Natural disturbance and treefalls in a pine-oak forest on the Peninsula of Baja California,Mexico

The magnitude of natural disturbances by treefalls and their spatial occurrence were studied in a pine-oak forest of Sierra de La Laguna, located at the southern part of the Peninsula of Baja California in Mexico.Twenty transects covering 4 ha, perpendicular to north- and south-facing slopes were sampled. The percentages of rocky outcrops, slope, orientation, and gap size created by treefalls were recorded. The mode of tree death, treefall direction, trunk length, and basal diameter were also measured. Data were analyzed using principal component analysis, one-way ANOVA, multiple comparison tests by contrasts, and chi-square independence tests.Results suggest that exogenous disturbances have an important effect in this community. A mean number of 80 gaps per ha was recorded comprising 18.1% of the observed area. Gap sizes were fitted to a lognormal distribution as 2.3±1.4 and patches were found to be created by single treefalls. Analysis of dead material shows that there are significant differences between numbers of fallen trees on N vs S facing slopes, and that forms of dead trees are significantly associated with species. Snapped trees represent 39.5% of treefalls, dead standing trees 26.4%, uprooted trees 20.5% and cut-down trees 0.9%. The frequency of occurrence of various forms of the dead trees suggests that the cause of mortality is primarily due to the high incidence of tropical hurricanes, and secondly to the combined effect of wind and natural fire which occurs during the rainy summer season.     

Further new species of the plant bug genus Campylomma Reuter from the Oriental Region (Heteroptera: Miridae: Phylinae: Nasocorini)

The fauna of the nasocorine plant bug genus Campylomma Reuter from the Oriental Region, including subtropical Japanese Ryukyu Islands (Okinawa Island of Southwest Islands-group) and Taiwan is updated. Three new species are herein described, C. astica n. sp. (from Okinawa and Taoyuan, Taiwan), C. hibiscicola n. sp. (Bangkok, Thailand) and C. nanrenana n. sp. (Pingtung, Taiwan). Of these, C. astica and C. hibiscicola, were observed to have cryptic habitat-preference, inhabiting bracts, stipules or flower buds of the sea (or coastal) hibiscus, Hibiscus tiliaceus (L.) (Malvaceae), planted for landscaping at urbanized zones. An updated checklist of the 22 Oriental Campylomma species is provided.     

DNA probes to identify members of the Anopheles farauti complex

DNA probes have been constructed to distinguish between the members of the Anopheles farauti complex of mosquitoes known as species numbers 1, 2 and 3. Partial genomic libraries of the three known species were exposed to labelled total genomic DNA from each species. Colonies showing differential hybridization were selected for further testing. These probes were found which allow identification of the three known species: probe pAf1 (160 bp fragment) hybridizes to DNA from An. farauti nos. 1 and 2; probe pAf2 (95 bp fragment) hybridizes to DNA from An. farauti no. 2 only; and probe pAf3 (1.3 kb fragment) hybridizes strongly to DNA from An. farauti no. 3, less to no. 1 and faintly to no. 2. Increasing the stringency of hybridization reduced the cross-hybridization of probes pAf1 and pAf3. Only radioactively labelled probes were tested. Males and females and individuals from diverse habitats and localities showed the same species/probe hybridization characteristics. This technique allows faster identification of the sibling species than previous methods, and has the added advantage that it allows air-dried and alcohol stored specimens to be identified.     

Plant community structure in relation to grazing and environmental changes along a north-south transect in the western Kalahari

Sixteen vegetation types were described from a north-south transect in the western Kalahari. Pronounced differences were found between communities on the nutrient poor red Kalahari sand, covering most of the area and those on fine soils and white calcareous sand. Syntaxa resulting from severe overgrazing by livestock were in most cases clearly distinguished from the less disturbed vegetation. The communities on red sand consisted mainly of shrub savanna dominated by perennial tufted grasses, whereas in the vegetation on calcareous material and on overgrazed land, forbs, dwarf shrubs and shrubs played a more important role. The major communities on red sand showed a clear geographical zonation roughly corresponding to the gradient in mean annual rainfall and its interannual variation. In the northern and central Kalahari these syntaxa were dominated by species of Sudano-Zambezian origin and in the southern Kalahari by species showing Karoo-Namib affinities.     

Differential heat shock gene expression in chick blastula

Summary The component areas of chick blastula show differential expression of heat shock genes. The area opaca (ao), marginal zone (mz) and central area (ca) components of the epiblast display distinct quantitative and minor qualitative differences in the heat-induced and heat-repressible proteins, but are clearly different from the primary hypoblast (endoderm) in their expression of a given stress protein (hsp) as a response to heat shock. The major proteins synthesized in the component areas of epiblast in response to heat shock include hsp 18, 24, 70 and 89 Kd. Two-dimensional electrophoresis shows that each of these proteins consists of multiple charged species. The hypoblast expresses only hsp 70 Kd at non-significant levels and shows marked inhibition in the level of synthesis of heat-shock-repressible proteins. Heat shock during the blastula stage results in an increase in the size of the blastoderm and disrupts normal embryonic development. The heat shock genes provide an important molecular marker, which attests to regional specification in the chick blastula.     

武陵山地区鱼类寄生杆咽属线虫两新种

本文报道在武陵山地区的白甲鱼［（Ｖａｒｉｃｏｒｋｉｎｕｓ（Ｏｎｙｃｈｏｓｔｏｍａ）ｓｉｍｕｓ（ＳａｕｖａｇｅｅｔＤａｂｒｙ）］和沪溪直口峻（ＲｅｃｔｏｒｉｓｌｕｘｉｅｎｓｉｓＷｕｅｔＹａｏ）中发现的两种杆咽属（Ｒｈａｂｄｏｃｈｏｎａ）线虫新种,定名为白甲鱼杆咽线虫,新种（ＲｈａｂｄＯｃｈｏｎａｏｎｙｒｋｏｓｔｏｍｉｓｐ．ｎｏｖ．）和短咽杆咽线虫,新种（ＲｈａｂｄＯｃｈｏｎａｂｒｅｖｉｃｈｏｎａｓｐ．ｎｏｖ．）,并对两新种进行了测量和详细的描述。     

Anostraca,Notostraca, Laevicaudata and Spinicaudata of Pannonian region and in its Austrian area

The northwestern area of the Pannonian Lowland extends into Austria. The climatic and hydrologic attributes of this biographic region promote the existence of extremely astatic bodies water lacking any fish and hence the occurrence of Anostraca, Notostraca, Laevicaudata and Spinicaudata. Zoogeographical and ecological features as well as the extinction of species due to anthropogenic influence are described.Dedicated to Prof. Dr F. Berger, Lunz, Austria, on the occasion of his 90th birthdayDedicated to Prof. Dr F. Berger, Lunz, Austria, on the occasion of his 90th birthday     

黄土丘陵区代表性乔灌草植物凋落物关键代谢产物释放的室内模拟研究

凋落物源代谢产物在植物-土壤系统中发挥着重要生态作用,该研究以黄土丘陵区刺槐、油松、沙棘、狗尾草和达乌里胡枝子等5种代表性乔灌草植物的凋落物为研究对象,以土壤混水振荡沉淀后收集上清液的方式提取客土微生物,通过均匀喷施上清液对凋落物进行接种,并在室温(25℃)恒湿(凋落物持水率维持在约100%)条件下进行室内分解模拟,研究该过程中7种代谢产物的降解和释放特征,以期更深入地理解凋落物分解过程及其可能的后续生态学效应,为林草生态系统管理提供依据。结果显示：(1)150 d的分解过程中,5种凋落物的木质素均呈分解前期(0～60 d)少部分降解(<30%)、后期趋于停滞的趋势;水溶性酚、凝缩单宁和黄酮呈分解前期(0～30 d)快速释放大部分(>80%)、后期显著减缓的趋势;萜类呈持续释放、甚至在试验后期明显加速的趋势;可溶性糖和氨基酸的释放均呈现在短时间内快速释放、随后缓慢释放的趋势。总体而言,除木质素呈慢速降解状态外,其他代谢产物均呈超速释放状态。(2)7种代谢产物的年降解或释放速率总体均呈现沙棘和刺槐凋落物显著高于达乌里胡枝子、狗尾草和油松凋落物的规律(P<0.05)。(3...