Isolation of alkane‐degrading bacteria from deep‐sea Mediterranean sediments

Aims: To isolate and identify alkane‐degrading bacteria from deep‐sea superficial sediments sampled at a north‐western Mediterranean station. Methods and Results: Sediments from the water/sediment interface at a 2400 m depth were sampled with a multicorer at the ANTARES site off the French Mediterranean coast and were promptly enriched with Maya crude oil as the sole source of carbon and energy. Alkane‐degrading bacteria belonging to the genera Alcanivorax, Pseudomonas, Marinobacter, Rhodococcus and Clavibacter‐like were isolated, indicating that the same groups were potentially involved in hydrocarbon biodegradation in deep sea as in coastal waters. Conclusions: These results confirm that members of Alcanivorax are important obligate alkane degraders in deep‐sea environments and coexist with other degrading bacteria inhabiting the deep‐subsurface sediment of the Mediterranean. Significance and Impact of the Study: The results suggest that the isolates obtained have potential applications in bioremediation strategies in deep‐sea environments and highlight the need to identify specific piezophilic hydrocarbon‐degrading bacteria (HCB) from these environments.     

A cost of maternal care in the dung beetle Onthophagus taurus?

Parental care theory assumes that investment in current offspring will trade against future investment. A number of field studies on birds have used clutch size manipulations to demonstrate a survival cost to chick rearing. However, such studies do not account for costs accrued during earlier stages of reproduction because not all aspects of reproductive effort are manipulated by varying the number of nestlings. In this study, we investigate the effect of reproductive effort on female survival in the dung beetle, Onthophagus taurus. By experimentally manipulating mating status and dung availability, we demonstrate that virgin females survive longer than mated females and that the survival of mated females was negatively associated with the number of brood masses produced. Using a novel manipulation of the mating system, we separated the effects of egg production and maternal care on female survival. Previously, we have shown that females provisioning with the assistance of a major male provide relatively less care than unassisted females. However, paternal assistance did not alter the number of brood masses produced and hence the amount of reproductive effort that was allocated to egg production. Therefore, our finding that female survival was increased when receiving paternal assistance provides, to our knowledge, the first definitive evidence that maternal care reduces female lifespan. These results are of major importance to theoretical models on the evolution of parental care.     

环境雌激素的微生物降解

雌激素作为环境内分泌干扰物的一类重要物质,生物降解法是最为经济、最为绿色和最为适用的去除方法。通过分析雌激素的主要来源和危害、国内外雌激素降解菌的筛选与鉴定、类固醇雌激素降解酶的表达与检测、雌激素降解菌的基因组学特征以及雌激素的降解途径和机制,进一步阐述了雌激素生物降解的研究现状与进展,对未来的研究工作作出了展望。     

纤维素降解菌的筛选与复合菌系的初步构建

目的 针对大庆地区土地盐碱化较严重,盐碱面积较大等现状,从大庆特征性盐碱地区土壤样品中分离出能够降解纤维素的菌株,为降解植物废料以及缓解土壤盐碱化改善土壤环境提供功能菌株。方法 通过刚果红染色法初步筛得到具有纤维素降解能力菌株,进一步用比色法测定其纤维素降解率,同时测定菌株耐盐、耐碱、产酸性能,选择性能优良的3株菌作为纤维素降解菌复合菌系构建菌株,通过耐盐性、耐碱性和纤维素降解率实验测定复合菌系菌株最佳组合,进一步通过上述实验确定复合菌系菌株最佳混合比例。结果 得到由DX-5和DX-9按照2∶3进行组合复合菌系纤维素降解率最高,达到87.96%,且具有较高的耐盐以及耐碱能力。结论 通过实验得到纤维素降解菌的复合菌系,具有较高纤维素降解率以及改善土壤盐碱性能力。     

火柴头（Commelina benghalensis）实生植株资源配置及繁殖代价

火柴头具有地上和地下生殖枝开花结实的特性,产生地上大、小种子和地下大、小种子4种不同类型的种子.对4种类型种子实生植株的研究表明,4种类型种子实生植株个体水平上对新种群的贡献具有差异,地上大种子表现为最大,地下小种子则最小;4种类型种子实生植株在资源的繁殖配置上存在着差异,大种子尤其地上大种子对有性繁殖的资源分配最大,而地下小种子最小,这种差异又决定了在繁殖投资和繁殖代价上的差异,小种子特别是地下小种子实生植株的繁殖投资最小,而大种子特别是地上大种子实生植株的繁殖投资最大;从繁殖代价来看,大种子实生植株的繁殖代价之间差异不显著,而大种子实生植株的繁殖代价显著小于小种子实生植株的,地上小种子实生植株的繁殖代价显著小于地下小种子实生植株的.