Linking Intertidal and Subtidal Food Webs: Consumer-Mediated Transport of Intertidal Benthic Microalgal Carbon

We examined stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios for a large variety of consumers in intertidal and subtidal habitats, and their potential primary food sources [i.e., microphytobenthos (MPB), phytoplankton, and Phragmites australis] in a coastal bay system, Yeoja Bay of Korea, to test the hypothesis that the transfer of intertidal MPB-derived organic carbon to the subtidal food web can be mediated by motile consumers. Compared to a narrow δ¹³C range (−18 to −16‰) of offshore consumers, a broad δ¹³C range (−18 to −12‰) of both intertidal and subtidal consumers indicated that ¹³C-enriched sources of organic matter are an important trophic source to coastal consumers. In the intertidal areas, δ¹³C of most consumers overlapped with or was ¹³C-enriched relative to MPB. Despite the scarcity of MPB in the subtidal, highly motile consumers in subtidal habitat had nearly identical δ¹³C range with many intertidal foragers (including crustaceans and fish), overlapping with the range of MPB. In contrast, δ¹³C values of many sedentary benthic invertebrates in the subtidal areas were similar to those of offshore consumers and more ¹³C-depleted than motile foragers, indicating high dependence on phytoplankton-derived carbon. The isotopic mixing model calculation confirms that the majority of motile consumers and also some of subtidal sedentary ones depend on intertidal MPB for more than a half of their tissue carbon. Finally, although further quantitative estimates are needed, these results suggest that direct foraging by motile consumers on intertidal areas, and thereby biological transport of MPB-derived organic carbon to the subtidal areas, may provide important trophic connection between intertidal production and the nearshore shallow subtidal food webs.     

噪声所致听力损失现象的物种差异及可能生理机制研究进展

噪声广泛存在于人和动物的生活环境中,从无脊椎动物到哺乳动物乃至人类,都会受到噪声的负面影响.强烈的噪声会损伤听觉系统的结构和功能,引起噪声性听力损失(noise-induced hearing loss,NIHL).本文对噪声性听力损失的类型、影响因素、噪声所致不同程度听力损失形成的可能机制进行了总结,发现NIHL主要与突触结构肿胀、谷氨酸引起的可逆兴奋性中毒以及活性氧引起的氧化应激、细胞凋亡、带状体损伤、α激动型鸟嘌呤核苷酸结合蛋白(guanine nucleotide binding protein alpha stimulating,GNAS)基因的mRNA及其上游lncRNA Sept7的表达量上调等因素有关.比较噪声暴露后不同物种听力损失情况的差异,发现鱼类和鸟类由于具有毛细胞再生能力而能够较快从听力损伤中恢复,啮齿类较容易受到噪声影响,而回声定位鲸类噪声暴露后的暂时性听觉阈移较小,非常有趣的是回声定位蝙蝠在噪声高强度暴露后未表现出暂时性听觉阈移的现象.上述结论提示,对不同物种的比较生理研究可深入揭示NIHL机制,并为听力保护以及噪声所致的听力损伤后修复等提供理论参考.     

Inter-Individual Differences in RNA Levels in Human Peripheral Blood

Relatively little is known about the range of RNA levels in human blood. This report provides assessment of peripheral blood RNA level and its inter-individual differences in a group of 35 healthy humans consisting of 25 females and 10 males ranging in age from 50 to 89 years. In this group, the average total RNA level was 14.59 μg/ml of blood, with no statistically significant difference between females and males. The individual RNA level ranged from 6.7 to 22.7 μg/ml of blood. In healthy subjects, the repeated sampling of an individual’s blood showed that RNA level, whether high or low, was stable. The inter-individual differences in RNA level in blood can be attributed to both, differences in cell number and the amount of RNA per cell. The 3.4-fold range of inter-individual differences in total RNA levels, documented herein, should be taken into account when evaluating the results of quantitative RT-PCR and/or RNA sequencing studies of human blood. Based on the presented results, a comprehensive assessment of gene expression in blood should involve determination of both the amount of mRNA per unit of total RNA (U / ng RNA) and the amount of mRNA per unit of blood (U / ml blood) to assure a thorough interpretation of physiological or pathological relevance of study results.     

Amygdala Volume Predicts Inter-Individual Differences in Fearful Face Recognition

The present study investigates the relationship between inter-individual differences in fearful face recognition and amygdala volume. Thirty normal adults were recruited and each completed two identical facial expression recognition tests offline and two magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. Linear regression indicated that the left amygdala volume negatively correlated with the accuracy of recognizing fearful facial expressions and positively correlated with the probability of misrecognizing fear as surprise. Further exploratory analyses revealed that this relationship did not exist for any other subcortical or cortical regions. Nor did such a relationship exist between the left amygdala volume and performance recognizing the other five facial expressions. These mind-brain associations highlight the importance of the amygdala in recognizing fearful faces and provide insights regarding inter-individual differences in sensitivity toward fear-relevant stimuli.     

Stochastic Dynamics Underlying Cognitive Stability and Flexibility

Cognitive stability and flexibility are core functions in the successful pursuit of behavioral goals. While there is evidence for a common frontoparietal network underlying both functions and for a key role of dopamine in the modulation of flexible versus stable behavior, the exact neurocomputational mechanisms underlying those executive functions and their adaptation to environmental demands are still unclear. In this work we study the neurocomputational mechanisms underlying cue based task switching (flexibility) and distractor inhibition (stability) in a paradigm specifically designed to probe both functions. We develop a physiologically plausible, explicit model of neural networks that maintain the currently active task rule in working memory and implement the decision process. We simplify the four-choice decision network to a nonlinear drift-diffusion process that we canonically derive from a generic winner-take-all network model. By fitting our model to the behavioral data of individual subjects, we can reproduce their full behavior in terms of decisions and reaction time distributions in baseline as well as distractor inhibition and switch conditions. Furthermore, we predict the individual hemodynamic response timecourse of the rule-representing network and localize it to a frontoparietal network including the inferior frontal junction area and the intraparietal sulcus, using functional magnetic resonance imaging. This refines the understanding of task-switch-related frontoparietal brain activity as reflecting attractor-like working memory representations of task rules. Finally, we estimate the subject-specific stability of the rule-representing attractor states in terms of the minimal action associated with a transition between different rule states in the phase-space of the fitted models. This stability measure correlates with switching-specific thalamocorticostriatal activation, i.e., with a system associated with flexible working memory updating and dopaminergic modulation of cognitive flexibility. These results show that stochastic dynamical systems can implement the basic computations underlying cognitive stability and flexibility and explain neurobiological bases of individual differences.     

Intertidal and Subtidal Fouling Assemblages in a Patagonian Harbour (Argentina, Southwest Atlantic)

The composition of the early stages of intertidal and subtidal fouling assemblages in Comodoro Rivadavia harbour (Argentina, 45°52′ S, 67°28′ W) and the influence of shore level and season on their structure were analysed. At the beginning of each season, stones were glued to the substratum with epoxy putty and distributed along 4 vertical transects at intervals of 20 m, at 3 levels: upper intertidal, middle intertidal, and subtidal. Substrata remained in the field for 84–100 days. A total of 48 samples (4 seasons × 3 levels × 4 replicates) were analysed. Species richness increased with depth, with 6 taxa in the upper intertidal, 23 in the middle intertidal and 31 in the subtidal. Seasonal differences in richness were less distinct. Green, red and brown algae were the dominant groups. Invertebrates were mainly represented by filter-feeding, sessile organisms, such as cheilostome bryozoans, spirorbid polychaetes and acorn barnacles. The barnacle Balanus glandula and the bryozoan Cryptosula pallasiana were the only non-indigenous species found in this study. Highly significant differences in structure among shore levels and seasons were evidenced by a two-way ANOSIM test. The upper intertidal is characterized by the filamentous green algae Urospora penicilliformis and Ulothrix flacca. The barnacle Balanus glandula is the most abundant species in the middle intertidal. The subtidal is defined mainly by the presence of the spirorbid polychaetes Paralaeospira levinseni and Romanchella perrieri, and the keyhole limpet Fissurella radiosa. Ordination of samples by season was less clear than by shore level.     

北麂列岛岩相潮间带贻贝类的群落结构

报导了北麂列岛岩相潮问带贻贝类的群落结构。用Shannon-Wiener多样性指数(H’(S))、Pielous种类均匀度(J)、Margalef种类丰度(d)、McNunghton优势度(D)4个测定群落种类多样性指标进行数值分析,结果表明北麂列岛岩相潮间带贻贝类群落结构简单。     

Interactions Between Inter-Individual and Inter-Task Differences in the Diurnal Variation of Human Performance

Thirty-six undergraduate subjects were divided into ‘larks’ and ‘owls’ by median split using the morningness test devised by Horne and Ostberg. Each was given a battery of two performance tests at six times of day, in a design that counter-balanced for practice effects. Oral temperatures were also recorded. Slight (1 hr) phase differences (in the predicted direction) were observed between ‘larks’ and ‘owls’ in temperature rhythm, and in the performance test that paralleled temperature (a serial search task). Much more striking differences, though, were observed in the cognitive (logical reasoning) performance test which (as predicted) peaked earlier in the day, on average, than the serial search task. Not only did ‘larks’ peak much earlier in the day than ‘owls’, but there were also quite dramatic differences between the two groups in amplitude and shape. Possible mechanisms regarding oscillatory control and performance strategy are discussed.     

Size and Performance of Juvenile Marine Invertebrates: Potential Contrasts Between Intertidal and Subtidal Benthic Habitats

Newly settled or hatched juveniles of marine benthic invertebratesgenerally experience very high mortality. Juvenile mortalitycan profoundly affect adult populations, but little is knownabout how individual variation in juvenile quality affects performance.Several recent studies have demonstrated that differences insize, larval nutrient stores, or larval feeding history canstrongly affect the performance (measured as growth and survivorship)of juveniles. Additional research suggests that the strengthof the effect of juvenile size on performance may be mediatedby variation in environmental stress in the intertidal, a habitatcharacterized by strong fluctuations in abiotic factors. Themajor sources of juvenile snail mortality are likely to differin intertidal and subtidal habitats; abiotic stresses relatedto exposure, such as desiccation, are important in the intertidalbut far less severe in subtidal environments. Previously observedtrends in hatching or settlement size between intertidal andsubtidal species from three gastropod taxa may be due to differingselective regimes acting on initial juvenile size.     

Interactions Between Inter-Individual and Inter-Task Differences in the Diurnal Variation of Human Performance

Thirty-six undergraduate subjects were divided into 'larks' and 'owls' by median split using the morningness test devised by Horne and Ostberg. Each was given a battery of two performance tests at six times of day, in a design that counter-balanced for practice effects. Oral temperatures were also recorded. Slight (1 hr) phase differences (in the predicted direction) were observed between 'larks' and 'owls' in temperature rhythm, and in the performance test that paralleled temperature (a serial search task). Much more striking differences, though, were observed in the cognitive (logical reasoning) performance test which (as predicted) peaked earlier in the day, on average, than the serial search task. Not only did 'larks' peak much earlier in the day than 'owls', but there were also quite dramatic differences between the two groups in amplitude and shape. Possible mechanisms regarding oscillatory control and performance strategy are discussed.     

Inter-Individual Differences in the Oral Bacteriome Are Greater than Intra-Day Fluctuations in Individuals

Given the advent of massively parallel DNA sequencing, human microbiome is analyzed comprehensively by metagenomic approaches. However, the inter- and intra-individual variability and stability of the human microbiome remain poorly characterized, particularly at the intra-day level. This issue is of crucial importance for studies examining the effects of microbiome on human health. Here, we focused on bacteriome of oral plaques, for which repeated, time-controlled sampling is feasible. Eighty-one supragingival plaque subjects were collected from healthy individuals, examining multiple sites within the mouth at three time points (forenoon, evening, and night) over the course of 3 days. Bacterial composition was estimated by 16S rRNA sequencing and species-level profiling, resulting in identification of a total of 162 known bacterial species. We found that species compositions and their relative abundances were similar within individuals, and not between sampling time or tooth type. This suggests that species-level oral bacterial composition differs significantly between individuals, although the number of subjects is limited and the intra-individual variation also occurs. The majority of detected bacterial species (98.2%; 159/162), however, did not fluctuate over the course of the day, implying a largely stable oral microbiome on an intra-day time scale. In fact, the stability of this data set enabled us to estimate potential interactions between rare bacteria, with 40 co-occurrences supported by the existing literature. In summary, the present study provides a valuable basis for studies of the human microbiome, with significant implications in terms of biological and clinical outcomes.     

Inter-Individual Differences in Neurobehavioural Impairment following Sleep Restriction Are Associated with Circadian Rhythm Phase

Although sleep restriction is associated with decrements in daytime alertness and neurobehavioural performance, there are considerable inter-individual differences in the degree of impairment. This study examined the effects of short-term sleep restriction on neurobehavioural performance and sleepiness, and the associations between individual differences in impairments and circadian rhythm phase. Healthy adults (n = 43; 22 M) aged 22.5 ± 3.1 (mean ± SD) years maintained a regular 8:16 h sleep:wake routine for at least three weeks prior to laboratory admission. Sleep opportunity was restricted to 5 hours time-in-bed at home the night before admission and 3 hours time-in-bed in the laboratory, aligned by wake time. Hourly saliva samples were collected from 5.5 h before until 5 h after the pre-laboratory scheduled bedtime to assess dim light melatonin onset (DLMO) as a marker of circadian phase. Participants completed a 10-min auditory Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT), the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS) and had slow eye movements (SEM) measured by electrooculography two hours after waking. We observed substantial inter-individual variability in neurobehavioural performance, particularly in the number of PVT lapses. Increased PVT lapses (r = -0.468, p < 0.01), greater sleepiness (r = 0.510, p < 0.0001), and more slow eye movements (r = 0.375, p = 0.022) were significantly associated with later DLMO, consistent with participants waking at an earlier circadian phase. When the difference between DLMO and sleep onset was less than 2 hours, individuals were significantly more likely to have at least three attentional lapses the following morning. This study demonstrates that the phase of an individual’s circadian system is an important variable in predicting the degree of neurobehavioural performance impairment in the hours after waking following sleep restriction, and confirms that other factors influencing performance decrements require further investigation.     

Growth,Physiological and Biochemical Traits of Sage under the Exogenous Stimulating and Stress Factors

Russian Journal of Plant Physiology - Sage (Salvia officinalis L.) belonging to the Lamiaceae family, as the main herb in the world is cultivated in many countries for extraction of essential oil...     

Dissecting Genetic Architecture Underlying Seed Traits in Multiple Environments

The seeds of flowering plants develop from double fertilization and play a vital role in reproduction and supplying human and animal food. The genetic variation of seed traits is influenced by multiple genetic systems, e.g., maternal, embryo, and/or endosperm genomes. Understanding the genetic architecture of seed traits is a major challenge because of this complex mechanism of multiple genetic systems, especially the epistasis within or between different genomes and their interactions with the environment. In this study, a statistical model was proposed for mapping QTL with epistasis and QTL-by-environment (QE) interactions underlying endosperm and embryo traits. Our model integrates the maternal and the offspring genomes into one mapping framework and can accurately analyze maternal additive and dominant effects, endosperm/embryo additive and dominant effects, and epistatic effects of two loci in the same or two different genomes, as well as interaction effects of each genetic component of QTL with environment. Intensive simulations under different sampling strategies, heritabilities, and model parameters were performed to investigate the statistical properties of the model. A set of real cottonseed data was analyzed to demonstrate our methods. A software package, QTLNetwork-Seed-1.0.exe, was developed for QTL analysis of seed traits.     

遮荫条件下黄檗生长和生理响应的性别差异研究

分析遮荫条件下黄檗幼苗形态指标、生理指标和代谢物质性别间差异，探讨其对遮荫的响应策略，为黄檗野生资源保护及造林抚育提供理论依据。以2年生黄檗雌雄株幼苗为试验材料，采用控制实验，设置3个遮荫梯度，自然光为对照，对比研究遮荫条件下黄檗幼苗雌雄植株形态特征、生物量分配、抗氧化防御酶活性、代谢物质的差异，以揭示其遮荫条件下的生存策略。结果表明：遮荫处理更有利于黄檗的生长，轻度遮荫雌株生物量积累大于雄株，重度遮荫后雄株大于雌株；遮荫处理对叶绿素a、总叶绿素含量均有显著影响（P<0.01），性别间差异不显著，遮荫条件有利于促进黄檗幼苗叶绿素积累；遮荫处理对酶活性和MDA含量均有显著影响，性别间差异不显著，SOD酶活性均随遮荫强度的增强而增大，POD和CAT酶活性随遮荫强度的增强而减小，MDA含量在对照处理时最高；遮荫条件下可溶性糖和可溶性淀粉含量下降，性别间差异不显著。黄檗幼苗通过改变构件性状、生物量、抗氧化酶活性及代谢物质含量，适应遮荫环境。研究遮荫对黄檗生长和生理响应的性别差异，以期为遮荫环境下黄檗个体发育、种群形成、适应机制及种群繁衍等研究奠定基础，为雌雄异株植物资源的保护利用提供科学借鉴。     

The Importance of Encoding-Related Neural Dynamics in the Prediction of Inter-Individual Differences in Verbal Working Memory Performance

Studies of brain-behaviour interactions in the field of working memory (WM) have associated WM success with activation of a fronto-parietal network during the maintenance stage, and this mainly for visuo-spatial WM. Using an inter-individual differences approach, we demonstrate here the equal importance of neural dynamics during the encoding stage, and this in the context of verbal WM tasks which are characterized by encoding phases of long duration and sustained attentional demands. Participants encoded and maintained 5-word lists, half of them containing an unexpected word intended to disturb WM encoding and associated task-related attention processes. We observed that inter-individual differences in WM performance for lists containing disturbing stimuli were related to activation levels in a region previously associated with task-related attentional processing, the left intraparietal sulcus (IPS), and this during stimulus encoding but not maintenance; functional connectivity strength between the left IPS and lateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) further predicted WM performance. This study highlights the critical role, during WM encoding, of neural substrates involved in task-related attentional processes for predicting inter-individual differences in verbal WM performance, and, more generally, provides support for attention-based models of WM.     

干旱胁迫对不同苦荞品种苗期生长和根系生理特征的影响

采用盆栽人工控水试验,研究了不同水分处理(正常供水、中度干旱和重度干旱)对耐旱型(‘迪庆苦荞’、‘西农9909’)和不耐旱型(‘西荞1号’和‘黑丰1号’)苦荞品种苗期生理、形态指标的影响,并通过隶属函数法与主成分分析对品种抗旱性进行综合评价,以揭示苦荞苗期的抗旱生理机制。结果表明:(1)与正常供水相比,除‘迪庆苦荞’和‘西农9909’在重度干旱胁迫下主根长呈升高趋势外,其余苦荞品种在2个干旱条件下的株高、茎粗、叶面积、地上部干重、地下部干重、根系体积、根系表面积均呈下降趋势,且耐旱品种降幅小于不耐旱品种;重度干旱胁迫使得‘迪庆苦荞’的根冠比升高,而其余品种根冠比在干旱胁迫下均无显著变化。(2)干旱胁迫使苦荞叶片的叶绿素含量、相对含水量、最大荧光产量(Fm)、最大光化学效率(Fv/Fm)、根系活力和可溶性蛋白含量显著降低,而根系超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)活性、过氧化物酶(POD)活性、丙二醛(MDA)、可溶性糖及游离脯氨酸含量呈升高趋势;不同抗旱性品种间的升降幅度存在差异。(3)各苦荞品种耐旱能力综合评价值(D)表现为‘迪庆苦荞’‘西农9909’‘黑丰1号’‘西荞1号’;幼苗株高、地下部干重及根系SOD活性和蛋白质含量与D值呈显著正相关关系,而根系脯氨酸含量和可溶性糖含量与D值呈极显著正相关关系。研究发现,在中度与重度干旱逆境下,苦荞品种‘迪庆苦荞’和‘西农9909’综合表现较好,具有更强的耐旱能力,而品种‘西荞1号’和‘黑丰1号’综合表现较差,其抗旱性较弱;苗期株高、地下部干重以及根系SOD活性、蛋白质含量、脯氨酸含量和可溶性糖含量可作为苦荞抗旱性快速鉴定的指标。     

Sex But Not Altitude,Modulates Phenotypic Covariations Between Growth and Physiological Traits in Adult Asiatic Toads

The pace-of-life syndrome(POLS)hypothesis predicts that most variation in life history,physiology,and behavior among individuals,populations,and species falls a...     

Characterizing Tropical Tree Species Growth Strategies: Learning from Inter-Individual Variability and Scale Invariance

Understanding how tropical tree species differ in their growth strategies is critical to predict forest dynamics and assess species coexistence. Although tree growth is highly variable in tropical forests, species maximum growth is often considered as a major axis synthesizing species strategies, with fast-growing pioneer and slow-growing shade tolerant species as emblematic representatives. We used a hierarchical linear mixed model and 21-years long tree diameter increment series in a monsoon forest of the Western Ghats, India, to characterize species growth strategies and question whether maximum growth summarizes these strategies. We quantified both species responses to biotic and abiotic factors and individual tree effects unexplained by these factors. Growth responses to competition and tree size appeared highly variable among species which led to reversals in performance ranking along those two gradients. However, species-specific responses largely overlapped due to large unexplained variability resulting mostly from inter-individual growth differences consistent over time. On average one-third of the variability captured by our model was explained by covariates. This emphasizes the high dimensionality of the tree growth process, i.e. the fact that trees differ in many dimensions (genetics, life history) influencing their growth response to environmental gradients, some being unmeasured or unmeasurable. In addition, intraspecific variability increased as a power function of species maximum growth partly as a result of higher absolute responses of fast-growing species to competition and tree size. However, covariates explained on average the same proportion of intraspecific variability for slow- and fast-growing species, which showed the same range of relative responses to competition and tree size. These results reflect a scale invariance of the growth process, underlining that slow- and fast-growing species exhibit the same range of growth strategies.     

An Inventory of Benthic Flora in the Intertidal and Upper Subtidal Zones of Troitsa Bay (Peter the Great Bay,Sea of Japan)

Russian Journal of Marine Biology - The species composition of macrophytic algae in Troitsa Bay (Peter the Great Bay, Sea of Japan) was studied from June to September in 2004–2018. A total of...