Multiple cosmopolitan ecotypes within a microbial eukaryote morphospecies

Microbial eukaryotes that are morphologically indistinguishable (i.e. 'morphospecies') tend to be genetically diverse. While most protist morphospecies have cosmopolitan distribution, it has been suggested that ribotypes (unique rRNA gene sequences) or rRNA sequence clusters do have biogeography and such clusters may correlate with particular (non-morphological) adaptations. We have studied this in the ciliated protozoan morphospecies Cyclidium glaucoma. Fifty-four isolates collected worldwide represented 31 distinct ribotypes. There was no evidence of biogeographic distribution patterns. For example, identical ribotypes occurred in samples from Argentina, Peru, Morocco, Russia and Ukraine; in samples from Denmark and Australia; and in samples from Great Salt Lake and hyperhaline ponds in Spain. The morphospecies Cyclidium glaucoma is euryhaline and occurs in freshwater, brackish water, seawater, and hyperhaline waters. Evidence suggests that one ribotype cluster occurs only in marine or brackish habitats, and another one has so far been found only in hyperhaline habitats. Two clades seem to occur only in freshwater, but one clade includes ribotypes that were found in freshwater as well as in brackish water.     

The ultrastructure and possible functions of nephrocytes in the trombiculid mite Hirsutiella zachvatkini (Acariformes: Trombiculidae)

The ultrastructure of nephrocytes during the post-larval development of the trombiculid mite Hirsutiella zachvatkini (Schluger) was investigated by means of transmission electron microscopy. Nephrocytes are situated either individually or in groups inside the haemocoelic space and are always ensheathed by a basal membrane. They contain numerous tubular elements, electron-dense inclusions and sometimes electron-lucent vacuoles. Invaginations of the plasma membrane, often in the form of labyrinthine channels, with coated pits of plasma membrane and characteristic slit diaphragms linking adjacent pedicels, typically occupy the peripheral parts of the cells. However, no distinct zonation of organelles in the nephrocytes of trombiculids was observed. The number of nephrocytes in the haemocoel and the intensity of development of their tubular elements and in particular of labyrinthine channels vary significantly during the ontogenesis of mites. The possible functions of nephrocytes and their structure and differentiation in comparison with other arachnids are discussed.     

Hyoscyamine N-oxide in Atropa belladonna

Separated organs of Atropa belladonna have been examined for their total alkaloid, hyoscyamine and hyoscyamine N-oxide contents during ontogenesis. Marked fluctuations in N-oxide content were observed, the highest being found in the ripe fruit. [G-³H]-atropine was fed to A. belladonna fruits and radioactively labelled hyoscyamine N-oxide isolated.     

建兰类原球茎体生长、发育过程中扫描电镜观察

建兰(Cymbidium ensifolium)类原球茎体(PLB)培养在含3％蔗糖和不含蔗糖的1/2 MS_0培养基中生长,比较连续光照、8h光照和黑暗条件下原球茎生长发育的动态进程。扫描电镜观察表明:原球茎表面布满密集的发育程度不同的分生区,随继代培养进程,形成分株更多的丛生形原球茎,连续光照促进分生区的增殖,黑暗不利于分生区的发育,在无糖源培养基中生长的PLB,分生区的细胞伸长,发育呈管状结构,这种结构丧失分生能力。在原球茎顶端分化叶原基,并可分化类似气孔的保卫细胞。     

Development of respiratory function in perinatal ontogenesis

In development of respiratory function in rats, mice, and other representatives of placental animals there exists the general plan of formation of rhythm: from single contractions of respiratory musculature to formation of bursts and complexes alternating periodically with pauses and apnea intervals and subsequent rhythm stabilization. These peculiarities are closely connected with the states of sleep and wakefulness. A concept is put forward about a certain sequence of functional maturation and ways of regulation of activity of the breathing rhythm pacemaker. At the first stage the autogenic rhythmical activity is determined by pacemaker properties of a part of neurons of the medulla rostral ventrolateral part. It cannot be ruled out that the first respiratory discharges in spinal cord ventral roots might have been a manifestation of the nervous network rhythmogenic properties. The direct sensitivity of central neurons to chemical composition of the medium and to some neuromodulators serves as the first regulatory mechanism. Somewhat later, inhibitory control is established from supramedullary structures, with an increase of the role of peripheral receptors in regulation of respiration.     

Tomasello,Wittgenstein, and Vygotsky: The Problem of the Intermental

The subject of this article is the early mental development of children in the light of research by two classical scholars from the last century and several of our contemporaries. L.S. Vygotsky contended that before the higher mental functions are mastered by a child, they are in a state distributed between the child and an adult “as an intermental category.” However, he subsequently developed this productive notion in a very narrow sense, and the intermental was concretized as it was expressed in language. L. Wittgenstein persuasively showed that mastery of language is impossible without a practical “demonstration” of the meanings of words as part of “language games” within practical activities. At the same time, he argued that there could be no theory regarding this process. M. Tomasello, in works written already in this century, shows that “language games” are learned by the child long before mastering spoken language, based on gestures that in turn rely on joint intentions and joint attention—i.e. on the intermental in the sense in which one can interpret Vygotsky’s comments. The article clarifies the principal difficulties of exploring the topic of the intermental in psychology. A function distributed between an adult and a child cannot be objectified (it was an attempt to objectify that resulted in a narrowing of Vygotsky’s topic). Moreover, the interpretation of the intersubjective status of some forms of the psychic leads to the notion that any mental function remains intermental throughout one’s lifetime. In the view of the author of the article, such an interpretation is essential, but requires serious advances in the philosophical-methodological development of the subject under study.     

DNA barcoding should accompany taxonomy - the case of Cerebratulus spp (Nemertea)

Many issues in DNA barcoding need to be solved before it can reach its goal to become a general database for species identification. While species delimitations are more or less well established in several taxa, there are still many groups where this is not the case. Without the proper taxonomic background/knowledge and corroboration with other kinds of data, the DNA barcoding approach may fail to identify species accurately. The classification and taxonomy of phylum Nemertea (nemerteans, ribbon worms) are traditionally based on morphology, but are not corroborated by an increasing amount of genetic data when it comes to classification either into species or into higher taxa. The taxonomy of the phylum needs to be improved before the full potential of DNA barcoding can be utilized to make sure that valid Linnean names accompany the barcode sequences. We illustrate the problematic situation in the phylum Nemertea by a case study from the genus Cerebratulus.     

Ontogenesis and molecular phylogeny of a new marine urostylid ciliate, Anteholosticha petzi n. sp. (Ciliophora, Urostylida)

A new urostylid ciliate, Anteholosticha petzi n. sp., isolated from the northern China seas, was studied using live observation and protargol impregnation. It differs from all the congeners mainly in the highly flexible and variable body shape, its red-brown to brick-red colour, and the possession of three types of cortical granules. Analysis of morphometric and molecular data confirm the validity of A. petzi as a distinct species. Anteholosticha petzi n. sp. is characterized as follows: by having 3 frontal, 1 buccal, 2 frontoterminal, 2 pretransverse, and 8-11 transverse cirri; a midventral row that comprises 10-16 cirral pairs and extends ca. 60% of cell length; and 3 bipolar dorsal kineties. Ontogenesis is similar to that in Anteholosticha warreni except for the formation of the oral primordium and is characterized by: (1) the parental adoral membranelles are completely renewed and the oral primordium is formed de novo; and (2) the anlagen for the frontal-ventral-transverse cirri are formed as primary primordia. The small subunit rRNA gene sequence of A. petzi n. sp. was also compared with that of its congeners with the sequence differences ranging from 0.39% to 8.62%. Phylogenetic trees based on the SSU rRNA gene sequence were constructed, indicating the nonmonophyly of the genus Anteholosticha, as supported by the approximately unbiased test.     

Influence des traitements phytosanitaires sur les biocoenoses du phytoplancton limnique

We used specific diversity of phytoplankton and chlorophyll concentrations as a measure of algal biomass in ponds located in agricultural areas where pesticides and fertilizers are currently used and in natural meadows where pesticides spraying has never occurred.A comparison of the biocoenotic structure of the primary producers in the two types of ponds shows conspicuous differences. Species richness is higher in meadow ponds (25 species) than in agricultural area ponds (10 species). The chlorophyll levels are reduced in agricultural area ponds. These effects could be ascribed to contamination by pesticides.

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Influence des traitements phytosanitaires sur les biocoenoses du phytoplancton limnique

     

浅析物种概念的演变历史

本文是一篇关于物种概念演变的简述。生物学家用不同的方法或标准划分物种, 就形成了不同的物种概念, 如生物学物种、形态学物种、生态学物种、进化物种、系统发生或支序物种, 或它们的组合, 等等。它们都揭示了物种属性的特定侧面, 都是不同物种客观存在的真实反映, 但都无法令所有人满意。对真核生物来说, 无论它们在形态上的差别有多大, 生殖隔离(不能产生可育的后代)应该是两个群体能否真正分化成不同物种的关键, 这种隔离机制可以是地理的、行为的或其他方式; 而生殖隔离总会伴随着一些形态或遗传上的变化, 虽然这些特征可能与生殖隔离本身并无多大关系, 但往往成为分类学家或分子进化生物学家区分种的依据,对已经灭绝的化石物种来说, 生殖隔离的物种划分方式就无能为力了。如何准确定义一个物种依然充满着矛盾, 因为基于生殖隔离的物种概念不实用, 而实用的物种概念(如形态学物种)又被认为是人为的。     

Studies of A.A. Neyfakh on Periodicity of Morphogenetic Nuclear Function and Their Significance

The studies of A.A. Neyfakh on morphogenetic nuclear activity are considered in the light of experimental embryology data.