A Note on Response to Selection in Non-Random Mating Populations

The selection theory proposed by Muralidharan and Jain (1992a, b; Biom. J. 34 , 147–152, 633–637) was re-examined. Although they concluded that the theory is appropriate for any system of mating, the author showed that it is not applicable to inbreeding populations, which is the most important type of non-random mating.     

Inbreeding depression and mixed mating in Leptosiphon jepsonii: a comparison of three populations

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Inbreeding depression is thought to play a central role in the evolution and maintenance of cross-fertilization. Theory indicates that inbreeding depression can be purged with self-fertilization, resulting in positive feedback for the selection of selfing. Variation among populations of Leptosiphon jepsonii in the timing and rate of self-fertilization provides an opportunity to study the evolution of inbreeding depression and mating systems. In addition, the hypothesis that differences in inbreeding depression for male and female fitness can stabilize mixed mating in L. jepsonii is tested. METHODS: In a growth room experiment, inbreeding depression was measured in three populations with mean outcrossing rates ranging from 0.06 to 0.69. The performance of selfed and outcrossed progeny is compared at five life history stages. To distinguish between self-incompatibility and early inbreeding depression, aborted seeds and unfertilized ovules were counted in selfed and outcrossed fruits. In one population, pollen and ovule production was quantified to estimate inbreeding depression for male and female fitness. KEY RESULTS: Both prezygotic barriers and inbreeding depression limited self seed set in the most outcrossing population. Cumulative inbreeding depression ranged from 0.297 to 0.501, with the lowest value found in the most selfing population. Significant inbreeding depression for early life stages was found only in the more outcrossing populations. Inbreeding depression was not significant for pollen or ovule production. CONCLUSIONS: The results provide modest support for the hypothesized relationship between inbreeding depression and mating systems. The absence of early inbreeding depression in the more selfing populations is consistent with theory on purging. Differences in male and female expression of inbreeding depression do not appear to stabilize mixed mating in L. jepsonii. The current estimates of inbreeding depression for L. jepsonii differ from those of previous studies, underscoring the effects of environmental variation on its expression.     

Inbreeding depression and mating-distance dependent offspring fitness in large and small populations of Lychnis flos-cuculi (Caryophyllaceae)

The spatial structure of four Lychnis flos-cuculi populations, varying in size and degree of isolation, was studied by comparing the fitness of offspring resulting from self-pollination and pollinations by neighbouring plants, plants within the same population, and plants from other populations. Selfed offspring had the lowest fitness of the four offspring groups. No significant difference was found between the performance of offspring from pollinations by neighbouring plants and offspring pollinated by plants further apart but within the same population. A lower fitness of offspring from pollinations between neighbours would be expected if these matings, on average, yielded inbred offspring which suffered from inbreeding depression. These results imply that either a tight neighbourhood structuring is not present, or that the inbreeding depression for offspring by neighbours is too low to detect, although these are inbred. Crossings between populations produced offspring with a significantly higher fitness than offspring sired within populations. There were no significant differences in response to inbreeding among the populations, and differences in mean fitness among populations had no clear relation to the population size or degree of isolation. A reduced fitness of small populations due to inbreeding depression or a less severe response to experimental inbreeding due to purging of deleterious alleles is therefore not supported by our results.     

Hippo信号通路与海洋无脊椎动物天然免疫

Hippo信号通路是一条在进化上保守的丝氨酸/苏氨酸激酶级联信号通路,主要参与调控器官大小、组织再生、胚胎发育和肿瘤发生。在果蝇中,经典的Hippo信号通路主要由Hippo(Hpo)、Salvador(Sav)、Warts(Wts)、MOB as tumor suppressor (Mats)、Yorkie(Yki)和Scalloped(Sd)组成。其不仅可通过Fat(Ft)和Crumbs(Crb)等上游分子进行调控,而且还能与NF-κB途径、IFN途径、ROS途径、cGAS-STING信号通路以及Wnt信号通路发生交联,共同调控天然免疫过程。海洋无脊椎动物缺乏获得性免疫,主要依靠天然免疫抵御病原体的侵害。Hippo信号通路作为与生长发育和天然免疫密切相关的信号通路,对海洋无脊椎动物的研究中有着重要的意义。目前,对于海洋无脊椎动物Hippo信号通路所知甚少,关于其在天然免疫中的研究更是寥寥无几。开展Hippo信号通路在海洋无脊椎动物天然免疫过程中功能机制的研究,将为深入了解海洋无脊椎动物的天然免疫调控提供一种新思路。本文通过对Hippo信号通路的组成、调控机制以及其在海洋无脊椎动物天然免疫中作用的研究进行综述。将为海洋无脊椎动物天然免疫研究提供有益的参考。     

Prediction of Response to Selection and Inbreeding Coefficient under Assortative Mating

A method for predicting response to selection and inbreeding coefficient under the continuous use of assortative mating was derived. Using the method, numerical computation was carried out, and the utility of assortative mating in the selection programmes was evaluated. It was shown that the continuous use of assortative mating could not produce an appreciable additional increase in intermediate- or long-term selection response.     

Effects of inbreeding on economic traits of channel catfish

Summary Inbred channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) were produced from two generations of full-sib matings to study the effect of inbreeding on reproduction, growth and survival. A randomly mated control line was propagated from the same base population to be used for the evaluation of the inbred fish. First generation inbred (I1) and control (C1) lines comprised five full-sib families each. Second generation inbred (I2) and control (C2) lines were produced by mating each male catfish from the I1 or C1 line to two females in sequence, one from the I1 and one from the C1 line. The design also produced two reciprocal outcross lines to be compared to their contemporary inbred and control lines. The coefficient of inbreeding for the inbred line increased from 0.25 in generation 1 to 0.375 in generation 2. The inbreeding coefficient was zero for all other lines. The resulting fish were performance tested in two locations, Tifton, Georgia and Auburn, Alabama and no genotype-environment interactions occurred. Results indicated that one generation of inbreeding increased number of days required for eggs to hatch by 21%, but did not significantly influence spawn weight or hatchability score. However, inbred females produced more eggs/kg body weight than control females. Two generations of full-sib mating in Georgia did not depress weight when expressed as a deviation to random controls but was depressed 13–16% when expressed as a deviation to half-sib out-crosses. Second generation inbreds produced in Alabama exhibited a 19% depression for growth rate when compared to either random or half-sib outcross controls. Survival rates at various age intervals was not decreased by inbreeding. The amount of inbreeding depression varied among families and between sexes.This study was supported by State and Hatch Funds allocated to the Georgia and Alabama Agricultural Experiment Stations     

海洋沉积物中重金属对底栖无脊椎动物的生物有效性

海洋沉积物是重金属的重要贮库,而海洋底栖无脊椎动物主要从沉积物中摄取重金属,这些被摄取的重金属能够通过食物链进行传递,进而影响到人类健康。本文总结了近些年来在海洋沉积物中重金属对底栖无脊椎动物生物有效性方面的研究进展,包括海洋底栖无脊椎动物对重金属的吸收途径、沉积物地球化学性质和底栖无脊椎动物生理等生物因素对沉积物中重金属生物有效性的影响。在此基础上,展望了未来研究重点,主要包括近海富营养化对沉积物中重金属生物有效性的影响,海洋底栖无脊椎动物消化道中的物理消化过程对沉积物中重金属生物有效性的影响,海洋底栖无脊椎动物整个生活史过程中沉积物中重金属生物有效性的变化等。     

Isolation of 11 microsatellite markers in Crepidula convexa (Gastropoda, Calyptraeideae) for parentage analyses

Crepidula convexa, a calyptreid gastropod with direct embryonic development, changes sex from male to female in the course of its lifetime (protandry). Under sex-allocation theory, male reproductive success should be independent from age and size (a proxy used for age). However, this may be counterbalanced by female cryptic choice or gregarious behaviour. Eleven polymorphic microsatellite loci were thus developed to examine paternity of embryos and larvae. This set of loci appears suitable to carry out paternity analyses due to the high exclusion probability of unrelated males given the maternal genotype.     

水生无脊椎动物细胞培养

目前水生无脊椎动物的细胞培养研究远远落后于哺乳动物和昆虫的培养研究,其培养方法基本仍是套用哺乳动物或昆虫的细胞培养模式。尽管在几十年中进行了一些探索,而且原代培养也取得了一些进展,但到目前为止除了淡水蜗牛胚胎BGE细胞系外,其他动物都还没有成功的建立长时间持续传代的细胞系。现对水生无脊椎动物细胞培养的研究进行综述,并对所面临的主要困难进行了总结,对水生无脊椎动物细胞培养的前景提出了一些看法。     

Isolation of 10 microsatellite markers in Crepidula coquimbensis (Gastropod,Calyptraeideae) for parentage analyses

Marine invertebrates show a high diversity of embryonic developmental modes and reproductive behaviour. However, little is known about the factors that are promoting the evolution of different strategies. The gastropod Crepidula coquimbensis has a direct embryonic development with encapsulated embryos showing a cannibalistic behaviour. Preliminary observations suggest that victim embryos are not randomly chosen. With intracapsular multipaternity, the intensity of cannibalism might vary according to the relatedness of the siblings. Paternity analyses based on highly polymorphic markers can provide valuable insights into this cannibalism behaviour. Ten polymorphic microsatellite loci were thus developed: the level of polymorphism is large enough to perform paternity analysis and investigate relatedness in this species.