Climatic Control on Forests and Tree Species Distribution in the Forest Region of Northeast China

North-east （NE） China covers considerable climatic gradients and all major forests types of NE Asia. in the present study, 10 major forest types across the forest region of NE China were sampled to Investigate forest distribution in relation to climate. Canonical correspondence analysis （CCA） revealed that growing season precipitation and energy availability were primary climatic factors for the overall forest pattern of NE China, accounting for 66% of the explanatory power of CCA. Conversely, annual precipitation and winter coldness had minor effects. Generalized additive models revealed that tree species responded to climatic gradients differently and showed three types of response curve： （i） monotonous decline; （ii） monotonous Increase; and （iii） a unimodai pattern. Furthermore, tree species showed remarkable differences in limiting climatic factors for their distribution. The power of climate in explaining species distribution declined significantly with decreasing species dominance, suggesting that the distribution of dominant species was primarily controlled by climate, whereas that of subordinate species was more affected by competition from other species.     

Research on characteristics of biomass distribution in urban forests of Shanghai metropolis based on remote sensing and spatial analysis北大核心CSCD

Aims Monitoring and quantifying the biomass and its distribution in urban trees and forests are crucial to understanding the role of vegetation in an urban environment. In this paper, an estimation method for biomass of urban forests was developed for the Shanghai metropolis, China, based on spatial analysis and a wide variety of data from field inventory and remote sensing. Methods An optimal regression model between forest biomass and auxiliary variables was established by stepwise regression analysis. The residual value of regression model was computed for each of the sites sampled and interpolated by Inverse-distance weighting (IDW) to predict residual errors of other sites not subjected to sampling. Forest biomass in the study area was estimated by combining the regression model based on remote sensing image data and residual errors of spatial distribution map. According to the distribution of plantations and management practices, a total of 93 sample plots were established between June 2011 and June 2012 in the Shanghai metropolis. To determine a suitable model, several spectral vegetation indices relating to forest biomass and structure such as normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), ratio vegetation index (RVI), difference vegetation index (DVI), soil-adjusted vegetation index (SAVI), and modified soil-adjusted vegetation index (MSAVI), and new images synthesized through band combinations such as the sum of TM2, TM3 and TM4 (denoted Band 234), and the sum of TM3, TM4 and TM5 (denoted Band 345) were used as alternative auxiliary parameters . Important findings The biomass density in urban forests of the Shanghai metropolis varied from 15 to 120 t•hm2. The higher densities of forest biomass concentrated mostly in the urban areas, e.g. in districts of Jing'an and Huangpu, mostly ranging from 35 to 70 t•hm2. Suburban localities such as the districts of Jiading and Qingpu had lower biomass densities at around 15 to 50 t•hm2. The biomass density of Cinnamomum camphora trees across the Shanghai metropolis varied between 20 and 110 t•hm2. The spatial biomass distribution of urban forests displayed a tendency of higher densities in northeastern areas and lower densities in southwestern areas. The total biomass was 3.57 million tons (Tg) for urban forests and 1.33 Tg for C. camphora trees. The overall forest biomass was also found to be distributed mostly in the suburban areas with a fraction of 93.9%, whereas the urban areas shared a fraction of only 6.1%. In terms of the areas, the suburban and urban forests accounted for 95.44% and 4.56%, respectively, of the total areas in the Shanghai metropolis. Among all the administrative districts, the Chongming county and the new district of Pudong had the highest and the second highest biomass, accounting for 20.1% and 19.18% of the total forest biomass, respectively. In contrast, the Jing'an district accounted for only 0.11% of the total forest biomass. The root-mean-square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE) and mean relative error (MRE) of the model for estimating urban forest biomass in this study were 8.39, 6.86 and 24.22%, respectively, decreasing by 57.69%, 55.43% and 64.00% compared to the original simple regression model and by 62.21%, 58.50%, 65.40% compared to the spatial analysis method. Our results indicated that a more efficient way to estimate urban forest biomass in the Shanghai metropolis might be achieved by combining spatial analysis with regression analysis. In fact, the estimated results based on the proposed model are also more comparable to the up-scaled forest inventory data at a city scale than the results obtained using regression analysis or spatial analysis alone.     

Modeling the Past and Current Distribution and Habitat Suitability for Ablepharus grayanus and A. pannonicus(Sauria: Scincidae)

Study of the climate variability in the past and present, and correlating those with changes in the distribution range of species has attracted considerable research interest. The genus Ablepharus consists of 10 recognized species, of which A. bivittatus, A. grayanus and A. pannonicus are documented from Iran. In the present study, we modeled with Max Ent the potential distribution areas and determined the suitable habitats in past(mid-Holocene [MH], and the Last Interglacial [LIG]) and their current distribution for two species of snake-eyed skinks(A. grayanus and A. pannonicus) separately. Models of the species indicated good fit by the average high area under the curve(AUC) values(A. grayanus= 0.929 ± 0.087 and A. pannonicus = 0.979 ± 0.007). Precipitation of the driest quarter of the year, mean temperature of the coldest quarter of the year, and precipitation of the driest month variables made important contributions to A. grayanus. Two important climate variables contributed importantly to A. pannonicus; temperature seasonality, and mean temperature of the wettest quarter of the year, and one topographic variable, slope. We conclude that these variables form a natural barrier for species dispersal. The MH and the LGM models indicated a larger suitable area than the current distribution.     

Variations and interrelationships of foliar hydraulic and photosynthetic traits for Larix gmelinii北大核心CSCD

Aims: Variations and potential trade-offs of leaf hydraulic and photosynthetic traits are essential for assessing and predicting the effect of climate change on tree survival, growth and distribution. Our aims were to examine variations and interrelationships of leaf hydraulic and photosynthetic traits in response to changes in site conditions for Dahurian larch (Larix gmelinii)-a dominant tree species in Chinese boreal forests. Methods: This study was conducted at the Maoershan Forest Ecosystem Research Station. A transect of 27 year-old Dahurian larch plantation was established that consisted of five plots extending from the valley to the ridge of a slope. The predawn leaf water potential (ψpre), area- and mass-based leaf hydraulic conductance (Karea and Kmass, respectively), resistance to embolism capacity (P50), leaf mass per area (LMA), net photosynthetic rate (A), and leaf nitrogen content (N) were measured in August 2016. Important findings: The ψpre, Karea, Kmass, P50, A, LMA, and N all varied significantly among the plots (p < 0.05), indicating significant intra-specific variations in these traits in response to the changes in site conditions. The P50 was significantly (p < 0.05) correlated with ψpre, Karea or Kmass, suggesting that a trade-off between hydraulic efficiency and safety exist within the species to some degree. There were significant (p < 0.05) pairwise correlations between A, LMA, and N. Nevertheless, there was no significant (p < 0.05) correlation between the measured photosynthetic traits and hydraulic traits. We concluded that the intra-specific variations and multiple interrelationships of the leaf hydraulic and photosynthetic traits for the larch reflect the plasticity of its leaf traits and strategies of its survival and growth as a result of its acclimation to diverse site conditions.     

Provincial distribution of three HIV-1 resistant polymorphisms (CCR5-Δ32, CCR2-64I, and SDF1-3' A) in China

CCR5-Δ2, CCR2-641, mutants in two chemokine receptors and SDF1-3' A, mutant in a ligand gene, can delay AIDS pathogenesis. The distribution of the three polymorphic loci was studied in 1 046 DNA samples from 26 provinces (cities) in China. No CCR5-Δ32 was observed. CCR2-64I and SDF1-3' A had reverse distribution cline from south to north in China, with average frequency of 20.8% and 24.8% respectively. Relative hazard was evaluated. Important information to the epidemiology of AIDS and the origin and spread of these polymorphic loci in Chinese was provided.     

Carbon storage,spatial distribution and the influence factors in Tianshan forests北大核心CSCD

Aims Accurate estimation of carbon density and storage is among the key challenges in evaluating ecosystem carbon sink potentials for reducing atmospheric CO2 concentration. It is also important for developing future conservation strategies and sustainable practices. Our objectives were to estimate the ecosystem carbon density and storage of Picea schrenkiana forests in Tianshan region of Xinjiang, and to analyze the spatial distribution and influencing factors. Methods Based on field measurements, the forest resource inventories, and laboratory analyses, we studied the carbon storage, its spatial distribution, and the potential influencing factors in Picea schrenkiana forest of Tianshan. Field surveys of 70 sites, with 800 m2 (28.3 m × 28.3 m) for plot size, was conducted in 2011 for quantifying arbor biomass (leaf, branch, trunk and root), grass and litterfall biomass, soil bulk density, and other laboratory analyses of vegetation carbon content, soil organic carbon content, etc. Important findings The carbon content of the leaf, branch, trunk and root of Picea schrenkiana is varied from 46.56% to 52.22%. The vegetation carbon content of arbor and the herbatious/litterfall layer was 49% and 42%, respectively. The forest biomass of Picea schrenkiana was 187.98 Mg•hm2, with 98.93% found in the arbor layer. The biomass in all layers was in the order of trunk (109.81 Mg•hm2) > root (39.79 Mg•hm2) > branch (23.62 Mg•hm2) > leaf (12.76 Mg•hm2). From the age-group point of view, the highest and the lowest biomass was found at the mature forest (228.74 Mg•hm2) and young forest (146.77 Mg•hm2), respectively. The carbon density and storage were 544.57 Mg•hm2 and 290.84 Tg C, with vegetation portion of 92.57 Mg•hm2 and 53.14 Tg C, and soil portion of 452.00 Mg•hm2 and 237.70 Tg C, respectively. The spatial distribution of carbon density and storage appeared higher in the western areas than those in the eastern regions. In the western Tianshan Mountains (e.g., Ili district), carbon density was the highest, whereas the central Tianshan Mountains (e.g., Manas County, Fukang City, Qitai County) also had high carbon density. In the eastern Tianshan Mountains (e.g., Hami City), it was low. This distribution seemed consistent with the changes in environmental conditions. The primary causes of carbon density difference might be a combined effects of multiple environmental factors such as terrain, precipitation, temperature, and soil.     

Finite Element Analysis of the Contact Mechanics of Ceramic-on-Ceramic Hip Resurfacing Prostheses

<正> Ceramics are good alternative to metal as bearing couple materials because of their better wear resistance. A Finite Element(FE) study was performed to investigate the contact mechanics and stress distribution of Ceramic-on-Ceramic (COC) hip resurfacingprostheses. It was focused in particular on a parametric study to examine the effects of radial clearance, loading,alumina coating on the implants, bone quality, and fixation of cup-bone interface. It was found that a reduction in the radialclearance had the most significant effect on the predicted contact pressure distribution among all of the parameters considered inthis study. It was determined that there was a significant influence of non-metallic materials, such as the bone underneath thebearing components, on the predicted contact mechanics. Stress shielding within the bone tissue was found to be a major concernwhen regarding the use of ceramic as an alternative to metallic resurfacing prostheses. Therefore, using alumina implantswith a metal backing was found to be the best design for ceramic resurfacing prostheses in this study. The loading, bone quality,and acetabular cup fixation conditions were found to have only minor effects on the predicted contact pressure distribution alongthe bearing surfaces.     

Histochemical study of the pre—and postnatal development of acetylcholinesterase in the rat spinal cord

The distribution of acetylcholinesterase(AChE)-positive structures in the developing rat spinal cord was studied with AChE-histochemistry.AChE-positive perikarya were first seen on embryonic day 14(E14) in the ventrolateral portion of the spinal cord.From that time onward.AChE=containing cells appeared gradually in the intermediate gray,dorsal horn and lateral spinal nucleus of the spinal cord in a ventral-to-dorsal,and lateral-to-medial order.No obvious rostral-to-caudal sequence was found.At birth,the distribution pattern of AChE-positive perikarya was basically similar to that in adults.After birth a dramatic increase in the AChE staining intensity extended from postnatal day 5(P5) to postnatal day 21(P21),In addition,two phases of transient AChE staining were observed in the external surface of the dorsal horn from embryonic day 15(E15) to embryonic day 21(E21) and in the marginal layer from embryonic day 21(E21) to postnatal day 14(P14),respectively.     

Drought adaptability of phreatophytes: insight from vertical root distribution in drylands of China

Aims The vertical distribution of plant roots is a comprehensive result of plant adaptation to the environment. Limited knowledge on fine vertical root distributions and complex interactions between roots and environmental variables hinders our ability to reliably predict climatic impacts on vegetation dynamics. This study attempts to understand the drought adaptability of plants in arid areas from the perspective of the relationship between vertical root distribution and surroundings.     

Characteristics of Triose Phosphate／Phosphate Translocator from Wheat and Its Role in the Distribution of Assimilates

In plants, triose phosphate/phosphate translocator (TPT) is the first regulation point forpartitioning of photosynthate between source and sink. Studies on the characteristic of TPT and itsregulation on the distribution of assimilates are critical for improving the utilization rate of photosyntheticassimilates. Chloroplasts with intactness of more than 91% and high purity were isolated from wheat( Triticurn aestivurn L. cv. Jing 411) leaves. Analysis of SDS-PAGE and labeling with an irreversible specificinhibitor, [H3]2^-DIDS (4, 4‘-diisothiocyano-2, 2‘-stilbenedisulfonate, DIDS) demonstrated that wheat TPTwas a chloroplast membrane protein with a 35 kD molecular weight, which comprised about 15% of the totalmembrane proteins of chloroplasts. Western blotting analysis showed that wheat TPT is uniquelydistributed in the envelope membrane of chloroplasts, but not detected in the membranes of vacuoles andmitochondria. The silicone-oil-layer centrifugation system was employed to study the kinetic properties ofTPT. The results showed that the maximal transport activity of TPT was the highest for dihydroxyacetonephosphate (DHAP)/inorganic phosphate (Pi), then for phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP)/Pi and glucose-6-phosphate (G6P)/Pi. The Km value of TPT was the lowest for DHAP, followed by Pi, PEP and G6P,therefore the most preferred substrate of TPT is DHAP. The transport of wheat TPT to DHAP was stronglyinhibited by DIDS with a degree of 95%. Inhibition of TPT transport activity led to an obvious accumulationof starch in chloroplasts, therefore the TPT protein of wheat controls the export of TP out of chloroplastsinto cytosol. Except for the need of participating in the Calvin cycle, the ratio of TP exported out ofchloroplast to the one used for synthesizing starch was at least 93.6:6.4. The TPT protein from wheat hasmuch high transport efficiency, which plays an important role in the regulation of the distribution ofassimilates in wheat chloroplasts.     

Phylogeny and Biogeography of Thuja L. （Cupressaceae）, an Eastern Asian and North American Disjunct Genus

In order to develop better insights into biogeographic patterns of eastern Asian and North American disjunct plant genera, sequences of nuclear ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer (nr DNAITS) region were used to estimate interspecific relationships of Thuja L. (Cupressaceae) and infer its biogeography based on the phylogeny. According to the phylogenetic analysis, two clades were recognized. The first clade included Thuja plicata D. Don (western North America) and T. koraiensis Nakai (northeastern Asia), and the second one contained T. occidentalis (Gord.) Cart. (Japan). The ancestral area of Thuja was inferred to be eastern Asia, and two dispersal events were responsible for the modern distribution of Thuja in North America. Both the North Atlantic land bridge and Bering land bridge were possible routes for the migration of ancestral populations to North America.     

Distribution and fate of anthropogenic nitrogen in the Calamagrostis angustifolia wetland ecosystem of Sanjiang Plain, Northeast China

Wetlands are important for the protection of water quality of rivers and lakes, especially those adjacent to agricultural landscapes, by intercepting and removing nutrients in runoff. In this study, the 15N tracer technique was applied to study the distribution and fate of anthropogenic nitrogen (15N-fertilizer) in Calamagrostis angustifolia Kom wetland plant-soil microcosms to identify the main ecological effects of it. 15NH415NO3 solution (14.93 mg N/L, 20.28 at.% 15N) was added to each microcosm of the first group, which was approximate to the current nitrogen concentration (CNC) of farm drainage, and 29.86 mg NIL 15NH415NO3 solution was added to another group, which was approximate to the double nitrogen concentration (DNC) of farm drainage, while no nitrogen (NN) was added to the third group. The results suggest that the Input of anthropogenic nitrogen has positive effects on the biomass and total nitrogen content of plant, and the positive effects will be elevated as the increase of its Input amount. The increase of 15N-fartilizer can also elevate its amounts and proportions in plant nitrogen. Soil nitrogen is still the main source of plant nitrogen, but its proportion will be reduced as the increase of 15N-fertilizer. The study of the fate of 15N-fartilizar indicates that, in CNC treatment, only a small proportion is water-dissolved (0.13±0.20%), a considerable proportion is soil-immobilized (17.02±8.62%), or plant-assimilated (23.70±0.92%), and most is lost by gaseous forms (59.15±8.35%). While in DNC treatment, about 0.09±0.15% is water-dissolved, 15.33±7.46% is soil-immobilized, 23.55±2.86% is plant-assimilated, and 61.01±5.59% is lost by gaseous forms. The double input of anthropogenic nitrogen can not elevate the proportions of plant-assimilation, soil-immobilization and water-dissolution,but it can enhance the gaseous losses.     

Group-specific phytoplankton biomass/dissolved carbohydrate relationships in the Gulf of Trieste (Northern Adriatic)

Distribution of carbohydrates (CHO) and photosynthetic pigments werestudied in the Gulf of Trieste, northern Adriatic Sea, during the period ofsummer stratification with a special emphasis on determining the impact ofthe taxonomic composition and concentration of phytoplankton biomass on thecarbohydrate levels in the water column. Dissolved total carbohydrates(DTCHO), dissolved monosaccharides (DMCHO) as well as particulatecarbohydrates (PTCHO) were determined using the colorimetric MBTH-method,while pigment biomarkers of the phytoplankton biomass were determined byreversed-phase HPLC. Concentrations of the total CHO (dissolved+particulate) varied in a wide range from 173 μg Cl^™1 to 1552 μg C l^™1. The percentage ofPTCHO in the total CHO concentration was relatively low(4–25%), indicating that the main pool of CHO was in thedissolved phase. The contribution of DTCHO to the total dissolved organiccarbon (DOC) in late summeontribution r was highly variable(10–65%) with an average value of 20 ± 14%, whilein early summer this percentage was somewhat lower and less variable (range11–23%; average 17± 3%). Analyses of biomarkerpigments revealed a very high diversity and a rather heterogenous verticaland spatial distribution of the phytoplankton biomass during the period ofsummer stratification. In September 1994, the predominant taxonomic groupsof phytoplankton were prymnesiophytes, diatoms, silicoflagellates,cyanobacteria and, especially in the bottom layer, dinoflagellates. Arelatively good correlation (r² =0.51) found betweenDTCHO and chl a suggested that DTCHO were mainly of phytoplankton origin.Furthermore, a concomitant increase of DTCHO with peridinin and fucoxanthinindicated that dinoflagellates and diatoms had a decisive impact on CHOlevels in the water column. By contrast, early summer phytoplankton (June),which was dominated by prymnesiophytes, exhibited a comparatively lowerimpact on the CHO distribution. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Effect of the Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass (YSCWM) on distribution of bacterioplankton

Four surveys were carried out in August 2001, and in August, September and October 2002 in the southern Yellow Sea, China. Bacterioplankton abundance and biomass were quantified along the transects from Qingdao, China to the Korean island of Jeju. In this paper, the author describes the distribution of bacterioplankton and predatory pressures, and also discusses the impact of Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass (YSCWM) on the distribution of bacterioplankton. The range of Synechococcus biomass was 0.78–33.49 mg C/m³ (on average 6.26 mg C/m³), and heterotrophic bacteria biomass was 1.58–21.25 mg C/m³ (on average 5.79 mg C/m³, n=197). In the vertical direction, the distribution order of Synechococcus biomass was mid-layer>surface>bottom, and the one of heterotrophic bacteria biomass was surface>mid-layer>bottom. The contribution of Synechococcus to the total phytoplankton biomass (SB/PB) ranged from 2% to 99% (on average 42.5%), and the ratio of heterotrophic bacterial biomass to phytoplankton biomass (HBB/PB) was from 5% to 637% (on average 85%). Daily variations of bacterioplankton biomass at anchor stations showed that the maximal Synechococcus biomass was 8.8 times the minimum, and it was 2.8 times in heterotrophic bacterial biomass. The distribution of bacterioplankton accorded with temperature and salinity, and the minimum of bacterioplankton biomass occurred in the YSCWM waters. At the same time, the microzooplankton (20–200 μm) preyed on Synechococcus in these waters, with the ingestion rate of about 0.20–0.42/d.     

Effect of the Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass (YSCWM) on distribution of bacterioplankton

Four surveys were carried out in August 2001, and in August, September and October 2002 in the southern Yellow Sea, China. Bacterioplankton abundance and biomass were quantified along the transects from Qingdao, China to the Korean island of Jeju. In this paper, the author describes the distribution of bacterioplankton and predatory pressures, and also discusses the impact of Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass (YSCWM) on the distribution of bacterioplankton. The range of Synechococcus biomass was 0.78–33.49 mg C/m³ (on average 6.26 mg C/m³), and heterotrophic bacteria biomass was 1.58–21.25 mg C/m³ (on average 5.79 mg C/m³, n=197). In the vertical direction, the distribution order of Synechococcus biomass was mid-layer>surface>bottom, and the one of heterotrophic bacteria biomass was surface>mid-layer>bottom. The contribution of Synechococcus to the total phytoplankton biomass (SB/PB) ranged from 2% to 99% (on average 42.5%), and the ratio of heterotrophic bacterial biomass to phytoplankton biomass (HBB/PB) was from 5% to 637% (on average 85%). Daily variations of bacterioplankton biomass at anchor stations showed that the maximal Synechococcus biomass was 8.8 times the minimum, and it was 2.8 times in heterotrophic bacterial biomass. The distribution of bacterioplankton accorded with temperature and salinity, and the minimum of bacterioplankton biomass occurred in the YSCWM waters. At the same time, the microzooplankton (20–200 μm) preyed on Synechococcus in these waters, with the ingestion rate of about 0.20–0.42/d.     

Ecological Niche Divergence between Trapelus ruderatus(Olivier,1807) and T.persicus(Blanford,1881)(Sauria:Agamidae) in the Middle East

Modeling the potential distribution areas for a given species is important in understanding the relationship between the actual distribution and the most suitable habitat for a species. In this study, we obtained all available records of Trapelus ruderatus and Trapelus persicus from museums, literature and fieldwork and used them with environmental layers in the Maximum Entropy algorithm to predict highly suitable habitat areas. The distribution model of T. ruderatus and T. persicus showed excellent performance for both models(T.ruderatus AUC =0.964 ± 0.001 and T.persicus AUC = 0.996 ± 0.003), and predicted suitable regions in Iran, Turkey, Iraq and Syria. Niche overlap was measured between the two groups by ENMtools and 13% overlapped. We used a niche identity test to determine differences between the niches of the two species. Finally, by comparing our null hypothesis to the true niche overlap of the two species, we were able to reject our null hypothesis of no difference between the niches. Due to the sympatric distribution pattern of these species, we do not need a background test for niche divergence.     

Above- and belowground biomass in relation to environmental factors in temperate grasslands, Inner Mongolia

Above- and belowground biomasses of grasslands are important parameters for characterizing re- gional and global carbon cycles in grassland ecosystems. Compared with the relatively detailed in- formation for aboveground biomass (AGB), belowground biomass (BGB) is poorly reported at the re- gional scales. The present study, based on a total of 113 sampling sites in temperate grassland of the Inner Mongolia, investigated regional distribution patterns of AGB, BGB, vertical distribution of roots, and their relationships with environmental factors. AGB and BGB increased from the southwest to the northeast of the study region. The largest biomass occurred in meadow steppe, with mean AGB and BGB of 196.7 and 1385.2 g/m2, respectively; while the lowest biomass occurred in desert steppe, with an AGB of 56.6 g/m2 and a BGB of 301.0 g/m2. In addition, about 47% of root biomass was distributed in the top 10 cm soil. Further statistical analysis indicated that precipitation was the primary determinant factor in shaping these distribution patterns. Vertical distribution of roots was significantly affected by precipitation, while the effects of soil texture and grassland types were weak.     

Distribution of α-D-mannose residue on zona pellucida and its role(s) in fertilization in pigs

The present study aims to identify the distribution of α-D-mannose residues on zona pellucida (ZP) and their role(s) in fertilization in pigs. In experiment 1, in vitro matured pig oocytes were freed from cu- mulus cells and treated with fluorescein isothiocyanate-labelled Lens culinaris (FITC-LCA), a D-mannose specific binding lectin. After 30 min of treatment, LCA bound evenly throughout the ZP with strong fluorescence. In experiment 2, when LCA-treated oocytes were used for in vitro fertilization, the number of sperm bound to ZP was significantly decreased, and sperm penetration was almost com- pletely blocked. In experiment 3, polysaccharide mannan was added to the in vitro fertilization medium as a competitive inhibitor. Both the number of sperm bound to ZP and the rate of fertilized oocytes were significantly reduced in the mannan-treated group compared with the control group. In experiment 4, spermatozoa were incubated with mannan in vitro. The number of acrosome-reacted spermatozoa was evidently increased in a time-dependent manner during the incubation. These results suggest that α-D-mannose residues presenting on pig ZP might be an important component of sperm receptor and might induce sperm acrosome reaction and thus facilitate the sperm penetration into the ZP.