THE INCIDENCE AND THERMAL RESISTANCE OF MESOPHILIC SPORES FOUND IN MILK AND RELATED ENVIRONMENTS

SUMMARY: A spore 'spectrum' is described of aerobic mesophiles capable of resisting different heat treatments. It is shown that B. licheniformis is the most common spore former found in bulk milk but since its spores are rapidly destroyed at 100°, the more heat resistant B. subtilis is the dominant surviving spore former in commercial sterilized milk. The thermal resistance of strains of B. subtilis and B. licheniformis isolated from different sources has been investigated and the strains of B. subtilis typed according to the behaviour of their spores when heated at 100°. All strains of B. licheniformis were destroyed more rapidly by boiling for 2 min than strains of B. subtilis but only those strains of the latter which showed some degree of heat activation were more resistant than B. licheniformis . The 'resistant' and heat activated strains of B. subtilis appear to be sparsely distributed in nature and were only isolated from sterilized milk where the heat treatment applied would tend to eliminate other strains. The spore content of bovine faeces was similar to that in bulk milk and the total spore content varied seasonally, the spore content of faeces being on the average a hundred times greater during indoor feeding than during the period when the cattle were fed outside. A faecal infection of the milk in the ratio of 1:10⁴ would infect the milk with spores at about the same concentration as they are found in bulk raw milk, and it is suggested that bovine faeces could be a primary source of spore formers in milk supplies.     

四川广安谢家槽下三叠统碳酸盐微相及沉积环境

依据碳酸盐岩的颗粒组分及结构构造特点,四川广安谢家槽剖面下三叠统夜郎组和嘉陵江组的碳酸盐岩可以划分出5个主要的微相类型和15个次一级的微相类型。在微相分析的基础上,结合岩性及构造特点,划分出台地边缘、开放海台地、局限海台地和蒸发台地4种主要的沉积相带,由夜郎组、嘉陵江组向上到雷口坡组构成从局限海台地逐渐演变为蒸发台地相,反映了该地区从早三叠世到中三叠世海水逐渐变浅、碳酸盐台地逐渐向蒸发台地总的演变历程。     

湖南新化下石炭统遗迹化石及其沉积环境

鉴定了产自湖南新化地区早石炭世碳酸岩沉积中的遗迹化石6属(Zoophycus, Chondrites, Phycodes, Planolites, Palaeophycus, Skolithos)16种.并根据岩性实体与遗迹化石以及沉积构造等特征,划分为2个沉积亚相、21个微相、19个遗迹相.     

EXTINCTIONS IN HETEROGENEOUS ENVIRONMENTS AND THE EVOLUTION OF MODULARITY

Extinctions of local subpopulations are common events in nature. Here, we ask whether such extinctions can affect the design of biological networks within organisms over evolutionary timescales. We study the impact of extinction events on modularity of biological systems, a common architectural principle found on multiple scales in biology. As a model system, we use networks that evolve toward goals specified as desired input–output relationships. We use an extinction–recolonization model, in which metapopulations occupy and migrate between different localities. Each locality displays a different environmental condition (goal), but shares the same set of subgoals with other localities. We find that in the absence of extinction events, the evolved computational networks are typically highly optimal for their localities with a nonmodular structure. In contrast, when local populations go extinct from time to time, we find that the evolved networks are modular in structure. Modular circuitry is selected because of its ability to adapt rapidly to the conditions of the free niche following an extinction event. This rapid adaptation is mainly achieved through genetic recombination of modules between immigrants from neighboring local populations. This study suggests, therefore, that extinctions in heterogeneous environments promote the evolution of modular biological network structure, allowing local populations to effectively recombine their modules to recolonize niches.     

ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF CONTINENTAL BIOTAS: SPECIATION AND HISTORICAL CONGRUENCE WITHIN THE AUSTRALIAN AVIFAUNA

Factors governing the origin and evolution of continental biotas were investigated using an analysis of speciation patterns within the Australian avifauna. Phylogenetic relationships within seven lineages of birds were analyzed by numerical cladistic techniques applied to data sets of morphological characters. These relationships revealed extensive congruence among the spatial and temporal histories of lineages whose species are endemic to common areas of endemism. A general hypothesis is constructed to explain this congruence in which widespread biotas are postulated to have been partitioned into areas of endemism by the origin of geomorphological and/or ecological-climatic barriers. Congruence in these phylogenetic patterns of differentiation suggests the following historical pattern of interrelationships for areas of endemism along the northern and eastern coasts of Australia: (Kimberley Plateau + Arnhem Land) + ([New Guinea + Cape York Peninsula] + [Atherton Plateau + Eastern Coastal Rainforest]). Likewise, this study indicates that the arid interior avifauna was segregated into two closely related biotas (Eastern and Western Desert biotas) by the Eyrean Barrier. These biotas are, in turn, related to a more mesic avifauna that was itself subdivided into areas of endemism located in the Southwest and Southeast corners of the continent.     

腕足动物Planovatirostrum Sartenaer,1970的古生态特征

小嘴贝类腕足动物Planovatirostrum形态奇特,在我国,目前仅在新疆北部和布克赛尔蒙古族自治县和什托洛盖镇北10余公里处七里沟剖面洪古勒楞组中段底部层位中发现,化石大致呈簇状密集或花斑状分布。经过对产Planovatirostrum planoovale岩性、岩相和生物相的综合分析得知,这段地层是一套深水相沉积,P.pla-noovale生活在水体宁静、海水较深的软质基底上。