QUANTITATIVE GENETICS AND POPULATION DYNAMICS

This study examines the dynamics of a competition and a host-parasite model in which the interactions are determined by quantitative characters. Both models are extensions of one-dimensional difference equations that can exhibit complicated dynamics. Compared to these basic models, the phenotypic variability given by the quantitative characters reduces the size of the density fluctuations in asexual populations. With sexual reproduction, which is described by modeling the genetics of the quantitative character explicitly with many haploid loci that determine the character additively, this reduction in fitness variance is magnified. Moreover, quantitative genetics can induce simple dynamics. For example, the sexual population can have a two-cycle when the asexual system is chaotic. This paper discusses the consequences for the evolution of sex. The higher mean growth rate implied by the lower fitness variance in sexual populations is an advantage that can overcome a twofold intrinsic growth rate of asexuals. The advantage is bigger when the asexual population contains only a subset of the phenotypes present in the sexual population, which conforms with the tangled bank theory for the evolution of sex and shows that tangled bank effects also occur in host-parasite systems. The results suggest that explicitly describing the genetics of a quantitative character leads to more flexible models than the usual assumption of normal character distributions, and therefore to a better understanding of the character's impact on population dynamics.     

PLANT POPULATION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION

This paper reviews recent developments in plant population genetics and evolution. Topics discussed include: 1) levels of genetic variation within and among populations; 2) gene flow; 3) mating systems; 4) selection and adaptation; and 5) the genetic structure of natural populations. The current status of each topic is briefly reviewed and suggestions are made of areas where additional research is needed.     

MAXIMUM-LIKELIHOOD ESTIMATION OF POPULATION DIVERGENCE TIMES AND POPULATION PHYLOGENY IN MODELS WITHOUT MUTATION

In this paper we present a method for estimating population divergence times by maximum likelihood in models without mutation. The maximum-likelihood estimator is compared to a commonly applied estimator based on Wright's F_ST statistic. Simulations suggest that the maximum-likelihood estimator is less biased and has a lower variance than the F_ST-based estimator. The maximum-likelihood estimator provides a statistical framework for the analysis of population history given genetic data. We demonstrate how maximum-likelihood estimates of the branching pattern of divergence of multiple populations may be obtained. We also describe how the method may be applied to test hypotheses such as whether populations have maintained equal population sizes. We illustrate the method by applying it to two previously published sets of human restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) data.     

白暨豚种群数量及资源保护

为了了解长江中白鱀豚的分布状况及种群数量,从1978年至1983年1月止,先后9次在长江中、下游(宜昌至南通)的干流进行了白鱀豚的生态考察,并到汉江和鄱阳湖、洞庭湖等水域查访有无白鱀豚活动的情况,依据考察所得资料,对长江白鱀豚群体的数量作了初步剖析。 通过考察,到1983年初为止,中游最上是在湖北枝城,约距长江口1,613公里的江段和下游最下是江苏太仓浏河口距长江口24公里的江段都有白鱀豚的活动。白鱀豚种群约156头,20个群体,分布在长江中、下游的17个江段里,在安庆一黑砂洲南水道约170公里及嘉鱼—王家渡水道约80公里的两个江段里生活着较多的个体。根据雌、雄自鱀豚体长与年龄关系式的速度变化曲线,白鱀豚的个体发育阶段可分为:幼龄期(胎儿—雄性4龄,雌性5龄),壮年期(雄性5龄—12龄,雌性6龄—13龄),成年期(雄性13龄,雌性14龄至20龄)和老年期(20龄以上雌雄个体)4个龄期。白鱀豚种群的年龄结构是一个基部较窄,顶部相对宽的锥体,显然是一个生产较差的种群。 近些年来,由于人类对江河的开发利用,使得白鱀豚种群的补充能力和再生产能力都遭到了一定程度的破坏。分析白鱀豚资源减少的主要原因是:(1)食物条件的变化;(2)有害渔具对白鱀豚的杀伤;(3)航运业务对白鱀豚的误伤;(4)群众缺乏保护珍贵动物的知识而     

银杉单株生长规律与种群生物量的研究

通过对银杉 ( Cathaya argyrophylla)生长规律的研究 ,发现银杉早期生长需要一定的荫蔽 ,但过分荫蔽导致植株生长缓慢而逐渐死亡。银杉的整个生长过程可分为 4个时期 ,在 30～ 4 0 a内具有明显的胸径生长盛期。银杉单株地上部分生物量的 60 %分布在 1 /2树高以下 ,树干材重量占全部地上部分生物量的比重超过 2 /3。银杉种群地上部分生物量在不同群落类型间差别很大 ,介于 330 0 0～ 1 1 70 0 0 kg.hm- 2 。     

秀丽高原鳅种群生存力分析及最小可存活种群数估算

秀丽高原鳅(Triplophysa venusta)系金沙江的土著种, 是云南省重要保护鱼类; 由于其栖息水域建设水电站, 加之云南连年干旱, 导致其种群数量锐减。采用漩涡模型对不同生境下的秀丽高原鳅种群生存力进行了模拟分析, 并估算了其最小可存活种群数。结果表明: 灾害是影响种群长期存活的关键因子, 种群繁殖率和性未成熟个体死亡率对种群生存力影响较大, 而种群的环境容纳量大小则无显著影响; 若连续进行40年的成鱼捕获(2000尾/年), 可使种群在100年内的灭绝概率增至100%, 而若连续进行20年的人工增殖放流(1000尾1龄鱼/年), 可使100年内的灭绝概率降至35.8%。通过模拟计算, 使种群在当前生境下以95%的概率存活100年所需的最小种群数为16000尾。由此可见, 减少灾害发生频率、降低性未成熟个体死亡率、增加繁殖率以及进行人工增殖放流是秀丽高原鳅种群保护与恢复的有效措施。研究为秀丽高原鳅种群保护、渔政管理与人工增殖放流提供了理论依据。     

中华鳖太湖养殖种群和日本引进种群线粒体DNA Cyt b基因片段序列分析及分子进化初探

对中华鳖太湖养殖种群和日本引进种群共38个个体的线粒体DNA细胞色素b基因中间部分序列进行测定,比较其同源性,计算碱基组成,并用乌龟为外群构建不同单倍型的UPGMA和NJ分子系统树.在获得的408bp的序列中,A T约占58.8%,其中15个核苷酸位点存在变异(约占3.7%).两种群共有6种单倍型(haplotype),其中太湖养殖种群有4种单倍型,日本引进种群有2种单倍型.由系统树显示,中华鳖太湖种群的4种单倍型聚合成一大支,日本引进种群的2种单倍型以很高的置信度(99%)聚成一支.两种群序列上的差异,可以成为种群鉴别的分子标记.     

AGE- AND SEX-SPECIFIC MORTALITY AND POPULATION STRUCTURE IN SEA OTTERS

We used 742 beach-cast carcasses to characterize age- and sex-specific sea otter mortality during the winter of 1990-1991 at Bering Island, Russia. We also examined 363 carcasses recovered after the 1989 grounding of the T/V Exxon Valdez , to characterize age and sex composition in the living western Prince William Sound (WPWS) sea otter population. At Bering Island, mortality was male-biased (81%), and 75% were adults. The WPWS population was female-biased (59%) and most animals were subadult (79% of the males and 45% of the females). In the decade prior to 1990-1991 we found increasing sea otter densities (particularly among males), declining prey resources, and declining weights in adult male sea otters at Bering Island. Our findings suggest the increased mortality at Bering Island in 1990-1991 was a density-dependent population response. We propose male-maintained breeding territories and exclusion of juvenile females by adult females, providing a mechanism for maintaining densities in female areas below densities in male areas and for potentially moderating the effects of prey reductions on the female population. Increased adult male mortality at Bering Island in 1990-1991 likely modified the sex and age class structure there toward that observed in Prince William Sound.     

蕾铃期棉蚜种群动态及年龄结构变化和受寄生的关系

本文描述了1983年棉花蕾铃期棉蚜发生情况。从7月上旬到9月上旬发生量超过往年同期的10倍。绘出了蚜虫数量的对数值和生理时间关系图,描述了棉蚜种群下降过程中年龄结构变化及其与寄生率变化的关系。在棉蚜种群下降过程中Ⅰ龄若蚜占百分比下降表明成蚜生殖力下降。高密度组Ⅱ龄若蚜百分比下降,表明Ⅰ龄若蚜死亡率增大。高密度组成虫比例下降是因为有翅若蚜比例高。上述年龄结构变化和寄生率关系密切,表明蚜群下降到低水平时寄生率上升不完全由于寄生蜂增殖,而Ⅰ、Ⅱ龄若蚜比例下降、有翅若蚜增加和高龄若蚜比例上升中是重要原因。棉株不同位置棉蚜寄生率没有差异。寄生率和单位面积内的蚜虫密度有关。     

大沙鼠的年龄鉴定与种群年龄组成

在鼠类生态学的研究中 ,对鼠类年龄的鉴定是一项重要的工作。年龄组成是种群的重要特征之一 ,它有助于了解种群的年龄结构以及种群数量变动的规律。大沙鼠 (Ｒｈｏｍｂｏｍｙｓｏｐｉｍｕｓ)是中亚地区荒漠及半荒漠草原的重要害鼠之一 ,在内蒙古西部的梭梭 (Ｈａｌｏｘｙｌｏｎａｍｍｏｄｅｎｄｒｏｎ)林区 ,由于大沙鼠的啃咬 ,影响了该地区梭梭林的正常结实 ,从而降低了结实量[1 ] 。同时 ,大沙鼠又是鼠疫和皮肤利什曼病的重要宿主。对大沙鼠的年龄鉴定与种群年龄组成进行研究 ,将有助于了解其种群数量变动的规律 ,从而为有效防治大沙鼠鼠…