Midge-inferred Holocene summer temperatures in Southeastern British Columbia,Canada

Using fossil midge stratigraphies, we inferred Holocene summer temperatures at three subalpine lakes in eastern British Columbia. The late-glacial sediment indicated cool conditions, with an abundance of Microspectra atrofasciata/radialis type fossils at Thunder Lake and Redmountain Lake, and Sergentia at Windy Lake. Sergentia and Tanytarsus lugens/Corynocera oliveri type were dominant in the early Holocene, together with Chironomus at Redmountain Lake. At Thunder and Windy lakes, the early Holocene was dominated by warm-adapted taxa such as Microtendipes. Quantitative midge-temperature inference models reconstruct a 4 to 8 °C rise in mean July air temperature for Windy and Thunder lakes at the Pleistocene/Holocene transition. Early-Holocene temperatures averaged 3 to 4 °C warmer than those extant today. In contrast, no long-term temperature trend was evident at Redmountain Lake. This site may not reflect actual trends in air temperature due to runoff from a persistent snow pack in the watershed. Comparison of midge and pollen data suggests an inverse relationship between summer temperature and precipitation through the middle to late Holocene.     

Pollen dispersal and long distance transport: the case of thermophilic pollen in subarctic Canada

At Kuujjuarapik, on the eastern coast of Hudson Bay (Canada), thermophilic tree pollens, all of long distance origin, are found in low concentrations, but throughout the pollen season. A Cour impaction pollen trap has allowed us to obtain statistically significant concentrations. The analysis of the origins of synchronous air masses by back-trajectories shows that the weekly variations of thermophilic pollens can be linked to air masses coming either from northern regions (Alaska or Beaufort Sea) for minima, and southern regions (Gulf of Mexico) for maxima.     

Complex Population Structure of Borrelia burgdorferi in Southeastern and South Central Canada as Revealed by Phylogeographic Analysis

Lyme disease, caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferisensu stricto, is an emerging zoonotic disease in Canada and is vectored by the blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis. Here we used Bayesian analyses of sequence types (STs), determined by multilocus sequence typing (MLST), to investigate the phylogeography of B. burgdorferi populations in southern Canada and the United States by analyzing MLST data from 564 B. burgdorferi-positive samples collected during surveillance. A total of 107 Canadian samples from field sites were characterized as part of this study, and these data were combined with existing MLST data for samples from the United States and Canada. Only 17% of STs were common between both countries, while 49% occurred only in the United States, and 34% occurred only in Canada. However, STs in southeastern Ontario and southwestern Quebec were typically identical to those in the northeastern United States, suggesting a recent introduction into this region from the United States. In contrast, STs in other locations in Canada (the Maritimes; Long Point, Ontario; and southeastern Manitoba) were frequently unique to those locations but were putative descendants of STs previously found in the United States. The picture in Canada is consistent with relatively recent introductions from multiple refugial populations in the United States. These data thus point to a geographic pattern of populations of B. burgdorferi in North America that may be more complex than simply comprising northeastern, midwestern, and Californian groups. We speculate that this reflects the complex ecology and spatial distribution of key reservoir hosts.     

Return of Salmon-Derived Nutrients from the Riparian Zone to the Stream during a Storm in Southeastern Alaska

Spawning salmon deliver nutrients (salmon-derived nutrients, SDN) to natal watersheds that can be incorporated into terrestrial and aquatic food webs, potentially increasing ecosystem productivity. Peterson Creek, a coastal watershed in southeast Alaska that supports several species of anadromous fish, was sampled over the course of a storm during September 2006 to test the hypothesis that stormflows re-introduce stored SDN into the stream. We used stable isotopes and PARAFAC modeling of fluorescence excitation–emission spectroscopy to detect flushing of DOM from salmon carcasses in the riparian zone back into a spawning stream. During the early storm hydrograph, streamwater concentrations of NH₄–N and total dissolved phosphorus (TDP), the fluorescent protein tyrosine and the δ¹⁵N content of DOM peaked, followed by a rapid decrease during maximum stormflow. Although δ¹⁵N has previously been used to track SDN in riparian zones, the use of fluorescence spectroscopy provides an independent indicator that SDN are being returned from the riparian zone to the stream after a period of intermediate storage outside the stream channel. Our findings further demonstrate the utility of using both δ¹⁵N of streamwater DOM and fluorescence spectroscopy with PARAFAC modeling to monitor how the pool of streamwater DOM changes in spawning salmon streams.     

Pollen stratigraphy of holocene sediments from the grand rapids area,Manitoba, Canada

Two sections of sediments from a shallow lake on The Pas moraine gave a ¹⁴C age of 7 220 ± 110 years, a likely minimum age for the recession of Glacial Lake Agassiz II. Three pollen zones are recognized as follows: Zone 1, from 7 300 to about 6 200 B.P., dominated by NAP(40–75%) with 6–22% spruce, 1–10% juniper and minor proportions of other trees, interpreted as a treeless vegetation, except for scattered spruce, dominated by juniper, grasses, sagebush and herbs. Zone 2, from 6 200 to 3 500 B.P., dominated by pine, with a mixed forest of poplar, pine and spruce. Zone 3, an assemblage occurring from 3 500 B.P. to the present, consisting of spruce, pine and birch, representing the modern mixed boreal forest. These findings agree with archaeological data suggesting a shift from a plains to a woodland culture.     

Problems Encountered in the Culture of Isolated Pollen of a Burley Cultivar of Nicotiana tabacum

Pollen isolated from anthers of a Burley cultivar of N. tabacumby an anther homogenization procedure failed in culture to retainviability and produce plantlets even when isolation was precededby 14 d of anther preculture. By surgical manipulation of anthersprior to their culture it was shown that pollen viability wasvery sensitive to injury caused to the anther wall. Plantletscould be obtained however by culture of anthers in which oneor both pollen sacs had been carefully opened along the dehisenceline (DL). The somewhat lower yield of plantlets from such antherscompared to that from intact anthers is considered to resultnot from any change in the atmospheric environment of the pollenas a result of opening the pollen sac but from the inabilityin every case to keep the incisions strictly along the dehiscenceline. Pollen isolated from 14 d precultured anthers by this DL techniquewas able to yield plantlets when cultured in a simple definedmedium. However DL-isolated grains from 4 d precultured anthersfailed to retain viability in culture. It is concluded that pollen of this cultivar suffers severeinjury when isolated by the homogenization method and that thiscan be overcome by the DL technique. However conditions of culturehave not been established which reproduce for this cultivarthe nutritional conditions operating within the anther duringits early period in culture and which are essential to plantletformation.     

Growing Pollen Tubes Possess a Constitutive Alkaline Band in the Clear Zone and a Growth-dependent Acidic Tip

Using both the proton selective vibrating electrode to probe the extracellular currents and ratiometric wide-field fluorescence microscopy with the indicator 2′,7′-bis-(2-carboxyethyl)-5-(and-6)-carboxyfluorescein (BCECF)-dextran to image the intracellular pH, we have examined the distribution and activity of protons (H⁺) associated with pollen tube growth. The intracellular images reveal that lily pollen tubes possess a constitutive alkaline band at the base of the clear zone and an acidic domain at the extreme apex. The extracellular observations, in close agreement, show a proton influx at the extreme apex of the pollen tube and an efflux in the region that corresponds to the position of the alkaline band. The ability to detect the intracellular pH gradient is strongly dependent on the concentration of exogenous buffers in the cytoplasm. Thus, even the indicator dye, if introduced at levels estimated to be of 1.0 μM or greater, will dissipate the gradient, possibly through shuttle buffering. The apical acidic domain correlates closely with the process of growth, and thus may play a direct role, possibly in facilitating vesicle movement and exocytosis. The alkaline band correlates with the position of the reverse fountain streaming at the base of the clear zone, and may participate in the regulation of actin filament formation through the modulation of pH-sensitive actin binding proteins. These studies not only demonstrate that proton gradients exist, but that they may be intimately associated with polarized pollen tube growth.     

拟南芥花粉活力的测定及其在花粉发育研究中的应用

花粉发育是植物生活周期中一个重要且复杂的过程,需要多种基因的参与。花粉发育是否完善可以根据花粉形态特征,并通过检测花粉的生活力、萌发力、可育性和受精能力等生理特征来判断。以拟南芥候选基因突变体为材料,通过对花粉的这些生理特征的检测,可以初步推测候选基因参与花粉发育的功能和作用机制。本文介绍了用于花粉活力测定的几种技术的原理和方法,以及应用这些方法进行花粉发育研究的进展。     

拟南芥花粉活力的测定及其在花粉发育研究中的应用

花粉发育是植物生活周期中一个重要且复杂的过程, 需要多种基因的参与。花粉发育是否完善可以根据花粉形态特征, 并通过检测花粉的生活力、萌发力、可育性和受精能力等生理特征来判断。以拟南芥候选基因突变体为材料, 通过对花粉的这些生理特征的检测, 可以初步推测候选基因参与花粉发育的功能和作用机制。本文介绍了用于花粉活力测定的几种技术的原理和方法, 以及应用这些方法进行花粉发育研究的进展。     

Explorations in Southeastern Archaeology

The Paleoindian and Early Archaic Southeast. David G. Anderson and Kenneth E. Sassaman. eds. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 1996. 526 pp.
Native American Interactions: Multiscalar Analyses and Interpretations in the Eastern Woodlands. Michael S. Nassaney and Kenneth E. Sassaman. eds. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1995. 376 pp.     

Inbreeding in Southeastern Spain

In this paper, the structure of a southeastern Spanish population was studied for the first time with respect to its inbreeding patterns and its relationship with demographic and geographic factors. Data on consanguineous marriages (up to second cousins) from 1900 to 1969 were taken from ecclesiastic dispensations. Our results confirm that the patterns and trends of inbreeding in the study area are consistent with those previously observed in most non-Cantabrian Spanish populations. The rate of consanguineous marriages was apparently stable between 1900 and 1935 and then sharply decreased since 1940, which coincides with industrialization in Spain. A marked departure from Hardy-Weinberg expectations (0.25) in the ratio of first cousin (M22) to second cousin (M33) marriages in the study population (0.88) was observed. The high levels of endogamy (>80%) and its significant steadiness throughout the twentieth century is noteworthy. Accordingly, our results show that exogamous marriages were not only poorly represented but also that this reduced mobility (<6 km) suggests that the choice of a mate was preferentially local. We found higher mobility in M22 with respect to M33 cousin mating. The relationships between population size and consanguinity rates and inbreeding fit power-law distributions. A significant positive correlation was observed between inbreeding and elevation. Many Spanish populations have experienced a prolonged and considerable isolation across generations, which has led to high proportions of historical and local endogamy that is associated, in general, with high \( \overline{F} \) values. Thus, assessing genomic inbreeding using runs of homozygosity (ROH) in current Spanish populations could be an additional pertinent strategy for obtaining a more refined perspective regarding the population history inferred from the extent and frequency of ROH regions.