Tree Migration-Rates: Narrowing the Gap between Inferred Post-Glacial Rates and Projected Rates

Faster-than-expected post-glacial migration rates of trees have puzzled ecologists for a long time. In Europe, post-glacial migration is assumed to have started from the three southern European peninsulas (southern refugia), where large areas remained free of permafrost and ice at the peak of the last glaciation. However, increasing palaeobotanical evidence for the presence of isolated tree populations in more northerly microrefugia has started to change this perception. Here we use the Northern Eurasian Plant Macrofossil Database and palaeoecological literature to show that post-glacial migration rates for trees may have been substantially lower (60–260 m yr^–1) than those estimated by assuming migration from southern refugia only (115–550 m yr^–1), and that early-successional trees migrated faster than mid- and late-successional trees. Post-glacial migration rates are in good agreement with those recently projected for the future with a population dynamical forest succession and dispersal model, mainly for early-successional trees and under optimal conditions. Although migration estimates presented here may be conservative because of our assumption of uniform dispersal, tree migration-rates clearly need reconsideration. We suggest that small outlier populations may be a key factor in understanding past migration rates and in predicting potential future range-shifts. The importance of outlier populations in the past may have an analogy in the future, as many tree species have been planted beyond their natural ranges, with a more beneficial microclimate than their regional surroundings. Therefore, climate-change-induced range-shifts in the future might well be influenced by such microrefugia.     

The Genetics of Reproductive Isolation in the Drosophila Simulans Clade: X Vs. Autosomal Effects and Male Vs. Female Effects

A strong effect of homozygous autosomal regions on reproductive isolation was found for crosses between the species in the Drosophila simulans clade. Second chromosome regions were introgressed from D. mauritiana and D. sechellia into D. simulans and tested for their homozygous effects on hybrid male and hybrid female sterility and inviability. Most introgressions are fertile as heterozygotes, yet produce sterile male offspring when made homozygous. The density of homozygous autosomal factors contributing to hybrid male sterility is comparable to the density of X chromosome factors for this level of resolution. Female sterility was also revealed, yet the disparity between male and female levels of sterility was great, with male sterility being up to 23 times greater than female sterility. Complete hybrid inviability was also associated with some regions of the second chromosome, yet there were no strong sex differences. In conclusion, we find no evidence to support a strong X chromosome bias in the evolution of hybrid sterility or inviability but do find a very strong sex bias in the evolution of hybrid sterility. In light of these findings, we reevaluate the current models proposed to explain the genetic pattern of reproductive isolation.     

How Adaptive Learning Affects Evolution: Reviewing Theory on the Baldwin Effect

We review models of the Baldwin effect, i.e., the hypothesis that adaptive learning (i.e., learning to improve fitness) accelerates genetic evolution of the phenotype. Numerous theoretical studies scrutinized the hypothesis that a non-evolving ability of adaptive learning accelerates evolution of genetically determined behavior. However, their results are conflicting in that some studies predict an accelerating effect of learning on evolution, whereas others show a decelerating effect. We begin by describing the arguments underlying the hypothesis on the Baldwin effect and identify the core argument: adaptive learning influences the rate of evolution because it changes relative fitness of phenotypes. Then we analyze the theoretical studies of the Baldwin effect with respect to their model of adaptive learning and discuss how their contrasting results can be explained from differences in (1) the ways in which the effect of adaptive learning on the phenotype is modeled, (2) the assumptions underlying the function used to quantify fitness and (3) the time scale at which the evolutionary rate is measured. We finish by reviewing the specific assumptions used by the theoretical studies of the Baldwin effect and discuss the evolutionary implications for cases where these assumptions do not hold.     

The Xenopus Oocyte Cut-open Vaseline Gap Voltage-clamp Technique With Fluorometry

The cut-open oocyte Vaseline gap (COVG) voltage clamp technique allows for analysis of electrophysiological and kinetic properties of heterologous ion channels in oocytes. Recordings from the cut-open setup are particularly useful for resolving low magnitude gating currents, rapid ionic current activation, and deactivation. The main benefits over the two-electrode voltage clamp (TEVC) technique include increased clamp speed, improved signal-to-noise ratio, and the ability to modulate the intracellular and extracellular milieu.Here, we employ the human cardiac sodium channel (hNa_V1.5), expressed in Xenopus oocytes, to demonstrate the cut-open setup and protocol as well as modifications that are required to add voltage clamp fluorometry capability.The properties of fast activating ion channels, such as hNa_V1.5, cannot be fully resolved near room temperature using TEVC, in which the entirety of the oocyte membrane is clamped, making voltage control difficult. However, in the cut-open technique, isolation of only a small portion of the cell membrane allows for the rapid clamping required to accurately record fast kinetics while preventing channel run-down associated with patch clamp techniques.In conjunction with the COVG technique, ion channel kinetics and electrophysiological properties can be further assayed by using voltage clamp fluorometry, where protein motion is tracked via cysteine conjugation of extracellularly applied fluorophores, insertion of genetically encoded fluorescent proteins, or the incorporation of unnatural amino acids into the region of interest¹. This additional data yields kinetic information about voltage-dependent conformational rearrangements of the protein via changes in the microenvironment surrounding the fluorescent molecule.     

Altruism in Forest Chimpanzees: The Case of Adoption

In recent years, extended altruism towards unrelated group members has been proposed to be a unique characteristic of human societies. Support for this proposal seemingly came from experimental studies on captive chimpanzees that showed that individuals were limited in the ways they shared or cooperated with others. This dichotomy between humans and chimpanzees was proposed to indicate an important difference between the two species, and one study concluded that “chimpanzees are indifferent to the welfare of unrelated group members”. In strong contrast with these captive studies, consistent observations of potentially altruistic behaviors in different populations of wild chimpanzees have been reported in such different domains as food sharing, regular use of coalitions, cooperative hunting and border patrolling. This begs the question of what socio-ecological factors favor the evolution of altruism. Here we report 18 cases of adoption, a highly costly behavior, of orphaned youngsters by group members in Taï forest chimpanzees. Half of the adoptions were done by males and remarkably only one of these proved to be the father. Such adoptions by adults can last for years and thus imply extensive care towards the orphans. These observations reveal that, under the appropriate socio-ecologic conditions, chimpanzees do care for the welfare of other unrelated group members and that altruism is more extensive in wild populations than was suggested by captive studies.     

The Effect of Biological Age on Professional Work Capacity: Report II. Biological Age and Physical Work Ability

The possibility of a prognostic estimation of the body's functional state based on comparative analysis of biological age measured by physical work ability parameters in truck drivers was considered. The dependence of the time course of work ability of the people examined on the calendar age and duration of their employment as drivers was studied. It was found that the range of adaptive responses of the cardiovascular system (CVS) to submaximal physical load narrowed in professional drivers earlier than in the control group. A risk group exhibiting signs of premature aging was revealed. It consisted of 40- to 49-year-old persons who had worked as drivers for 15–19 years. It was demonstrated that the approaches proposed are promising for estimating individual aging rates based on the parameters of work ability and for development of prophylactic measures aimed at the prevention of premature and/or accelerated aging of workers.     

The correct name of an hawaiian rubiaceous tree: Gouldia Affinis Vs. Gouldia Terminalis

De Candolle published the first binomial applied to a common Hawaiian shrub or small tree. Consequently that binomial should be taken up as the basionym since there is no obstacle preventing its use in the genusGouldia. Previous disclaimers as to the validity of the basionym are shown to be without basis.     

桥粒相关蛋白Pinin的生物学功能及其在肿瘤发生中的作用

桥粒不但参与上皮和心肌细胞的连接,增强细胞承受机械应力时的黏附作用,还能调控细胞行为和组织形态发生改变时的信号传导通路过程.桥粒相关蛋白Pinin(PNN)自发现以来,其位置和功能就备受争议.现有结果表明,PNN包含与细胞膜上桥粒共定位的桥粒型PNN和位于细胞核中的核型PNN两种,前者参与上皮细胞的黏附,后者与m RNA的选择性剪接功能有关.新近研究发现,PNN与肿瘤发生密切相关,然而其作用及其分子机制却不相同.本文对PNN的结构、功能及其与肿瘤发生的关系作一综述.     

红花菜豆（矮生红花变种）凝集素的生物学作用

红花菜豆（矮生红花变种,Ｐｈａｓｅｏｌｕｓｃｏｃｃｉｎｅｕｓｖａｒ．ｒｕｂｒｏｎａｎｕｓ）凝集素（ＰＣＬ）识别高甘露糖型寡糖并与之结合,它的生物学作用都与其糖结合专一性有关。ＰＣＬ的血凝作用不显示供血动物专一性和和血型专一性。ＰＣＬ除凝集红细胞外亦凝集动物其它细胞,如小鼠脾细胞、人精细胞及某些肿瘤细胞如黑色素瘤细胞Ｍ２１、胄癌细胞等。此外ＰＣＬ亦凝集某些微生物如野生型和Ｈ．Ｂ．１０１大肠杆菌以及面包酵母。ＰＣＬ具有促细胞分裂作用,使小鼠脾细胞和人外周血淋巴细胞转化的ＰＣＬ的最低浓度为２５０μｇ／Ｌ。ＰＣＬ能抑制某些癌瘤细胞的生长,在测试的几种细胞中,对人黑色素瘤细胞Ｍ２１生长的抑制较为明显。ＰＣＬ亦能抑制野生型大肠杆菌和面包酵母的生长,ＰＣＬ的细胞凝集、促淋巴细胞转化和抑制细胞生长的作用,都是首先通过它的糖结合部位与细胞表面的糖基结合导致的。