Climatological correlates for body size of five species of Australian mammals

Size variation of body and skull of five species of Australian mammals (echidna, Tachyglossus aculeatus ; brush-tail possum, Trichosurus vulpecula ; eastern grey kangaroo, Macropus giganteus ; western grey kangaroo, M. fuliginosus ; red kangaroo, M. rufus ), is related to climatic factors. All five species show trends in body size that conform with Bergmann's rule, individuals from colder environments being larger than those from warmer areas. The western and eastern grey kangaroos also conform with Allen's rule, the relative size of their extremities being large in warmer areas. In four of the five species (not the red kangaroo) body size is also correlated with indices of biomass productivity. However, since biomass productivity and ambient temperature are related to some extent, it is difficult to separate the effects of these factors.     

Standard metabolic rate and thermoregulation of five species of Mongolian small mammals

Summary Oxygen consumption was measured over a range of ambient temperatures in 5 species of Mongolian small mammals:Microtus brandti, Alticola argentatus, Phodopus sungorus, Meriones unguiculatus, andOchotoma daurica (Tables 1 and 2). The measurements were made in the field, the animals being adjusted to natural environmental conditions. All the species studied coexist in the same arid steppe ecosystem. A variety of climatic adaptations was found.Abbreviations BMR basal metabolic rate - T _a ambient temperature     

Chromosomes of five artiodactyl mammals

Somatic chromosomes of six specimens belonging to the following five species of artiodactyls (Artiodactyla: Mammalia) are described: A female nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus), 2n=46; male baresingha (Rucervus duvauceli), two specimens, 2n=56; a female Himalayan tahr (Hemitragus jemlahicus), 2n=48; a female Kirk's dik-dik (Rhynchotragus kirki), 2n=46; and a male sambar (Cervus unicolor), 2n=58. In the baresingha and the sambar, one or more acrocentric chromosomes carried satellites on their long arms. ³H-thymidine radioautographs of cultured cells of the Himalayan tahr showed a long acrocentric chromosome to be late-replicating, suggesting that it is an X chromosome.     

使用RAPD分析辨别印度半岛的五种结鱼

用RAPD分析研究了结鱼种组(黄鳍结鱼Tor putitora,结鱼Tor tor,库德里结鱼Tor khudree,Tor mosalmahanadicus和墨脱四■魮Neolissochilus hexagonolepis)5个物种的遗传关系。在所测试的69个随机引物中,11个引物能够在所有5个物种中扩增出稳定的条带。RAPD带型显示,综合使用这些RAPD标记能够区分这5个物种,但Tor mosal mahanadicus和黄鳍结鱼享有相似的带型。UPGMA分析揭示出3个独特的分支,第一支由黄鳍结鱼、Tor mosal mahanadicus和结鱼组成,第二支是库德里结鱼,第三支是墨脱四■魮。Tor mosal mahanadicus的分类地位在不同学者间存在分歧,被认为是库德里结鱼或结鱼的亚种,但我们的结果表明,相对而言,Mahanadi河中的Tor mosal mahanadicus与黄鳍结鱼的进化关系更近,因此有必要对其系统分类地位进行重新评估。     

Chromosomal polymorphism in mammals: an evolutionary perspective

Although chromosome rearrangements (CRs) are central to studies of genome evolution, our understanding of the evolutionary consequences of the early stages of karyotypic differentiation (i.e. polymorphism), especially the non‐meiotic impacts, is surprisingly limited. We review the available data on chromosomal polymorphisms in mammals so as to identify taxa that hold promise for developing a more comprehensive understanding of chromosomal change. In doing so, we address several key questions: (i) to what extent are mammalian karyotypes polymorphic, and what types of rearrangements are principally involved? (ii) Are some mammalian lineages more prone to chromosomal polymorphism than others? More specifically, do (karyotypically) polymorphic mammalian species belong to lineages that are also characterized by past, extensive karyotype repatterning? (iii) How long can chromosomal polymorphisms persist in mammals? We discuss the evolutionary implications of these questions and propose several research avenues that may shed light on the role of chromosome change in the diversification of mammalian populations and species.     

几种海洋哺乳动物

对须鲸类中的灰鲸,齿鲸类中的中华白海豚,鳍足类中的海狗、海象和食肉目中的海獭等海洋哺乳动物的形态特征,生物学特性、生态,分布及保护等方面作了介绍。     

Genetic relationships among five nemipterid fish species from the Indian coast using allozyme analysis

Based on Nei's genetic distance Nemipterus peronii and Nemipterus japonicus showed a greater affinity to Parascolopsis aspinosa than to the other Nemipterus species studied. Significant differences between the Indian west and east coast samples of N. japonicus were detected. Polymorphic (P<0.95) and diagnostic loci suitable for stock delineation and species identification were observed.     

Heterogeneity in phloem protein complements from different species

Protein subunits present in phloem exudate from 17 cultivars, 5 species and 3 genera of the Cucurbitaceae have been fractionated by SDS-gel electrophoresis. The degree of difference in the phloem protein patterns appears to reflect the taxonomic relationships of the plants: there were major differences among genera, significant differences and similarities among species, and relatively few differences among cultivars of a single species. A representative of another family (Acer pseudoplatanus; Aceraceae) provided a completely different electrophoretic pattern. Each plant displayed a consistent protein pattern, irrespective of the organ from which exudate was obtained or the age and physiological status of the plant. Neither complete etiolation nor transition to the flowering phase effected any change in phloem proteins. The differences in phloem proteins between plants and the unusual properties of major subunits from different protein complements, render improbable many of the present ideas concerning the origin and function of P-protein.     

Chromosomal location effects on gene sequence evolution in mammals.

BACKGROUND: Nucleotide substitution rates and G + C content vary considerably among mammalian genes. It has been proposed that the mammalian genome comprises a mosaic of regions - termed isochores - with differing G + C content. The regional variation in gene G + C content might therefore be a reflection of the isochore structure of chromosomes, but the factors influencing the variation of nucleotide substitution rate are still open to question. RESULTS: To examine whether nucleotide substitution rates and gene G + C content are influenced by the chromosomal location of genes, we compared human and murid (mouse or rat) orthologues known to belong to one of the chromosomal (autosomal) segments conserved between these species. Multiple members of gene families were excluded from the dataset. Sets of neighbouring genes were defined as those lying within 1 centiMorgan (cM) of each other on the mouse genetic map. For both synonymous substitution rates and G + C content at silent sites, neighbouring genes were found to be significantly more similar to each other than sets of genes randomly drawn from the dataset. Moreover, we demonstrated that the regional similarities in G + C content (isochores) and synonymous substitution rate were independent of each other. CONCLUSIONS: Our results provide the first substantial statistical evidence for the existence of a regional variation in the synonymous substitution rate within the mammalian genome, indicating that different chromosomal regions evolve at different rates. This regional phenomenon which shapes gene evolution could reflect the existence of 'evolutionary rate units' along the chromosome.     

The chromosome complements of shrubbyOxalis species from South America

Twenty species of shrubbyOxalis species native in South America were arranged in six groups according to their karyotype similarities. The first group includes more than half of the species studied, all with 2n = 12 relatively small metacentric chromosomes. The rest of the species from the other groups has different basic chromosome numbers, and exhibits various degrees of chromosome asymmetry and size increase. These latter groups apparently have specialized to habitats with low light intensity such as the forest undergrowth in contrast to the frist group whose members live in open areas (i.e., grasslands, savannas etc.).     

Chromosomal mapping of five mouse G protein gamma subunits

Heterotrimeric G proteins, composed of alpha, beta, and gamma subunits, transduce signals from transmembrane receptors to a wide range of intracellular effectors. The G protein gamma subunits, which play an indispensible role in this communication, constitute a large and diverse multigene family. Using an interspecific backcross panel, we have determined the mouse chromosomal locations of five gamma subunit genes: gamma2, gamma8, gamma10, gamma12, and gammaCone. Combined with previous mapping studies, these data indicate that, with the possible exception of gamma1 and gamma11, the G protein gamma subunit genes are well dispersed within the mouse and human genomes.     

Chromosomal phylogeny of 7 species of Sciurinae

The sequence of chromosomal rearrangements that leads to the karyotypes of living species of Sciurinae is hardly compatible with a dichotomic evolution. The most probable hypothesis is that of a populational chromosomal evolution: the different lineages would have been isolated successively from an ancestral population in which several chromosomal rearrangements would have spread to more or less important fractions of the population. The proposed order in the succession of these isolations (Marmota monax, Sciurus vulgaris, Callosciurus flavimanus, Heliosciurus gambianus, Atlantoxerus getulus, Eutamias sibiricus then Menetes berdmorei) fits the paleontological data.     

Restriction fragment length polymorphism of mitochondrial DNA and phylogenetic relationships among five species of Indian freshwater turtles

DNA-based identification of species for phylogenetic analysis as well as forensic identification is widely being carried out with the help of polymerase chain reaction (PCR). In this study, a successful effort has been made to identify 5 species of Indian freshwater turtles, including 3 hard-shell turtles (Geoemydidae), i.e. Kachuga dhongoka, K. kachuga and Geoclemys hamiltoni, and 2 species of soft-shell turtles (Trionychidae), i.e. Aspideretes gangeticus and Lissemys punctata punctata, by using a well-optimized PCR-RFLP method. The analysis of nucleotide sequence variations in the PCR-amplified mitochondrial cyt-b genes (encoding cytochrome b) from the 5 species revealed its usefulness in the taxonomic differentiation of these species. On the basis of cyt-b sequence data and the PCR-RFLP pattern, a phylogeny was developed to resolve the genetic relationships between these species, living in the same habitat type. In comparison, the PCR-RFLP of mitochondrial 16S rDNA genes appeared less decisive in analysing phylogenetic relationships or even in species differentiation. Further, the molecular method (PCR-RFLP) developed here is simple, rapid, reliable and reproducible; hence it can be routinely applied for species identification, essential for conservation and management of endangered chelonian species.     

Chromosomal rearrangements are associated with higher rates of molecular evolution in mammals

Evolutionary rates are not uniformly distributed across the genome. Knowledge about the biological causes of this observation is still incomplete, but its exploration has provided valuable insight into the genomical, historical and demographical variables that influence rates of genetic divergence. Recent studies suggest a possible association between chromosomal rearrangements and regions of greater divergence, but evidence is limited and contradictory. Here, we test the hypothesis of a relationship between chromosomal rearrangements and higher rates of molecular evolution by studying the genomic distribution of divergence between 12,000 human-mouse orthologous genes. Our results clearly show that genes located in genomic regions that have been highly rearranged between the two species present higher rates of synonymous (0.7686 vs. 0.7076) and non-synonymous substitution (0.1014 vs. 0.0871), and that synonymous substitution rates are higher in genes close to the breakpoints of individual rearrangements. The many potential causes of such striking are discussed, particularly in the light of speciation models suggesting that chromosomal rearrangements may have contributed to some of the speciation processes along the human and mouse lineages. Still, there are other possible causes and further research is needed to properly explore them.