腺囊的前端.雄性生殖系统由成对的睪丸,输精管、贮精囊、附腺及单一的射精管组成.蛹的早期到后期至成虫期睾丸的形态结构,各有不同变化.     

蓖麻蚕前胸腺细胞超微结构的变化与蜕皮激素分泌活动的关系

本研究叙述蓖麻蚕Philosamia cythia ricini四龄及五龄幼虫前胸腺蜕皮激素分泌活动各不同时期所显示的腺细胞超微结构变化.从幼虫蜕皮后至进入眠期之间的腺细胞结构可分为三个时期,(1)不活动期:细胞核呈圆形,核内密布染色质及核仁,细胞质内有结构完整的线粒体、粗面及滑面内质网、核糖体和高尔基氏体;细胞外围的细胞间区内有许多小囊泡及多泡囊.(2)活动期:细胞结构变化为细胞核膜出现内陷、外突,形成波浪形的核周膜;线粒体变形,出现内嵴稀疏的空心线粒体.(3)激素释放期:细胞核变形,形成若干长短不一向外伸出的指状突,有些伸达细胞边缘;其余细胞器退化,其后仅余残缺的高尔基氏体,稀疏的核糖体,线粒体的内崤逐渐消失,成为空腔扩大的及空腔内藏“膜轮”的线粒体,和一些溶解体及大形“膜轮”.     

Cold shock and heat shock: a comparison of the protection generated by brief pretreatment at less severe temperatures

Abstract Brief exposure to low (0^oC) or high (40^oC) temperature elicits a protective response that prevents injury when the flesh fly, Sarcophaga crassipalpis Macquart, is subjected to more severe cold (-10^oC) or heat (45^oC). Both the low and high temperature responses were found in all developmental stages of the fly, but were most pronounced in the pupal and pharate adult stages. The protective responses generated by brief exposure to 0 or 40^oC appear similar in that both result in a rapid acquisition of cold or heat tolerance and a loss of protection after the flies are returned to 25^oC. The protection generated by chilling is obvious within 10 min of exposure to 0^oC while a 30 min exposure to 40^oC is required to induce the high temperature protection. High temperature protects against cold shock injury within a narrow range (around 36^oC) but we have no evidence that low temperature can protect against heat injury. We previously demonstrated that the rapid increase in cold tolerance correlates with concomitant increases in glycerol concentration, but in this study we found no significant elevation in glycerol in heat-shocked flies. Thus the physiological and biochemical bases for the rapid responses to cold and heat appear to be different.     

Behavioral Aspects of Rodent Population Biology

Five approaches to the study of behavior as a factor in thepopulation biology of rodents are outlined. These approachesare: (1) genetics, (2) physiology, (3) chronobiology,(4) behavioralecology and sociobiology, and (5) the use of intra- and inter-specificcomparisons. For each approach selected examples from the recentliterature, from this symposium and from my own work are usedto illustrate the new directions that are emerging for analyzingbehavior as a factor affecting natality, mortality and emigration/immigrationin rodents. Areas where additional investigations are neededare noted including some questions to be tested by future experiments.A variety of new techniques that have been developed or areinnovative applications of existing techniques are incorporatedinto the examples. Most of the material presented concerns fourgenera of rodents, Microtus, Mus, Peromyscus, and Rattus. Thefollowing major conclusions emerge from an overview of theseapproaches: Most recent research on behavior as a factor inrodent population biology has been concerned primarily withnatality. Few investigators have dealt with mortality and onlya limited number have explored emigration/immigration. Fieldand laboratory studies on behavioral aspects of rodent populationbiology have become more integrated than they were several decadesago. Both proximate and ultimate questions about behavior andpopulation dynamics are now being tested by both laboratoryand field methods. In contrast to some earlier approaches thatoften viewed population control as involving a single factor,most emerging conceptual frameworks have, as a major assumption,that population regulation is a multi-factorial process includingmany behavioral components.