胎仔数与父本缺失对棕色田鼠幼仔体重发育的影响

室内饲养条件下,测量了出生后不同发育阶段棕色田鼠Microtus mandarinus的体重,并探讨了胎仔数(分别为1只、2只、3只和4只)及父本缺失(母鼠单独抚育)对幼仔体重发育的影响.结果表明,棕色田鼠出生后第一周体重的瞬时生长率最高,此后逐步下降;出生后28～35 d,体重增益最大(P<0.05).出生后7 d,不同胎仔数的体重没有明显差异,但至断乳时(出生后21 d),胎仔数为2只的幼仔平均体重明显高于其它胎仔数的平均体重(P<0.05).与双亲抚育相比,母鼠单独抚育的幼仔在断乳时的体重明显下降(P<0.05).这些结果说明,哺乳期内棕色田鼠幼仔的体重发育与胎仔数有关.由于棕色田鼠是单配制,双亲育幼,父本雄鼠的缺失减少了亲本投资,影响了幼仔的身体发育.     

根田鼠母体捕食应激效应与Trivers-Willard 模型的关系

本研究了根田鼠母体捕食应激对其子代出生、断乳和成体体重、窝性比及死亡率的作用,检验Trivers—Willard模型的2个前提条件、母体应激激素在母体投资中的作用,以及母体捕食应激效应与该模型的关系。将妊娠根田鼠母体暴露于其捕食艾鼬,母体应激子代的出生和断乳体重均显降低;到成体,雄性体重有此效应,而雌性体重则接近对照。出生窝性比无变化,但成体窝性比向雌性偏斜。不同年龄阶段的死亡率无显变化,但累计死亡率明显增大。处理雄性子代在断乳和成体时的皮质酮含量显增高,而雌性子代则无显变化,从而验证了Trivers-Willard模型的2个前提条件,提出应激母体激素参与母体对子代的投资观点,并认为,母体捕食应激使根田鼠子代成体窝性比向雌性偏斜的生理投资符合进化稳定对策。     

Quantification of sexual dimorphism in Asellus aquaticus (Crustacea: Isopoda) using outline approaches

A marked sexual dimorphism is often observed in arthropods species in which males perform precopulatory mate guarding. It is generally thought to reflect the influence of sexual selection. Until now, sexual dimorphisms associated with mate guarding have mainly been qualitatively described. However, assessing the effects of sexual selection on sexual dimorphims requires a preliminary quantitative assessment of differences in morphology between sexes. Using Fourier analyses, we tested if morphological dimorphisms could be quantitatively assessed in the isopod Asellus aquaticus . In addition, we checked whether sexual dimorphism in shape was exclusively related to mate guarding through considering characters that are not, a priori , implicated in mating behaviour. To assess the potential role of sexual selection in shaping morphology, we then examined how dimorphic characters could influence males' pairing success. Three characters (pleotelson, paraeopods 4 and 5) differed significantly in shape between males and females. In addition, two characters (pleotelson and paraeopods 4) differed in shape between guarding males and non-guarding males, with the latter being closer in shape to females. This suggests that sexual selection may be partly responsible for the observed morphological divergence between sexes in A. aquaticus .  © 2002 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Society of the Linnean Society , 2002, 77 , 523–533.     

A comparison of diatom and macroinvertebrate classification of sites in the Kiewa River system, Australia

Diatoms and macroinvertebrates are both commonly used for biological assessment of stream condition. As the use of biological assessment techniques increases, resource managers will need to make decisions on which biological tool to use for a particular study. In a study of the Kiewa River, Victoria, Australia we assessed these two components of the biota—macroinvertebrates and diatoms—using indices and pattern analysis, and comparing them with an a priori landscape classification. We also assessed the relationship exhibited between the biological results and environmental variables which are usually significant in stream ecosystems. To make the data comparable we used categorical abundances for both data sets. The pattern analyses showed complementary results, with diatoms more closely related to water quality variables, whereas macroinvertebrates were primarily related to catchment and habitat features. An analysis of a combined data set (diatoms plus macroinvertebrates) showed no extra information was gained. Using categorisation to create consistency between data sets was shown to reduce the information and affect results from the diatom analyses. The results suggested that the locally derived bioassessment models and indices provided a more accurate assessment of the sites than the overseas-derived diatom index. The outcomes are complicated by issues of data weighting, whereby a presence/absence diatom index may have performed better than abundance-weighted indices due to strong dominance of one or two species at a site. Future comparisons will benefit from an increase in the knowledge of regional diatom taxonomy and autecology.     

Effects of nitrobenzene contamination and of bioaugmentation on nitrification and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria in soil

Bioaugmentation of nitrobenzene-contaminated soil was performed by inoculation with Pseudomonas putida ZWL73, which can grow on nitrobenzene as carbon and nitrogen sources and release free ammonium from the aromatic ring via a partial-reductive pathway. Removal of nitrobenzene was effectively enhanced with concurrent accumulation of ammonium in the bioaugmented soil. Moreover, the negative impact of nitrobenzene contamination on culturable bacterial types and soil nitrification was reduced by strain ZWL73. Changes in the community structure of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria, determined by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, were associated with changes in environmental factors in nitrobenzene-contaminated soil, including concentrations of nitrobenzene, ammonium, nitrite and nitrate, but their influence was attenuated in the bioaugmented soil. Overall, P. putida ZWL73 shows promising abilities for effective removal of nitrobenzene and for attenuating the negative effects of nitrobenzene contamination on soil functioning.     

Evolution and history of grapevine (Vitis vinifera) under domestication: new morphometric perspectives to understand seed domestication syndrome and reveal origins of ancient European cultivars

Background and Aims

In spite of the abundance of archaeological, bio-archaeological, historical and genetic data, the origins, historical biogeography, identity of ancient grapevine cultivars and mechanisms of domestication are still largely unknown. Here, analysis of variation in seed morphology aims to provide accurate criteria for the discrimination between wild grapes and modern cultivars and to understand changes in functional traits in relation to the domestication process. This approach is also used to quantify the phenotypic diversity in the wild and cultivated compartments and to provide a starting point for comparing well-preserved archaeological material, in order to elucidate the history of grapevine varieties.

Methods

Geometrical analysis (elliptic Fourier transform method) was applied to grapevine seed outlines from modern wild individuals, cultivars and well-preserved archaeological material from southern France, dating back to the first to second centuries.

Key Results and Conclusions

Significant relationships between seed shape and taxonomic status, geographical origin (country or region) of accessions and parentage of varieties are highlighted, as previously noted based on genetic approaches. The combination of the analysis of modern reference material and well-preserved archaeological seeds provides original data about the history of ancient cultivated forms, some of them morphologically close to the current ‘Clairette’ and ‘Mondeuse blanche’ cultivars. Archaeobiological records seem to confirm the complexity of human contact, exchanges and migrations which spread grapevine cultivation in Europe and in Mediterranean areas, and argue in favour of the existence of local domestication in the Languedoc (southern France) region during Antiquity.     

Mating behavior induces changes of expression of Fos protein,plasma testosterone and androgen receptors in the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB) of the male mandarin vole Microtus mandarinus

In order to investigate the neuroendocrine mechanism of the mating behavior in the adult male mandarin voles Microtus mandarinus,the radioimmunoassay(RIA)and immunohistochemistry methods were used to investigate the differences in plasma testosterone(T)concentrations and distribution of T immunoreactive neurons(T-IRs),androgen receptor immunoreactive neurons(AR-IRs)and Fos protein immunoreactive neurons(Fos-IRs)in the accessory olfactory bulb(AOB)and the main olfactory bulb(MOB)following exposure to clean h...     

种群外部及内部因子对东方田鼠巢区大小的效应

在野外围栏条件下, 采用重复的2×2×2析因实验, 测定外部和内部因子对东方田鼠(Microtus fortis)巢区大小的作用模式。研究结果表明, 雄体巢区大小显著大于雌体巢区大小。雄体巢区大小与体重存在显著的正相关, 而雌体巢区大小与体重的相关不显著; 雄体和雌体巢区大小与种群数量均呈显著的线性负相关。外部因子对东方田鼠雄体和雌体巢区大小的作用不一致。在排除内部因子种群数量及体重对雄体巢区大小作用的条件下, 食物对雄体巢区大小的作用显著; 而捕食及种间竞争的独立作用及其交互作用, 以及3 种外部因子的交互作用均不显著; 在排除种群数量对巢区大小作用的条件下, 食物与捕食的独立作用及3 种外部因子的交互作用对雌体巢区大小的效应均达到显著水平, 食物与种间竞争的交互作用接近显著, 而种间竞争的独立作用、食物和捕食的交互作用, 以及捕食与种间竞争的交互作用对雌体巢区大小的效应均不显著。本文结果验证了种群外部因子食物、捕食及种间竞争、种群内部因子种群数量及个体体重对田鼠种群巢区大小具有独立和交互作用的假设。     

Characterization of Alternaria and Penicillium species from similar substrata based on growth at different temperature,pH and water activity

Fifty-eight Alternaria isolates representing 10 species or species-groups and 66 Penicillium isolates representing 18 species were examined for their growth response to the combined effects of water activity, temperature and pH in an extended Central Composite Design. Growth responses were recorded as colony diameter after one and two weeks of growth and analysed using different multivariate statistical analyses. The isolates, when analysed by Principal Component Analysis, clustered according to their genus and to some degree to species or species groups and not according to substratum as excepted. Soft Independent Modelling of Class Analogy and Response Surface Analysis showed that growth responses or growth profiles may be used as classification tool. Partial Least Squares Regression showed that a combination of two different media based on Dichloran Rose bengal Yeast Extract Sucrose agar incubated at two different temperatures were enough to get genus segregation and to some extent species segregation. The results also showed that water activity, temperature and pH interact strongly in their effect on growth rates and that the squared products (optima) of water activity, temperature and pH for each isolate were important for modelling the data sufficiently.     

温度对矩形龟甲轮虫生命表统计学参数和形态特征的影响

应用单个体培养方法研究了温度(10℃、15℃、20℃和25℃)对双后棘刺、单后棘刺和无后棘刺矩形龟甲轮虫的净生殖率、内禀增长率、世代时间、平均寿命和后代混交率等生命表统计学参数以及后代体长、体宽、前中棘刺长、左右两前侧棘刺长、左右两后棘刺长、后棘刺数目等形态参数的影响.结果表明,各生命表统计学参数和后代形态参数在3种形态型轮虫间的差异因温度的不同而异,它们对温度升高的反应也因轮虫形态型的不同而异.温度显著影响轮虫的内禀增长率、世代时间、平均寿命和后代所有的形态参数(P＜0.05);形态型显著影响轮虫后代的体长、前中棘刺长和左右两后棘刺长(P＜0.05),但对轮虫的生命表统计学参数均无显著影响(P＞0.05);而温度和形态型的交互作用显著影响轮虫的世代时间和后代的形态参数(P＜0.05).3种形态型轮虫间,双后棘刺轮虫后代的体长(122.1±0.6μm)显著短于无后棘刺和单后棘刺轮虫后代的体长(分别为126.3±0.7μm和125.1±0.7 μm),前中棘刺长(32.5±0.3 μm)显著长于无后棘刺和单后棘刺轮虫后代的前中棘刺长(分别为31.l±0.3μm和30.8±0.3μm),左后棘刺长(31.2±1.0μm)和右后棘刺长(32.3±0.9 μm)均与单后棘刺轮虫后代的(分别为29.5±0.8 μm和31.5±0.6 μm)相似,但显著短于无后棘刺轮虫后代(分别为36.7±1.5 μm和37.3±1.6μm).矩形龟甲轮虫后代的棘刺长、体宽和体长之间的关系也受温度和形态型的影响.     

A combination of hydrodynamical and statistical modelling reveals non-stationary climate effects on fish larvae distributions

Biological processes and physical oceanography are often integrated in numerical modelling of marine fish larvae, but rarely in statistical analyses of spatio-temporal observation data. Here, we examine the relative contribution of inter-annual variability in spawner distribution, advection by ocean currents, hydrography and climate in modifying observed distribution patterns of cod larvae in the Lofoten-Barents Sea. By integrating predictions from a particle-tracking model into a spatially explicit statistical analysis, the effects of advection and the timing and locations of spawning are accounted for. The analysis also includes other environmental factors: temperature, salinity, a convergence index and a climate threshold determined by the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). We found that the spatial pattern of larvae changed over the two climate periods, being more upstream in low NAO years. We also demonstrate that spawning distribution and ocean circulation are the main factors shaping this distribution, while temperature effects are different between climate periods, probably due to a different spatial overlap of the fish larvae and their prey, and the consequent effect on the spatial pattern of larval survival. Our new methodological approach combines numerical and statistical modelling to draw robust inferences from observed distributions and will be of general interest for studies of many marine fish species.     

道路和放牧对锡林郭勒草原布氏田鼠种群时空分布的影响

于2010年5-9月,在内蒙古锡林浩特市毛登牧场,调查了道路和放牧2种因素对布氏田鼠(Microtus brandti)分布与密度的影响及其随时间的动态特征.结果表明:在鼠类低密度期(＜60只·hm-2)和垂直于道路方向上,随着与道路距离的增加,布氏田鼠相对密度逐渐降低;草场放牧活动使布氏田鼠密度增加.可见,道路、放牧等人类干扰影响鼠类的相对密度及其时空分布,而鼠类也对人类干扰产生了一定程度的适应.     

Effects of resource level and habitat type on behavioral and morphological plasticity in Eurasian perch

Spatial and temporal heterogeneity in the environment is a common feature affecting many natural populations. For example, both the resource levels and optimal habitat choices of individuals likely change over time. One way for organisms to cope with environmental variation is to display adaptive plasticity in traits such as behavior and morphology. Since trait plasticity is hypothesized to be a prerequisite for character divergence, studies of mechanisms behind such plasticity are warranted. In this study, we looked at the interaction of two potentially important environmental variables on behavioral and morphological plasticity in Eurasian perch (Perca fluviatilis L.). More specifically, the plastic responses in activity and morphology of perch exposed to different resource levels and simulated habitat types were studied in an aquarium experiment. The resource level experienced had a large influence on plasticity in both activity and morphology. Behavioral adaptations have been thought to mediate morphological transitions, and we suggest that the morphological response to the resource level was mediated by differences in activity and growth rates. The habitat type also affected morphological plasticity but to a lesser extent, and there was no effect on activity from habitat type. Based on these results, we suggest that it is essential to include several environmental factors acting in concert when studying mechanisms behind trait plasticity. We also propose that variation in resource levels might play a key role in fostering trait plasticity in at least fish populations, while other environmental variables such as divergent habitat complexities and prey types might be less influential. Dynamics in resource levels and optimal habitat choices might thus be important factors influencing character divergence in natural populations.     

Effects of the plasticiser DEHP on lung of newborn rats: catalase immunocytochemistry and morphometric analysis

Experimental administration of di-(2-ethylexyl)-phthalate (DEHP), a plasticiser employed in the fabrication of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), causes increases in lipid metabolising enzymes along with marked peroxisomal proliferation. The effects are found in several mammalian tissues, of which the rodent liver is the most responsive target. Leakage of DEHP from PVC devices is favoured by high temperature and contact with lipid-containing biological fluids. Since preterm babies are currently ventilated through endotracheal PVC tubes, it seemed worthwhile to investigate DEHP effects on immature mammalian lung. In this research, female rats were fed with DEHP in the last week of pregnancy and after delivery, and lungs were excised from 2-day-old pups. At this age, in fact, rat lung histological features closely resemble those found in 24- to 36-week-old human fetuses. In treated animals, morphometric analysis of histological parameters revealed a dramatic decrease in the number of parenchymal airspaces, together with significant increases in their mean size. Moreover, cytochemical detection of the peroxisomal marker catalase revealed an increase in the number of type II pneumocytes. Our findings closely resemble abnormal histological features observed in autoptic lung specimens from children affected with chronic lung diseases.     

Effects of nitrogen availability on competition between Bromus tectorum and Bouteloua gracilis

Exotic plant invasions are a serious concern for land managers and conservationists. There is evidence that increased nitrogen availability favors exotic species and decreased nitrogen availability favors non-weedy native species. This study was conducted to test the effect of nitrogen availability on competition between two grass species with contrasting life histories, cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum), a North American exotic, and blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis), a North American native. We investigated the effects of nitrogen availability and competition on aboveground biomass, belowground biomass, height, and % nitrogen tissue concentrations by growing the two species in the greenhouse under five levels of nitrogen and six levels of competition. Nitrogen availability affected competition between Bromus tectorum and Bouteloua gracilis. At the lowest level of N availability, neither species was affected by competition. As N availability increased, aboveground biomass gain of Bromus was more negatively affected by intraspecific competition relative to interspecific competition while the opposite occurred for Bouteloua. At the competition level at which each species gained the most aboveground biomass, Bromus had a linear response to increasing N availability while the response of Bouteloua was asymptotic. Our results do provide some support for the theory that fast growing exotic species have a rapid response to nutrient enrichment while native non-weedy species do not, and that low N levels can reduce competitive pressure from the exotic on the native.     

紫花苜蓿复合体(Medicago sativa complex)叶片形态特征及数量分类研究

运用比较形态学和比较解剖学方法,使用扫描电镜和光学显微镜对紫花苜蓿复合体(Medicago sativa complex)6个分类群的叶片形态特征和叶片解剖结构进行了观察和比较,并以15个叶片表征形态性状为基础,采用聚类分析法(UPGMA)和主成分分析方法(PCA)对6个分类群进行了数量分类研究.观察结果表明:各分类群叶片的上、下表皮多为不规则形细胞;垂周壁呈深浅不一的波状;气孔器为不规则型,具有蜡质气孔盖,气孔密度有一定差异.6个分类群的叶片均为薄纸质型,厚度130～170 μm,表皮细胞切面近圆形或近长方形;栅栏组织细胞1～2层,厚度41～68 μm,细胞排列紧密;海绵组织厚度32～75 μm,细胞排列疏松;不同分类群叶片的组织疏松度和组织紧缩度有一定的差异,大花苜蓿(M. trautvetterii Sumnev. )叶片的组织疏松度最高,紫花苜蓿叶片的组织紧缩度最高.UPGMA结果显示:在结合线1.53处可将6个分类群划分为2支,其中,黄花苜蓿(M. falcata L. )独立为一支,其余5个分类群聚成另一支;在结合线1.18处,第2支又被分成2个亚支,其中一个亚支包含紫花苜蓿和天山苜蓿(M. tianschanica Vassilcz. ),另一个亚支则包含西锡金苜蓿(M. schischkinii Sumnev. )、座垫苜蓿(M. rivularis Vassilcz. )和大花苜蓿.PCA结果表明:对紫花苜蓿复合体而言,叶片表皮细胞形状、垂周壁式样、轴性分化特征、组织疏松度和气孔密度等特征具有较好的分类价值;基于主成分分析的Q分布图与聚类分析结果也具有较高的一致性.根据本研究结果及前人的研究结果,认为国产的紫花苜蓿复合体应包含3个分类群,即紫花苜蓿、黄花苜蓿及多变苜蓿(M. varia Martyn).此外,西锡金苜蓿、座垫苜蓿、天山苜蓿和大花苜蓿等杂交后代分类群的性状分化不稳定,应属于多变苜蓿的同种异名植物.     

Effects of brain and facial size on basicranial form in human and primate evolution

Understanding variation in the basicranium is of central importance to paleoanthropology because of its fundamental structural role in skull development and evolution. Among primates, encephalisation is well known to be associated with flexion between midline basicranial elements, although it has been proposed that the size or shape of the face influences basicranial flexion. In particular, brain size and facial size are hypothesized to act as antagonists on basicranial flexion. One important and unresolved problem in hominin skull evolution is that large-brained Neanderthals and some Mid-Pleistocene humans have slightly less flexed basicrania than equally large-brained modern humans. To determine whether or not this is a consequence of differences in facial size, geometric morphometric methods were applied to a large comparative data set of non-human primates, hominin fossils, and humans (N = 142; 29 species). Multiple multivariate regression and thin plate spline analyses suggest that basicranial evolution is highly significantly influenced by both brain size and facial size. Increasing facial size rotates the basicranium away from the face and slightly increases the basicranial angle, whereas increasing brain size reduces the angles between the spheno-occipital clivus and the presphenoid plane, as well as between the latter and the cribriform plate. These interactions can explain why Neanderthals and some Mid-Pleistocene humans have less flexed cranial bases than modern humans, despite their relatively similar brain sizes. We highlight that, in addition to brain size (the prime factor implicated in basicranial evolution in Homo), facial size is an important influence on basicranial morphology and orientation. To better address the multifactorial nature of basicranial flexion, future studies should focus on the underlying factors influencing facial size evolution in hominins.     

Lipid synthesis inhibitors: Effect on epidermal lipid conformational changes and percutaneous permeation of levodopa

A combination of lipid synthesis inhibitors was used to enhance the in vitro and in vivo permeation of levodopa (LD) across rat epidermis, and their influence on epidermal lipids was investigated using attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy. Rat epidermis was treated with ethanol and a combination of atorvastatin (750 μg/7 cm²), cerulenin (20 μg/7 cm²), and β-chloroalanine (600 μg/7 cm²) for sustaining the reduced content of epidermal cholesterol, fatty acids (as triglycerides), and ceramide (as sphingosine), respectively, in viable rat skin. This treatment resulted in significant (P<.05) synthesis inhibition of skin lipids up to 48 hours and 6-fold enhancement in the in vitro permeation of LD. The effective plasma concentration of LD was achieved within 1 hour and maintained over 48 hours after topical application to rat epidermis treated with a combination of these lipid synthesis inhibitors. ATR-FTIR studies of inhibitor(s)-treated rat epidermis revealed a significant decrease (P<.05) in peak height and area for both asymmetric and symmetric C−H stretching absorbances, suggesting extraction of lipids. However, an insignificant (P<.05) shift in the frequency of these peaks suggested no fluidization of epidermal lipids by lipid synthesis inhibitors. A direct correlation was observed between epidermal lipid synthesis inhibition, decrease in peak height or area, and percutaneous permeation of LD. Skin lipid synthesis inhibition by a combination of lipid synthesis inhibitors seems to offer a feasible approach for enhancing the transcutaneous delivery of LD. Published: October 24, 2005