种子植物区系属大小与种多度分布格局的相似性

对属大小的分析是植物区系研究的重要组成,属大小的分布格局可以在一定程度上反映植物区系的类群多样性与系统发生多样性。在植物区系研究中,平均属大小指标与植物区系包含的物种数有关,使不同植物区系的研究结果难以进行整合分析。对中国8个地区种子植物区系属大小的分布格局进行研究,对数级数模型取得了良好的拟合结果,拟合优度R²＞0.99,属大小表现出与种—多度相似的分布格局。稀疏分析和相关分析结果表明：抽样大小较小时,平均属大小在稀疏分析前后的相关性不显著;而对数级数模型中α指数与稀疏分析前表现出稳定的相关性。同时,对于相同的抽样大小α指数与平均属大小之间存在显著的相关性。因此,α指数可以作为稳定的指标来描述植物区系的丰富程度。     

Viral Abundance, Decay, and Diversity in the Meso- and Bathypelagic Waters of the North Atlantic

To elucidate the potential importance of deep-water viruses in controlling the meso- and bathypelagic picoplankton community, the abundance, decay rate, and diversity of the virioplankton community were determined in the meso- and bathypelagic water masses of the eastern part of the subtropical North Atlantic. Viral abundance averaged 1.4 × 10⁶ ml⁻¹ at around 100 m of depth and decreased only by a factor of 2 at 3,000 to 4,000 m of depth. In contrast, picoplankton abundance decreased by 1 order of magnitude to the Lower Deep Water (LDW; 3,500- to 5,000-m depth). The virus-to-picoplankton ratio increased from 9 at about 100 m of depth to 110 in the LDW. Mean viral decay rates were 3.5 × 10⁻³ h⁻¹ between 900 m and 2,750 m and 1.1 × 10⁻³ h⁻¹ at 4,000 m of depth, corresponding to viral turnover times of 11 and 39 days, respectively. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis fingerprints obtained from the viral community between 2,400 m and 4,000 m of depth revealed a maximum of only four bands from 4,000 m of depth. Based on the high viral abundance and the low picoplankton production determined via leucine incorporation, we conclude that the viral production calculated from the viral decay is insufficient to maintain the high viral abundance in the deep North Atlantic. Rather, we propose that substantial allochthonous viral input or lysogenic or pseudolysogenic production is required to maintain the high viral abundance detected in the meso- and bathypelagic North Atlantic. Consequently, deep-water prokaryotes are apparently far less controlled in their abundance and taxon richness by lytic prokaryotic phages than the high viral abundance and the virus-to-picoplankton ratio would suggest.     

Highly divergent SSU rRNA genes found in the marine ciliates Myrionecta rubra and Mesodinium pulex

Myrionecta rubra and Mesodinium pulex are among the most commonly encountered planktonic ciliates in coastal marine and estuarine regions throughout the world. Despite their widespread distribution, both ciliates have received little attention by taxonomists. In order to better understand the phylogenetic position of these ciliates, we determined the SSU rRNA gene sequence from cultures of M. rubra and M. pulex. Partial sequence data were also generated from isolated cells of M. rubra from Chesapeake Bay. The M. rubra and M. pulex sequences were very divergent from all other ciliates, but shared a branch with 100% bootstrap support. Both species had numerous deletions and substitutions in their SSU rRNA gene, resulting in a long branch for the clade. This made the sequences prone to spurious phylogenetic affiliations when using simple phylogenetic methods. Maximum likelihood analysis placed M. rubra and M. pulex on the basal ciliate branch, following removal of ambiguously aligned regions. Fluorescent in situ hybridization probes were used with confocal laser scanning microscopy to confirm that these divergent sequences were both expressed in the cytoplasm and nucleolus of M. ruisra and M. pulex. We found that our sequence data matched several recently discovered unidentified eukaryotes in Genbank from diverse marine habitats, all of which had apparently been misattributed to highly divergent amoeboid organisms.     

Abundance and Biomass of Heterotrophic Flagellates, and Factors Controlling Their Abundance and Distribution in Sediments of Botany Bay

The abundance and biomass of heterotrophic flagellates were estimated monthly in sediments of Botany Bay during March 1999-February 2000. The annual abundance and biomass were in the ranges of 0.46-4.70 x 10(5) cells/cm(3) and of 0.30-8.61 micro g C/cm(3), respectively. The majority of heterotrophic flagellates (93-100%) were less than 10 mm in length and few flagellates were larger than 10 mm. Of the total microbial carbon biomass, heterotrophic flagellates made up about 5% (but at times up to 35%). The contribution of heterotrophic flagellates varied from month to month, and among the sites. The abundance of heterotrophic flagellates was negatively correlated with sediment grain size and positively correlated with the abundance of bacteria, algae (autotrophic flagellates and diatoms), and their probable grazers. A best subsets regression analysis showed that bacterial and algal abundance are the most important factors controlling the abundance of heterotrophic flagellates. When the previously reported grazing rates on bacteria were applied, heterotrophic flagellates would consume a maximum of 64% of bacterial standing stock daily in Botany Bay, suggesting that heterotrophic flagellates are important as bacterivores. However, the importance of heterotrophic flagellate grazing probably varies significantly among the sites and from month to month.     

Ichthyoplankton of the Southern Waters of the North Atlantic: 2. Species Composition and Distribution Features

Journal of Ichthyology - The species composition of ichthyoplankton in the open waters of the North Atlantic at the cross-section from 30° N to the equator is considered. The study was...     

Distribution of capsulated bacterioplankton in the North Atlantic and North Sea

In laboratory experiments, bacterioplankton were incubated under different nutrient conditions, and the percentage of bacteria exhibiting a polysaccharidic capsule (capsulated bacteria) and that of CTC (cyanotetrazolium chloride)-positive and therefore metabolically highly active bacteria were determined. In these seawater cultures amended with nutrients more than 95% of the CTC-positive cells exhibited a capsule. During two cruises, one to the North Atlantic and one to the North Sea, we investigated the distribution of capsulated bacteria throughout the water column. Capsulated bacteria were generally more abundant in eutrophic surface waters than in deeper layers or more oligotrophic regions. In the upper 100 m of the North Atlantic, about 6–14% of the total bacterioplankton community was capsulated, while in the layers below 100 m depth, 97% of the bacteria lacked a visible capsule. The percentage of capsulated bacteria correlated with bacterial abundance and production, and chlorophyll a concentration. Also, the bioavailability of DOC (dissolved organic carbon), estimated by the ratio between bacterial production and DOC concentration, significantly correlated with the percentage of capsulated bacteria. In the North Sea, the contribution of capsulated bacteria to the total number of bacteria decreased from the surface (3 m depth) to the near-bottom (25–35 m) layers from 20% to 14% capsulated bacteria. In the nearshore area of the North Sea, about 27% of the bacteria exhibited a capsule. Overall, a pronounced decrease in the contribution of capsulated bacteria to the total bacterial abundance was detectable from the eutrophic coastal environment to the open North Atlantic. Using this epifluorescence-based technique to enumerate capsulated bacterioplankton thus allowed us to routinely assess the number of capsulated bacteria even in the oceanic water column. Based on the data obtained in this study we conclude that almost all metabolically highly active bacteria exhibit a capsule, but also some of the metabolically less active cells express a polysaccharide capsule detectable with this method.     

Plankton size distributions and trophic relations before and after the construction of the storm-surge barrier in the Oosterschelde estuary

Phytoplankton and zooplankton biomass distributions were calculated on a carbon basis for the inland part of the Oosterschelde, in the period before (1983), during (1984, 1986) and after (1987, 1988) the construction of the storm- surge barrier. In all years studied, both phytoplankton and zooplankton distributions are very irregular, and little consistent patterns emerge. The data were used to test the model of Sheldon et al. (1977). The observed standing stock ratios of zooplankton to phytoplankton agree with the model predictions in 1983, and are slightly higher during the period 1984–1987. In 1988, the model predictions are very different from the observed values, because of important changes in the zooplankton species abundance occurring in this year.     

Causes and projections of abrupt climate-driven ecosystem shifts in the North Atlantic

Warming of the global climate is now unequivocal and its impact on Earth' functional units has become more apparent. Here, we show that marine ecosystems are not equally sensitive to climate change and reveal a critical thermal boundary where a small increase in temperature triggers abrupt ecosystem shifts seen across multiple trophic levels. This large-scale boundary is located in regions where abrupt ecosystem shifts have been reported in the North Atlantic sector and thereby allows us to link these shifts by a global common phenomenon. We show that these changes alter the biodiversity and carrying capacity of ecosystems and may, combined with fishing, precipitate the reduction of some stocks of Atlantic cod already severely impacted by exploitation. These findings offer a way to anticipate major ecosystem changes and to propose adaptive strategies for marine exploited resources such as cod in order to minimize social and economic consequences.     

The Association of Physical and Environmental Factors with Abundance and Distribution Patterns of Groupers around Kolombangara Island, Solomon Islands

I collected baseline abundance data on groupers from the reefs of Vavanga village on Kolombangara Island, Solomon Islands. Physical and environmental factors significantly affected the abundance and distribution patterns of groupers. Size and age distribution of groupers varied with depth. Power analysis on the abundance data showed that although power could be calculated to within an acceptable level from a management perspective for abundant species such as the coral hind, Cephalopholis miniata, the same could not be done for larger and naturally scarce species, such as the humpback grouper, Cromileptes altivelis.     

Abundance and diversity of heterotrophic bacterial cells assimilating phosphate in the subtropical North Atlantic Ocean

Microorganisms play key roles in the cycles of carbon and nutrients in the ocean, and identifying the extent to which specific taxa contribute to these cycles will establish their ecological function. We examined the use of ³³P‐phosphate to identify heterotrophic bacteria actively involved in the cycling of phosphate, an essential inorganic nutrient. Seawater from the sub‐tropical North Atlantic Ocean was incubated with ³³P‐phosphate and analysed by microautoradiography to determine the proportion and diversity of the bacterial community‐assimilating phosphate. Complementary incubations using ³H‐leucine and ³H‐thymidine were also conducted. We found that a higher proportion of total heterotrophic bacterial cells in surface water samples assimilated phosphate compared with leucine or thymidine. Bacteria from all of the phylogenetic groups we identified by CARD‐FISH were able to assimilate phosphate, although the abundances of cells within each group did not scale directly with the number found to assimilate phosphate. Furthermore, a significantly higher proportion of Alphaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria and Cytophaga‐like cells assimilated phosphate compared with leucine or thymidine. Our results suggest that a greater proportion of bacterial cells in surface waters are actively participating in the biogeochemical cycling of phosphorus, and possibly other elements, than is currently estimated through the use of ³H‐leucine or ³H‐thymidine.     

糯玉米胚乳淀粉粒粒度分布形成的酶学机理

以7个糯玉米品种为材料,测定其籽粒发育过程中淀粉粒粒度分布及淀粉合成相关酶活性的变化,分析两者之间的关系。结果表明,随着籽粒发育,糯玉米淀粉粒平均粒径逐渐增大,可溶性淀粉合成酶(SSS)和淀粉分支酶(SBE)活性呈单峰曲线变化。籽粒发育前期,小淀粉粒(≤7.4μm)所占体积较大;随着籽粒发育,小淀粉粒所占体积减少,大淀粉粒(>7.4μm)所占体积增多;籽粒发育后期,大淀粉粒所占体积较大。相关分析表明, SSS和SBE活性与大淀粉粒体积增大速率和平均粒径增大速率均呈显著或极显著正相关。因此, SSS和SBE是影响糯玉米胚乳淀粉粒粒度分布形成的主要酶, SSS和SBE活性越高,淀粉粒平均粒径越大,大淀粉粒所占体积越多。     

Seasonal Abundance and Reproduction of the Fourwing Flyingfish, Hirundichthys affinis, off Barbados

The seasonal abundance and reproductive cycle of the flyingfish Hirundichthys affinis was studied near Barbados. H. affinis shows large seasonal variation in abundance. They are common between December and June and scarce from July to November. The population size structure of H. affinis was determined by fishing with four different mesh sizes throughout one year. There appear to be two cohorts of H. affinis present in May and June, one of immature fish with a mean size of 19.8cm FL, and one of mature fish with a mean size of 21.7cm FL. From September to April there is only a single cohort of maturing fish with a mean size that increases from 20.4cm FL in September to 22.0cm FL in April. H. affinis spawns throughout the fishing-season (December–June) and shows a peak in spawning activity from March to June. Immature fish are present in Barbados waters from July to November but in very low abundance. Surface water temperature, wind speed and swell height are the only environmental factors with which catch rate of H. affinis showed significant correlation. Catch rate appears to be negatively correlated with temperature, whereas for wind speed and swell height there are optima. Three hypotheses for the seasonal variation in abundance of H. affinis were examined. The hypothesis that this species remains dispersed near Barbados during the off-season was rejected. The other hypotheses were refined. Both post-spawning mortality, resulting in an interval of low abundance between cohorts (non-overlapping generations), and migration of fish away from Barbados at the end of the fishing season, remain possible explanations for the observed seasonal variation in abundance of this species.     

北京鸭视网膜节细胞的大小、密度和分布

采用Nissl染色法、视神经溃变法和神经元逆行追踪标记辣根过氧化物酶(HRP)法,研究了北京鸭视网膜节细胞(RGCs)的大小和密度及其分布的变化。北京鸭RGCs形态多样,有圆形、椭圆形和多角形等,RGCs总数为1.3×106个(P0),RGCs平均密度为5370个/mm2(P0),在视网膜中央有一个偏向鼻侧的高密度区即中央高密度区(8860个/mm2),由中央区至周边部,细胞密度逐渐降低,颞侧周边部最低(3440个/mm2)。不同区域RGCs大小差异显著,中央区以小细胞为主(62.2±23.3μm2,P0),而周边部RGCs逐渐增大,颞侧周边部最大(P0:133.7±75.7μm2;P8:152.9±55.9μm2)。由此可见,伴随RGCs大小由中央区至周边部的递增而细胞密度呈现递减的变化,这种变化趋势在颞侧周边部最明显。与此同时,随日龄增长,RGCs总数和密度均递减而细胞大小递增。dACs是位于视网膜节细胞层的小神经元,细胞大小为23.7±4.0μm2     

Observations on the Occurrence of the Parasitic Ciliate Synophrya in Decapods in Coastal Waters off the Southeastern United States*

SYNOPSIS. Past reports of Synophrya, the only apostome ciliate known to harm its host, indicated that it was restricted in its distribution and in the hosts it can infect. In recent collections of decapods from the off-shore waters of North Carolina and Georgia, 30% of all specimens were infected with Synophrya. Forty-four percent of all the species collected had individuals infected with Synophrya, and 63% of all the families collected contained species that had infected individuals. There is no obvious structural or phylogenetic relationship between these families that explain why they are infected. The presence of Synophrya may be related to salinity since decapods captured in estuaries were never infected and decapods captured close to shore were only rarely infected. The salinities of these waters range from 15–35%, but the salinity of the off-shore waters where the great majority of infected specimens was found ranges only from 35–36%.     

Cell Size and the Heat-Shock Response in Rat Brain

Abstract: The expression of mRNAs encoding two members of the heat-shock protein 70 family, the constitutively-expressed heat-shock cognate (hsc70) mRNA and the strictly heat-inducible (hsp70) mRNA, was quantitated in cerebellar and hippocampal cells of rats 3 h after amphetamine-induced or heat-induced hyperthermia. Intracellular heat-shock mRNA levels in specific cell types were compared with those of total polyadenylic acid [poly(A)] mRNA or 18S rRNA in the same cell type. Levels of poly(A) mRNAs, 18S rRNAs, and hsc70 mRNAs were highest in large neurons and lowest in glia. hsp70 mRNAs were also present at highest levels in large neurons, suggesting that hsp70 mRNAs accumulated as rapidly in these cell types as they did in small neurons and glia. However, compared with levels of intracellular poly(A) mRNAs or levels of rRNAs, large neurons contained two- to 12-fold lower levels of hsp70 mRNAs than neurons of intermediate size and five- to 30-fold lower levels than glia. These results suggest that hsp70 mRNAs accumulated as rapidly in large neurons as in small neurons and glia, but that the large size of these neurons precluded intracellular hsp70 mRNA concentrations increasing as quickly. The susceptibility of large neurons to stress-induced cell death could be due, in part, to their inability to synthesize rapidly hsp70 in sufficient amounts to protect these cells from the initial molecular consequences of stress.     

Seasonal and long-term changes in biometrics of eel larvae: a possible relationship between recruitment variation and North Atlantic ecosystem productivity

The European eel larval life has two stages: the oceanic leptocephalus, in which growth is dependent on food supply, and the metamorphosis glass eel stage, in which feeding and growth are stopped until immigration in estuarine waters. Data from fisheries and experimental surveys in European estuaries at different periods between the 1930s and the 1990s showed a simultaneous decrease of mean length and abundance level. A monthly survey at the Vilaine estuary (Bay of Biscay) during 2 years provided a periodical model of seasonal variation in length and weight of newly recruited glass eels. Otolith microstructure was used to back-calculate larval stage durations and the timing of transatlantic migration. Glass eels entering the estuary in autumn are longer and more numerous than those arriving in summer. They migrated across the ocean during spring and summer, seasons when plankton production is likely to reach maximum levels. The proposed hypothesis regarding the determinism of recruitment in the eel, on the seasonal and on the yearly range, is that leptocephalus growth and glass eel survival are partly dependent on the plankton production at the oceanic scale. Eel recruitment dynamics could provide an integrated figure of large-scale environment fluctuations.     

Specific Composition and Distribution of Euphausiids in the Zone of the North Atlantic Subtropical Convergence

The euphausiid community was studied between the surface and upper bathypelagics northeast of the Azores Islands (46°–37° N, 14°–29° W) during the hydrological summer (August to September) of 1984 using a midwater trawl. In total, 11 species of euphausiids were identified. The two most common species, Meganyctiphanes norvegica and Thysanopoda acutifrons, were found in 43.8 and 40.8% of the samples, respectively. In terms of biomass, M. norvegica dominated the catches, its densities reaching up to 160 kg per trawling hour. The region is dominated by North Atlantic arctic–boreal and boreal species, followed by pan-oceanic meso- and bathypelagic, as well as tropical–subtropical and widespread tropical euphausiid species. The study area, which is situated in the zone of the Atlantic subtropical convergence, is subjected to seasonal migrations of the Subpolar Frontal system. Owing to this, a quasi-stationary ecotone is established, where arctic–boreal species are spatially replaced first by tropical–subtropical and then by widespread tropical elements. There are grounds to believe that the quasi-stationary ecotone lasts both for many years and from season to season. In the latter case, seasonal succession of species takes place, but the ecological structure of the ecotone remains almost constant.     

Ecology and Gametogenic Biology of the Genus Umbellula (Pennatulacea) in the North Atlantic Ocean

Four putative species of the seapen genus Umbellula, U. lindahli, U. thomsonii, U. durissima and U. monocephalus, are found at bathyal and abyssal depths in the Porcupine Seabight and Abyssal Plain in the NE Atlantic Ocean and at bathyal depths off the Bahamas. The most common species, U. lindahli, has a cosmopolitan distribution in the world ocean. In situ observations, from bathyal depths in the Bahamas, of the posture of U. lindahli show that the polyps are spread out to maximize particle capture from the water column. In addition, the individuals of U. lindahli from the Bahamas suggest that the tentacles are cropped by a predator, but there is no evidence of predation in the NE Atlantic specimens. Reproduction in U. lindahli is typical of that previously observed in pennatulids. Fecundity is high, although most of the oocytes present are previtellogenic with only a few developing through to maximum size at any one time. Some specimens of U. lindahli appear to be infested with a small flatworm.     

Cell growth and division: a deterministic/probabilistic model of the cell cycle

A model of the cell cycle, incorporating a deterministic cell-size monitor and a probabilistic component, is investigated. Steady-state distributions for cell size and generation time are calculated and shown to be globally asymptotically stable. These distributions are used to calculate various statistical quantities, which are then compared to known experimental data. Finally, the results are compared to distributions calculated from a Monte-Carlo simulation of the model.