Book Reviews

A DEPARTMENT DEVOTED TO ABSTRACTS OF BOOKS AND PAPERS FROM OTHER JOURNALS DEALING WITH STAINS AND MICROSCOPIC TECHNIC IN GENERAL

CONN, H. J., DARROW, MARY A., and EMMEL, VICTOR M. Staining Procedures, 2nd Ed. 289 pages, 9 × 6 inches, perforated; spiral plastic binding, with cardbooard covers. The Williams & Wilkins Company, Baltimore 2, Maryland. $5.00. 1960.

GURR, EDWARD. Encyclopaedia of Microscopic Stains. 498 pages, 10 × 6 inches. The Williams & Wilkins Co., Baltimore 2, Maryland, exclusive U. S. agents. $18.50. 1960.

ELECTRON MICROSCOPY AMELUNXEN, F., and THEMANN, H. Zur Fixation mit Kaliumpermanganat. Mikroscopie, 14, 276-83. 1960.

PHOTOMICROGRAPHY MIGNANI, G., MARCHETTI, P. G., and HUSSL, B. Die Anwendung der mikroradiographischen Technik zum Studium des Knochengewebes. Mikroskopie, 14, 131-43. 1959.

DYES AND THEIR BIOLOGICAL USES KAUFMAN, L., and WEAVER, R. H. Use of neutral red fluorescence for the identification of colonies of Clostridia. J. Bact., 79, 292-4. 1960.

ANIMAL MICROTECHNIC LOUIS, C. J., and WHITE, J. Fluorescein-globulin staining of cells in tissue cultures. Lab. Invest., 9, 273-82. 1960.

McFARLANE, J. E., and KENNARD, C. P. Further observations on water absorption by the eggs of Acheta domesticus (L). Canad. J. Zool., 38, 77-85. 1960.

PROVENZA, D. V., and CHENG, T. C. A simplified parlodion method for sectioning teeth; with notes on the decalcification of teeth. Trans. Am. Micr. Soc., 79, 103-4. 1960.

PLANT MICROTECHNIC DEVIDÉ, Z., and WRISCHER, M., Versuche über gasblasenfreie Plexiglas Einbettung von pflanzlichen Objecten für Ultramikrotomie. Mikroskopie, 14, 337-42. 1960.

MICROORGANISMS BORZANI, W. Measurement of gram-positiveness. J. Bact., 79, 431-3. 1960.

DEIBEL, R. H., and EVANS, J. B. Modified benzidine test for the detection of cytochrome-containing respiratory systems in microorganisms. J. Bact., 79, 356-60. 1960.

SAHAB, K. Method for demonstrating capsules of enterobacteriaceae. J. Bact., 79, 198-202. 1960.

WEIBULL, C. Counting procedures for phase contrast microscopy. J. Bact., 79, 155. 1960.

HISTOCHEMISTRY BAKER, J. R. II, HEW, H., and FISHMAN, W. H. The use of chloral hydrate formaldehyde fixative solution in enzyme histochemistry. J. Histochem. Cytochem., 6, 244-50. 1958.

FISCHER, R., and ZALESCHUK, J. A semi-micro method for the determination of crystal violet sorbed to biological material. J. Histochem. Cytochem., 6, 237-43. 1958.

TAKEUCHI, T. Histochemical demonstration of branching enzyme (amylo-1,4 £ 1,6-transglucosidase), in animal tissues. J. Histochem. Cytochem., 6, 208-16. 1958.

ZUGIBE, F. T., KOPACZYK, K. C., CAPE, W. E., and LAST, J. H. A new Carbowax method for routinely performing lipid, hematoxylin and eosin and elastic staining techniques on adjacent freeze-dried or formalin-fixed sections. J. Histochem. Cytochem., 6, 133-8. 1958.     

A Method for Isolating and Preparing Silica Bodies in Grasses for Scanning Electron Microscopy

Silica bodies are discrete deposits of dehydrated silica within epidermal cells. To describe these bodies completely, surrounding organic and unsilicified material must be removed. Methods generally used for isolating and preparing silica bodies were unsuitable for most grass species. An effective method for studying grasses is described here. After ashing the plant tissue, the ash was repeatedly rinsed with HCl in a specialized multiple funnel manifold and collected on Nuclepore filters. In addition, the silica bodies were sonicated for a few minutes to remove any remaining mineral impurities. Compared to conventional procedures, this method has a number of advantages: unsilicified material and mineral impurities were removed effectively, smaller quantities of plant tissue could be used, and the loss of silica bodies was minimized.     

Systematics, similarity and Acanthaceae pollen morphology

SCOTLAND, R. W., 1992. Systematics, similarity and Acanthaceae pollen morphology. A brief discussion of the history of Acanthaceae classifications is provided. It is argued that several approaches utilizing pollen morphological data for the classification of the family can be identified. The Lindau pollen types are shown to have an indirect relationship to Lindau's own classification. Pollen morphological similarity is explored within the context of cladistic methodology. It is shown that some of the Lindau pollen types are analogous. It is demonstrated that shared similarities can be of three types: conflicting (homoplasious), plesiomorphic and apomorphic.     

Holocene environments in the central Sahara

Palynological investigations of corings in the sebkhas of Taoudenni (N-Mali) and Segedim (N-Niger), archaeological excavations in the Acacus Mts. (SW-Libya) and charcoal records in the central Ténéré (Niger) give evidence for a northward shift of the desert-savanna boundary to 22°–20° N during the middle Holocene. Between Niger and S-Libya there was a ecological gradient from the sudanian, sahelian and saharan savannas to a denser saharan desert vegetation. After a transition phase between 6000 and 4000 BP the saharan desert vegetation was finally established in the Taoudenni and Segedim region and this degraded from ca. 2000 BP to its present condition.During the middle Holocene the central Sahara had a monsoonal summer rain climate with an effective rainfall of 250–300 mm per year near the desert-savanna boundary (ca. 22° N). Interaction between the monsoon and the atlantic cyclones also allowed rainfall in other periods of the year.     

Grazers: biocatalysts of terrestrial silica cycling

Silica is well known for its role as inducible defence mechanism countering herbivore attack, mainly through precipitation of opaline, biogenic silica (BSi) bodies (phytoliths) in plant epidermal tissues. Even though grazing strongly interacts with other element cycles, its impact on terrestrial silica cycling has never been thoroughly considered. Here, BSi content of ingested grass, hay and faeces of large herbivores was quantified by performing multiple chemical extraction procedures for BSi, allowing the assessment of chemical reactivity. Dissolution experiments with grass and faeces were carried out to measure direct availability of BSi for dissolution. Average BSi and readily soluble silica numbers were higher in faeces as compared with grass or hay, and differences between herbivores could be related to distinct digestive strategies. Reactivity and dissolvability of BSi increases after digestion, mainly due to degradation of organic matrices, resulting in higher silica turnover rates and mobilization potential from terrestrial to aquatic ecosystems in non-grazed versus grazed pasture systems (2 versus 20 kg Si ha⁻¹ y⁻¹). Our results suggest a crucial yet currently unexplored role of herbivores in determining silica export from land to ocean, where its availability is linked to eutrophication events and carbon sequestration through C–Si diatom interactions.     

Integrated study of fauna and microflora from the Early Devonian (Pragian–Emsian) of northwestern Argentina

The Devonian System in northern Argentina has been broadly analysed, but details of its lithologies, biostratigraphy and fossil content have not been presented in a comprehensive study. We performed the first integrative analysis of the palynological and macrofossil content from the Pescado Formation at the Zenta Range, Argentina. We define a new species of cryptospore and extend the stratigraphic record of the ichnogenus Psammichnites isp. for South America. The stratigraphic ranges of the palynomorphs suggest a time span from the ?late Lochkovian to Pragian–earliest Emsian, but the co-occurrences of key invertebrates narrow the age of the beds to the late Pragian and early Emsian. Moreover, sedimentary analysis indicates a proximal shoreface–foreshore depocenter during this time range for the Zenta region. The contraction phase of the basin during the middle Pragian and Emsian is evidenced by the presence of sand bodies at the top of the column and the higher supply of terrigenous components. During this regression event, a low diversity Malvinokaffric Realm brachiopod assemblage occurs, with dominance of Australospirifer hawkinsi. The predominance of the latter species during this event is coeval with the first decline of the Malvinokaffric Realm in the neighbouring Paraná basin.     

含笑属植物研究进展

含笑属植物约有80种,分布于亚洲热带及亚热带,是木兰科中第二大属,为常绿乔木或灌木,也是重要的资源植物。该文主要对国内外学者在分类学、形态学、孢粉学、细胞学、植物化学、分子系统学、应用前景等方面的研究进展进行了综述。     

Inflorescence structure and affinities of Laurophyllus (Anacardiaceae)

WANNAN, B. S. & QUINN, C. J., 1992. Inflorescence structure and affinities of Laurophyllus (Anacardiaceae). The inflorescence structure, pollen and floral anatomy are investigated in Laurophyllus . The inflorescence is a panicle sensu Briggs & Johnson, but with marked differences between the male and female. Sistergroup comparison with the Burseraceae indicates that the plesiomorphic inflorescence in the Anacardiaceae is a thyrsoid, the apomorph being the panicle. Laurophyllus has Rhus -type pollen and therefore has no close affinity with Dobinea or Campylopeialum . Floral anatomy reveals that Laurophyllus is unicarpellary with a dorsally attached style and an apically attached ovule. These characters suggest that rather than being related to Anacardium or Mangifera , it has some affinity with Blepharocarya or perhaps with one of the poorly known African or Madagascan genera.     

Anatomical variation in some perennial Triticeae

JARVIE, J. K. & BARKWORTH, M. E., 1992. Anatomical variation in some perennial Triticeae. Cross-sectional anatomy of glumes and leaf blades was examined in 22 taxa of the perennial Triticeae. The taxa included diploids and polyploids based largely on various combinations of the E, J and S genomes. The objective was to determine how much correlation exists between anatomical characteristics and genomic constitution. The data were analysed by principal co-ordinate and cluster analyses. The results showed that monogenomic species based on different genomes were readily distinguishable on glume and leaf blade features. Most heterogenomic taxa exhibited some aspects of each genome present except in the case of JE allotetraploids, which exhibited no E genome characteristics.     

Palerasnitsynus gen. n. (Trichoptera, Psychomyiidae) from Burmese amber

Palerasnitsynus ohlhoffigen. et sp. n. is described fromBurmese amber of late Albian (Lower Cretaceous) age. This is the first record of the family Psychomyiidae from Burmese amber, and the earliest fossil record of the family. The genus Palerasnitsynusgen. n. differs from all other known psychomyiid genera by the absence of fork III in the forewings.     

基于孢子形态和分子证据探讨鳞盖蕨属(碗蕨科)系统分类

孢粉学是解决植物分类中疑难类群物种微形态分化的重要方法, 随着分子系统学的发展, 结合这两门学科的优势可以更加有效地解决疑难类群的分类学问题。鳞盖蕨属(Microlepia)是一个分类困难的疑难类群, 采用孢粉学与分子系统学一一对应的方法, 以及居群取样方式, 选取280份样本, 联合4个叶绿体片段(rbcL、trnL-F、psbA-trnH和rps4), 采用最大似然法和贝叶斯法构建该属的系统发生关系, 在此基础上对凭证标本中100份材料的孢子进行观察和分析。综合分子系统学和孢粉学的研究结果, 得出结论: (1) 在形态学研究中广泛被接受的15个物种得到了单系支持, 并厘清了分类困难的复合群; (2) 发现边缘鳞盖蕨(M. marginata)可能存在隐性种; (3) 建议恢复过去归并处理为异名的瑶山鳞盖蕨(M. yaoshanica)、罗浮鳞盖蕨(M. lofoushanensis)、四川鳞盖蕨(M. szechuanica)以及滇西鳞盖蕨(M. subspeluncae); (4) 提出鳞盖蕨属可能存在杂交现象; (5) 提出鳞盖蕨属完整的属下分类建议。