Phenetic Relationship of Rubber Tree Clones

Twenty clones of the breeding population of Hevea brasiliensis were evaluated for phenetic diversity. The test-clones included six clones developed in Nigeria, ten Malaysian clones, two clones from Indonesia and a clone from each of Brazil and Sri Lanka. Data collected on fifteen seed characters in 1998 and 1999 were utilized for multivariate analysis. Cluster analysis of data matrix of clonal mean seed characters was conducted to produce principal component axes, dendrograms and Tocher's clusters in 1998, 1999 and the combined data. There was taxonomic isolation of the recent collection from Brazil (IAN 710) from the other clones that are either members or descendants of the Wickham collection of 1876. There was a continuum of phenetic diversity from the highly divergent to the closely related pairs of clones. The highly divergent clones are expected to produce heterotic progenies in crosses while crosses among clones with close phenetic similarity should be avoided. This will guide against inbreeding depression and genetic erosion. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

SSR分子标记在橡胶树栽培品种鉴定中的应用

橡胶树是我国重要的热带经济作物,主要通过形态特征进行品种鉴定,但橡胶树品种间形态差异较小,品种鉴定难度较大.为建立一种快速、稳定且准确的橡胶树品种鉴定方法,本研究从426对橡胶树SSR引物中筛选出5对产物清晰且扩增稳定的引物组成核心引物对,利用高通量基因分型技术构建了129份橡胶树品种的特异DNA指纹图谱,5对引物共扩...     

Population Fluctuation of Three Parasitic Nematodes in Florida Citrus

In Florida, Tylenchulus semipenetrans on citrus has two high and two low population levels each year. High levels occur in April-May and November-December, and low levels, in February-March and August-September. Population increases occur about 4-5 weeks after the spring and fall flush of root growth. Populations of Pratylenchus coffeae on citrus varied widely, and were not related to season. Populations of P. brachyurus showed seasonal variation with a high in June-July and a low in March-May. Males of T. semipenetrans and P. coffeae were found throughout the year, whereas males of P. brachyurus were rare and were found only during November and December.     

Citrus Tree Decline Caused by Pratylenchus coffeae

The pathogenic effects of Pratylenchus coffeae on growth and yield of tangelo (Citrus paradisi × C. reticulata) scions grafted on rough lemon (C jambhiri), sour orange (C. aurantium) and ''Cleopatra'' mandarin (C. reticulata) rootstocks were evaluated under field conditions for 4 years. Pratylenchus coffeae on inoculated trees increased to significantly damaging population densities on rough lemon rootstock the second year, on sour orange the third and on Cleopatra mandarin the fourth year after planting. Mean growth reduction of P. coffeae-infected trees after 4 years was 80, 77 and 49%, respectively, for the three rootstocks. Noninoculated trees on rough lemon and sour orange rootstocks yielded significantly more fruit than comparable inoculated trees. Natural migration of P. coffeae occurred horizontally on roots for a distance of 4.5 m.     

Bacteria May Cope Differently from Similar Membrane Damage Caused by the Australian Tree Frog Antimicrobial Peptide Maculatin 1.1

Maculatin 1.1 (Mac1) is an antimicrobial peptide from the skin of Australian tree frogs and is known to possess selectivity toward Gram-positive bacteria. Although Mac1 has membrane disrupting activity, it is not known how Mac1 selectively targets Gram-positive over Gram-negative bacteria. The interaction of Mac1 with Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and human red blood cells (hRBC) and with their mimetic model membranes is here reported. The peptide showed a 16-fold greater growth inhibition activity against S. aureus (4 μm) than against E. coli (64 μm) and an intermediate cytotoxicity against hRBC (30 μm). Surprisingly, Sytox Green uptake monitored by flow cytometry showed that Mac1 compromised both bacterial membranes with similar efficiency at ∼20-fold lower concentration than the reported minimum inhibition concentration against S. aureus. Mac1 also reduced the negative potential of S. aureus and E. coli membrane with similar efficacy. Furthermore, liposomes mimicking the cell membrane of S. aureus (POPG/TOCL) and E. coli (POPE/POPG) were lysed at similar concentrations, whereas hRBC-like vesicles (POPC/SM/Chol) remained mostly intact in the presence of Mac1. Remarkably, when POPG/TOCL and POPE/POPG liposomes were co-incubated, Mac1 did not induce leakage from POPE/POPG liposomes, suggesting a preference toward POPG/TOCL membranes that was supported by surface plasma resonance assays. Interestingly, circular dichroism spectroscopy showed a similar helical conformation in the presence of the anionic liposomes but not the hRBC mimics. Overall, the study showed that Mac1 disrupts bacterial membranes in a similar fashion before cell death events and would preferentially target S. aureus over E. coli or hRBC membranes.     

Rubber Hand Illusion Reduces Discomfort Caused by Cold Stimulus

There is a growing interest in body-ownership disruptions and their consequences for subjective experiences such as tactile sensations or pain. Here, we investigated the effect of the rubber hand illusion (RHI) on the perceived discomfort caused by cold stimulus applied to the real hand. The results showed reduced discomfort to cold reflected in behavioural and subjective measures. The stronger the illusion, the later the cold temperature became unpleasant and the less intense the experience was rated. We discuss the link between thermoception and body ownership as well as possible theoretical and methodological implications for studies on pain experience under RHI.     

Population Growth and Damage Caused by Rhopalosiphum padi (L.) (Hemiptera, Aphididae) on Different Cultivars and Phenological Stages of Wheat

Among the aphids associated with wheat and other winter cereals, Rhopalosiphum padi (L.) is currently the predominant species in the wheat growing region of southern Brazil. The damage caused by this aphid occurs by direct feeding and/or by the transmission of pathogenic viruses, such as the Barley/Cereal yellow dwarf virus. In order to estimate the direct damage caused by R. padi on wheat, we evaluated the population growth of this aphid during the tillering and elongation stages and its effects on grain yield components. The experiment was conducted in a screenhouse with three wheat cultivars (BRS Guabiju, BRS Timbaúva, and Embrapa 16). The effect of a period of 16 days, starting from an infestation of 40 aviruliferous aphids/plant, was evaluated and compared to non-infested plants. In both stages, the population growth of R. padi was lower on the BRS Timbaúva. Although infestation caused a reduction in the grain yield of the three cultivars, this effect was lower for BRS Timbaúva. The cultivar Embrapa 16 supported higher infestations and was more tolerant to damage than the BRS Guabiju.     

维生素C·Cu·菲咯啉系统对DNA的定位损伤

维生素Ｃ·Ｃｕ·菲咯啉系统对ＤＮＡ的定位损伤柯德森,王爱国,罗广华（中国科学院华南植物研究所,广州５１０６５０）关键词活性氧;ＤＮＡ;定位损伤活性氧对ＤＮＡ的损伤已经被很多工作所证实”””,这种伤害是由０Ｂ”直接作用于ＤＮＡ所引起的”’“。但是ＯＨ’...     

野生动物致害补偿问题探析

近年来野生动物致害事件频繁发生,《野生动物保护法》对救济问题作了原则性规定,但从实施情况来看,存在着补偿主体不明确、标准不明确等问题.要解决这些问题,首先要正确界定致害“补偿”的性质.在此基础上提出构建我国野生动物致害生态补偿的设想,对缓解日益激化的人与野生动物的矛盾有重要的意义.     

Structural and Functional Damage Caused by Boron Deficiency in Sunflower Leaves

Boron deficiency induced a dramatic inhibition in sunflower plant growth, shown by a reduction in dry mass of roots and shoots of plants grown for 10 d in nutrient solution supplied with 0.02 μM B. This low B supply facilitated the appearance of brown purple pigmentation on the plant leaves over the entire growth period. Compared to B-sufficient (BS) leaves, leakage from B-deficient (BD) leaves was 20 fold higher for potassium, 38 fold for sucrose, and 6 fold for phenolic compounds. High level of membrane peroxidation was detected by measuring peroxidase activities as well as peroxidative products in BD sunflower plants. Soluble and bound peroxidase activities measured in BD thylakoid membranes were accelerated two fold compared to those detected in BS-membranes. No detectable change in soluble peroxidase activity in roots whereas a 4 fold stimulation in bound peroxidase activity was detected. Thylakoid membranes subjected to low B supply showed enhancement in lipoxygenase activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) content in parallel with 40 and 30 % decrease of linoleic and linolenic acid contents (related to total unsaturated fatty acids). A slower rate of Hill reaction activity (40 %) and a suppressed flow of electron transfer of the whole chain (30 %) were detected in BD thylakoid membranes. This reduction was accompanied with a decline in the activity of photosystem 2 shown by a diminished rate of oxygen evolution (42 %) coupled with a quenching (27.5 %) in chlorophyll a fluorescence emission spectra at 685 nm (F₆₈₅). Thus B is an important element for membrane maintenance, protection, and function by minimizing or limiting production of free oxygen radicals in thylakoid membranes of sunflower leaves. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Structural and Functional Damage Caused by Boron Deficiency in Sunflower Leaves

Photosynthetica - Boron deficiency induced a dramatic inhibition in sunflower plant growth, shown by a reduction in dry mass of roots and shoots of plants grown for 10 d in nutrient solution...     

Population Size,Clones and Morphogenesis in Naegleria gruberi*

SYNOPSIS. The size of the population of Naegleria gruberi at the time the amoebae are offered the opportunity to become flagellated is not a critical factor in the morphogenesis of this organism. Small populations (1-15 cells) readily become flagellated. Small populations (1-5 cells) washed several times also become flagellated. Clonal populations (25) have been established. All clones yield flagellates under the usual conditions. It is suggested that the physiological state of the amoebae is a factor in determining the number of cells that will undergo morphogenesis at any given time.     

A Kinetic Model for Cell Damage Caused by Oligomer Formation

It is well known that the formation of amyloid fiber may cause invertible damage to cells, although the underlying mechanism has not been fully understood. In this article, a microscopic model considering the detailed processes of amyloid formation and cell damage is constructed based on four simple assumptions, one of which is that cell damage is raised by oligomers rather than mature fibrils. By taking the maximum entropy principle, this microscopic model in the form of infinite mass-action equations together with two reaction-convection partial differential equations (PDEs) has been greatly coarse-grained into a macroscopic system consisting of only five ordinary differential equations (ODEs). With this simple model, the effects of primary nucleation, elongation, fragmentation, and protein and seeds concentration on amyloid formation and cell damage have been extensively explored and compared with experiments. We hope that our results will provide new insights into the quantitative linkage between amyloid formation and cell damage.     

牙齿充填材料吸湿率损伤数值模拟

通过建立三维有限元单胞模型, 考虑界面脱胶损伤效应, 对羟基磷灰石颗粒增强Bis-GMA/TEGDMA聚合物在吸湿作用下的损伤场进行了研究。文中建立了3种不同的单胞模型, 分别用来研究不同的颗粒含量、粘结强度和吸湿率对界面脱胶损伤的影响, 重点放在应力分布形式和应力传递方式。采用有损和无损伤模型预测了牙齿充填材料的杨氏模量和断裂强度, 结果显示考虑脱胶损伤时, 模拟结果与现有的实验数据相吻合。同时就应力传递屏蔽作用进行了对比研究, 并将FCC单胞模型推广, 用于预测承受三点弯曲测试的临界载荷。     

Transmission and Retention of Salmonella enterica by Phytophagous Hemipteran Insects

Several pest insects of human and livestock habitations are known as vectors of Salmonella enterica; however, the role of plant-feeding insects as vectors of S. enterica to agricultural crops remains unexamined. Using a hemipteran insect pest-lettuce system, we investigated the potential for transmission and retention of S. enterica. Specifically, Macrosteles quadrilineatus and Myzus persicae insects were fed S. enterica-inoculated lettuce leaf discs or artificial liquid diets confined in Parafilm sachets to allow physical contact or exclusively oral ingestion of the pathogen, respectively. After a 24-h acquisition access period, insects were moved onto two consecutive noninoculated leaf discs or liquid diets and allowed a 24-h inoculation access period on each of the two discs or sachets. Similar proportions of individuals from both species ingested S. enterica after a 24-h acquisition access period from inoculated leaf discs, but a significantly higher proportion of M. quadrilineatus retained the pathogen internally after a 48-h inoculation access period. S. enterica was also recovered from the honeydew of both species. After a 48-h inoculation access period, bacteria were recovered from a significantly higher proportion of honeydew samples from M. quadrilineatus than from M. persicae insects. The recovery of S. enterica from leaf discs and liquid diets postfeeding demonstrated that both species of insects were capable of transmitting the bacteria in ways that are not limited to mechanical transmission. Overall, these results suggest that phytophagous insects may serve as potential vectors of S. enterica in association with plants.     

Intra- and Trans-Generational Costs of Reduced Female Body Size Caused by Food Limitation Early in Life in Mites

Background

Food limitation early in life may be compensated for by developmental plasticity resulting in accelerated development enhancing survival at the expense of small adult body size. However and especially for females in non-matching maternal and offspring environments, being smaller than the standard may incur considerable intra- and trans-generational costs.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Here, we evaluated the costs of small female body size induced by food limitation early in life in the sexually size-dimorphic predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis. Females are larger than males. These predators are adapted to exploit ephemeral spider mite prey patches. The intra- and trans-generational effects of small maternal body size manifested in lower maternal survival probabilities, decreased attractiveness for males, and a reduced number and size of eggs compared to standard-sized females. The trans-generational effects of small maternal body size were sex-specific with small mothers producing small daughters but standard-sized sons.

Conclusions/Significance

Small female body size apparently intensified the well-known costs of sexual activity because mortality of small but not standard-sized females mainly occurred shortly after mating. The disadvantages of small females in mating and egg production may be generally explained by size-associated morphological and physiological constraints. Additionally, size-assortative mate preferences of standard-sized mates may have rendered small females disproportionally unattractive mating partners. We argue that the sex-specific trans-generational effects were due to sexual size dimorphism – females are the larger sex and thus more strongly affected by maternal stress than the smaller males – and to sexually selected lower plasticity of male body size.     

重金属胁迫引起的水稻和小麦幼苗DNA损伤

供试浓度的重金属Cu2 、Cd2 和Hg2 能在不同程度上导致水稻和小麦DNA损伤。 (1)Hg2 ≥ 0 .0 2 5mmol L、Cu2 和Cd2 ≥ 0 .1mmol L处理使水稻幼苗期外DNA合成速率显著高于对照 ,且当Cu2 、Cd2 和Hg2 浓度进一步增高时 ,水稻幼苗期外DNA合成速率呈现先上升而后较最大值有所下降的规律。 (2 ) 0 .1～1.0mmol L的Cu2 及 0 .1mmol L的Cd2 、Hg2 能引起水稻、小麦叶内DNA和蛋白质交联 ,并且这种和DNA交联的蛋白质易被胰蛋白酶水解。 (3) 0 .1～ 1.0mmol L的Hg2 及 1.0mmol L的Cd2 还能使水稻、小麦叶片内DNA链间发生交联     

Leaf Volatiles Induced by Mechanical Damage from Diverse Taxonomic Tree Species

Plant volatiles induced by wounding play key roles in plant-insect and plant-plant interactions. To deeply understand the mechanism of their induction by wounding and their functions in interplant communications, four diverse tree species: ashleaf maples ( Acer negundo L.), hankow willow ( Salix matsudana Koidz.), Chinese white poplar ( Populus tomentosa Carr.) and poplar opera 8277　( P. simonii×P. pyramibalis cv.), were used as materials. The blends of volatiles collected after damage were detected with GC-MS. Most of the induced compounds reach high concentrations in 5 h. They are acyclic monoterpenes, fatty acid derivatives, and aromatic compounds. To authors' knowledge, dimethyl adipate, diisobutyl succinate and benthothiazole have never been reported in previous herbivore insect-plant systems. After being damaged 2 h, green leaf volatiles were released in large amount. The repellents were detected in higher concentration after 24 h. The time of releasing is different within different species, but many kinds of volatiles widely existed in different trees. There were some difference among species. Health ashleaf maple released more terpenoids, but poplars and willow produced more aromatic compounds.