物种概念及其界定

半世纪以来,物种概念的定义备受关注,不同研究方向的生物学家提出24种不同或至少有分歧的物种概念,根据其不同的物种概念,物种的界定和物种的数量会出现很大的差异。人们普遍认同:物种是进化分离的微居群谱系,但把谱系分离过程中获得的特征如生殖隔离、可鉴定性、单系统发生等视为鉴定物种次级特征却有不同的声音。该文提出统一的物种概念,把谱系进化分离作为物种界定的唯一而又必要的特征,把谱系分离过程中获得的次级特征作为界定谱系分离的证据。鉴于此,物种概念间的分歧就会化解。其一,物种概念化与物种界定明显分开,不再混淆;其二,谱系的次级特征只与物种界定有关,在某种程度上为谱系分离提供证据;第三,若能把合理解释的任何一个特征作为某物种客观存在的证据,这样更多的特征更能确定谱系分离;最后最重要的是,统一物种概念使我们解放思想,扬弃传统的物种界定标准,探求物种界定的新思路。     

岛衣型真菌属级分类的初步研究*

本研究对岛衣型真菌Allocetraria ambigua,Allocetraria stracheyi,Nephromopsis pallescens和Tuckneraria laureri的核rDNA ITS序列进行了测定,并结合来自Genbank中的其它21种岛衣型真菌的核rDNA ITS序列进行了同源性分析。分析所用软件为DNAMAN。结果发现,Cetraria、Allocetraria、 Vulpicida、 Flavocetraria、 Tuckermannopsis和Kaernefeltia之间rDNA ITS的同源关系非常密切。这同岛衣型地衣现有细分的小属观点相矛盾。这种矛盾可能是由于持小属观点的作者在分属时对个别表型性状加权的结果。     

Morphometrics and SEM analysis of the species pair Lithobius mutabilis L. Koch, 1862 and L. glacialis Verhoeff, 1937 (Chilopoda: Lithobiomorpha)

The sets of morphological characters of two nominal species in the genus Lithobius Leach, 1814, Lithobius mutabilis L. Koch, 1862 and Lithobius glacialis Verhoeff, 1937, were studied in order to test specific dissimilarity. Morphometrics were examined and analysed statistically. In addition, a comparative SEM analysis of external characters was made. Morphometrically significant differences between the species were found concerning body length, the width ratio of the head to the 5th tergite, the number of antennal articles, and the length/width proportions of certain articles (e.g. the femur) of the 15th legs of males. Because of these and several additional differences, such as in tergite surface structure, modifications to the 15th legs of males, the structure of the female gonopod claws, and between the ecological profiles, L. glacialis, which is found in the high Alps at altitudes above timberline (1300 m), can be distinguished clearly from L. mutabilis. This study demonstrates another example for a cryptic species pair, a common phenomenon between lowland and alpine populations of small invertebrates. The combination of morphometrics and SEM offers a powerful methodology for resolving previously uncertain questions in the species-level taxonomy of centipedes.     

Species concept and speciation

Defining and recognizing a species has been a controversial issue for a long time. To determine the variation and the limitation between species, many concepts have been proposed. When a taxonomist study a particular taxa, he/she must adopted a species concept and provide a species limitation to define this taxa. In this paper some of species concepts are discussed starting from the typological species concepts to the phylogenetic concept. Positive and negative aspects of these concepts are represented in addition to their application.     

云南省四种家鼠下颌骨形态差异——基于传统测量与几何形态分析

为探讨黄胸鼠(Rattus tanezumi)、大足鼠(R. nitidus)、褐家鼠(R. norvegicus)及黑缘齿鼠(R. andamanensis)的下颌骨种间形态差异,为上述物种提供新的鉴定依据,提高形态分类的准确性,本研究对4种共40号标本的下颌骨进行了传统线性测量分析和几何形态测量分析。使用单因素方差分析比较了传统形态测量值的种间差异。通过主成分分析、典型变量分析和系统发育信号检验分析了4种家鼠下颌骨的几何形态差异。通过Bayes判别分析和函数判别法分别检验了不同方法对物种鉴定的准确性。传统形态测量的单因素方差分析表明,4种家鼠下颌骨长、下臼齿列长、下颌高和下颌齿隙传统测量值存在显著差异,且黄胸鼠与黑缘齿鼠差异最大,大足鼠与褐家鼠差异最小;几何形态测量分析表明,黄胸鼠与黑缘齿鼠下颌骨形态较为相近,黄胸鼠与大足鼠下颌骨形态差异最大,4种家鼠下颌骨形态差异主要集中在冠状突、角突和踝状突;传统测量值的Bayes交叉验证判别分析对4个物种标本的正确分类为72.5%,几何形态判别函数分析结果表明,除褐家鼠-黑缘齿鼠(60%)外,另几个物种的两两交叉验证结果都达到70%及以上,表明两种分析方法具有一定的可靠性。下颌骨形态可以作为4种家鼠的鉴别依据,几何形态测量方法可以提高4种家鼠的分类准确性。在今后的研究中可以运用该方法在更多类群中展开验证,获得更全面的形态差异信息,进而为基层疾控单位工作人员开展鼠源性疾病控制和预防工作时的物种鉴定提供参考依据。     

Molecular systematics of pinniped hookworms (Nematoda: Uncinaria): species delimitation,host associations and host-induced morphometric variation

Hookworms of the genus Uncinaria have been widely reported from juvenile pinnipeds, however investigations of their systematics has been limited, with only two species described, Uncinaria lucasi from northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus) and Uncinaria hamiltoni from South American sea lions (Otaria flavescens). Hookworms were sampled from these hosts and seven additional species including Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus), California sea lions (Zalophus californianus), South American fur seals (Arctocephalus australis), Australian fur seals (Arctocephalus pusillus), New Zealand sea lions (Phocarctos hookeri), southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina), and the Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus). One hundred and thirteen individual hookworms, including an outgroup species, were sequenced for four genes representing two loci (nuclear ribosomal DNA and mitochondrial DNA). Phylogenetic analyses of these sequences recovered seven independent evolutionary lineages or species, including the described species and five undescribed species. The molecular evidence shows that U. lucasi parasitises both C. ursinus and E. jubatus, whereas U. hamiltoni parasitises O. flavescens and A. australis. The five undescribed hookworm species were each associated with single host species (Z. californianus, A. pusillus, P. hookeri, M. leonina and M. monachus). For parasites of otarids, patterns of Uncinaria host-sharing and phylogenetic relationships had a strong biogeographic component with separate clades of parasites from northern versus southern hemisphere hosts. Comparison of phylogenies for these hookworms and their hosts suggests that the association of U. lucasi with northern fur seals results from a host-switch from Steller sea lions. Morphometric data for U. lucasi shows marked host-associated size differences for both sexes, with U. lucasi individuals from E. jubatus significantly larger. This result suggests that adult growth of U. lucasi is reduced within the host species representing the more recent host–parasite association. Intraspecific host-induced size differences are inconsistent with the exclusive use of morphometrics to delimit and diagnose species of Uncinaria from pinnipeds.     

基因流介导的种间渐渗与物种界定

物种界定是生物学中最基本的问题之一。近年来随着分子生物学技术的进步如分子条形码的发展,物种界定也越来越引起人们的兴趣。界定一个物种或相似的一组物种时最重要的一个原则就是选择适合的分子标记。然而,植物中广泛存在的不完全谱系筛选与种间渐渗却常常会阻碍准确鉴定物种。最近,有关基因流介导的种间渗入和物种界定在理论和实验研究中都取得了重大进展。本文综述了基因流介导的物种形成;评价了种间渐渗与不完全谱系筛选的区别;最后总结出应该利用基因流速度较快的分子标记去鉴定物种。     

A revised molecular phylogeny of the globally distributed hawkmoth genus Hyles (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae), based on mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences

The hawkmoth genus Hyles comprises some 29 species with a global distribution. In this study, we augment the previous taxon sampling with more species and add sequences from a nuclear gene to produce a refined phylogenetic hypothesis. A total evidence reconstruction based on Bayesian analysis of the combined mitochondrial (COI, t-RNA-Leu, COII; 2284 bp) and nuclear (EF1α; 773 bp) sequences is discussed and compared with the results from separate analyses of the two genes. The total evidence phylogeny corroborates many of the phylogenetic relationships previously postulated within the genus. In addition, the hitherto unsampled enigmatic species Hyles biguttata from Madagascar appears as sister group to Hyles livornicoides from Australia, although support for the relationship is relatively weak. The high level of differentiation of Hyles perkinsi from H. calida (both Hawaii), and the status of these two as sister species, is corroborated by both sources of sequence data. However, their phylogenetic position when mt DNA sequences alone are considered differs markedly from that under total evidence. The previously postulated relationships within the Hyles euphorbiae complex (HEC) s.s. are largely corroborated, but H. dahlii is now more closely related and the HEC s.l. is redefined to include H. zygophylli and H. stroehlei (two species that had not been studied previously using molecular data) and to exclude H. siehei and H. hippophaes. The nuclear sequences alone are insufficiently variable to fully resolve all lineages and the phylogeny suggests that nuclear gene swapping and incomplete lineage sorting have occurred implying recent divergence. The results from the total evidence analysis provide a phylogenetic hypothesis that both corroborates and complements the previous biogeographic scenario, and provides new insights into the origins of several of the included taxa.     

Diaporthe amygdali,a species complex or a complex species?

Delimitation of species boundaries within the fungal genus Diaporthe has been challenging, but the analyses of combined multilocus DNA sequences has become an important tool to infer phylogenetic relationships and to circumscribe species. However, analyses of congruence between individual gene genealogies and the application of the genealogical concordance principle have been somehow overlooked. We noted that a group of species including D. amygdali, D. garethjonesii, D. sterilis, D. kadsurae, D. ternstroemia, D. ovoicicola, D. fusicola, D. chongqingensis and D. mediterranea, commonly known as D. amygdali complex, occupy a monophyletic clade in Diaporthe phylogenies but the limits of all species within the complex are not entirely clear. To assess the boundaries of species within this complex we employed the Genealogical Concordance Phylogenetic Species Recognition principle (GCPSR) and coalescence-based models: General Mixed Yule-Coalescent (GMYC) and Poisson Tree Processes (PTP). The incongruence detected between individual gene phylogenies, as well as the results of coalescent methods do not support the recognition of lineages within the complex as distinct species. Moreover, results support the absence of reproductive isolation and barriers to gene flow in this complex, thus providing further evidence that the D. amygdali species complex constitutes a single species. This study highlights the relevance of the application of the GCPSR principle, showing that concatenation analysis of multilocus DNA sequences, although being a powerful tool, might lead to an erroneous definition of species limits. Additionally, it further shows that coalescent methods are useful tools to assist in a more robust delimitation of species boundaries in the genus Diaporthe.     

基于几何形态测量学的植物鉴定方法

物种鉴定是植物研究中的一个重要环节,尤其对近缘种的鉴定是个难点。野外调查和采样时通常使用直接观察形态特征的方法来鉴定物种,容易产生鉴定误差。本文以同域分布的两个近缘种槲树（Quercus dentata Thunb.）和槲栎（Q.aliena Blume）为研究对象,通过叶片形态研究,探讨几何形态测量学方法,并对该方法的植物物种鉴定能力进行总结。该方法除了具备操作简单和分析准确的优势外,还弥补了传统物种鉴定方法的不足,可显著提高植物物种的鉴定能力。