THE POTENTIAL FOR PALAEOBOTANY IN THE EXPLANATION OF CHINA''''S PLANT GEOGRAPHY

The distributions of many plant taxa in China at the present day indicate centres of floristic importance which may be ancient,and have evolutionary significance,or which may be only their latest locations in a Cenozoic history of migrations.This paper summarizes the present and Cenozoic distributions in China of the following taxa:Nitraria,Ephedra,Carya,Liquidamber,Pterocarya,Betulaceae.It is concluded that the centres of importance of the named genera are different now from what they were at some time in the Cenozoic past;each has accomplished major migrations and suffered significant extinctions during that period.The history of the Betulaceae is less clear but in principle soluble.     

RIVER BANK HABITAT ASSESSMENT OF THE YANGTZE FINLESS PORPOISE IN THE MAIN STEM OF MIDDLE-LOWER YANGTZE RIVER北大核心CSCD

Habitat quality can directly affect population abundance and distribution of the Yangtze finless porpoise. This study investigated habitat status of both south and north banks of the main stem of the Yangtze River by taking high-resolution digital photos systematically during the 2017 Yangtze Freshwater Dolphin Expedition from 10th November to 17th December, 2017. The survey area covered the entire middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River from Yichang to Shanghai (1669 km in length) and a total of 794 photo samples were collected. We recorded 318 sightings with 631 individuals of the Yangtze finless porpoise. The Chi-squared goodness of fit test revealed that proportions of observed frequency are significantly higher than the expected frequency in natural river banks (χ2=69.81, P<0.001). Whereas the result is opposite in the semi-natural and solidified river banks (χ2=39.26, P<0.001; χ2=12.15, P<0.001), indicating that the natural river banks were the preferred habitat of the Yangtze finless porpoise. The length of the semi-natural river and solidified banks accounted for 45.47% of the total length of the river bank, which intermingled with the patches of the natural river banks, demonstrating that the natural habitat was severely degraded and highly fragmented to impact the distribution of the Yangtze finless porpoise. Our study suggested that habitat degradation and fragmentation pose a significant threat to the survival of the Yangtze finless porpoise. Future conservation research and practice should focus on habitat restoration of the solidified river banks to reestablish and enhance habitat connectivity. © 2019, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.     

THE RATE OF TRANSMISSION IN THE NERVE NET OF THE C?LENTERATES

Nerve net transmission in Metridium at 21°C. varies from 121 to 146 mm. per second.     

IS MOM IN CHARGE? IMPLICATIONS OF RESOURCE PROVISIONING ON THE EVOLUTION OF THE PLACENTA

The Trexler–DeAngelis model shows that placentas are most likely to evolve in environments with consistent, high levels of resource availability. An assumption imperative to the model is that placental species abort embryos in low food conditions. However, a previous experimental test of this assumption using the northern clade of Poeciliopsis showed no evidence for abortion. To distinguish between the alternatives that placental species either sacrifice body condition to maintain reproduction when resources are restricted, or that the previously documented pattern of resource allocation is a function of other life‐history correlates of placentation rather than placentation alone, we perform a similar experiment on the southern clade of Poeciliopsis. The southern clade has the opposite relationship between life‐history traits and placentation as seen in the northern clade. Our results mirror those from the northern clade, indicating that reproductive mode, rather than life history, dictates the pattern of resource allocation. These results add to the difficulties of explaining placental evolution within the constraints of the Trexler–DeAngelis model by restricting the range of resource conditions in which placental species can outcompete nonplacental species. They also lend support to hypotheses that suggest parent–offspring conflict in utero drives the evolution of the placenta.     

ON NEW MATERIAL OF STEGODON WITH RECOLLECTIONS OF THE CLASSIFICATION OF STEGODON IN CHINA

ReviseddiagnoaisCraniumcompressedanteroposteriorlyandhighvertical1y.Superiortuskslargeandstraight,nolowerincisors'Ridge-platesprogressiveIymulti-plyingfromsixtoelevenintheintermediateteeth,fromninetofifteenandhaIfilltheposteriormolars.Thereisamediancleftoritsvestigesintheanteriorridge-platesoftheprimitivespecies.Conesrapidlysubdividingbybinaryorternary.fissionintomultipleconelets(8-l2).Ridge-plateselevatingfrombrachyodonttosubhypsodont.Cementdevelopingintheval1eys.RemarksSarwar(l977)propose…     

THE EFFECT OF N,N''''—DIMETHYL FORMAMIDE ON THE FREQUENCY OF MICRONUCLEI IN BONE MARROW POLYCHROMATIC ERYTHROCYTES OF MICE

The micronucleus test is a reliable short-term in vivo test for detectingpotential clastogens or spindle poisons.Using the micronucleus test to evaluatethe mutagenic effect of N, N＇-Dimcthyl formamide(DMF)on bonemarrow polychromatic erythrocytes,Kunming strain mice were treated withthe drug in single and multiple injection tests.     

CURRENT STATUS AND CONSERVATION PLANNING OF FISH BIODIVERSITY IN THE UPPER YANGTZE RIVER BASIN IN THE CONTEXT OF HYDROPOWER DEVELOPMENT北大核心CSCD

Nearly 90% of the hydropower resources in the Yangtze River basin are concentrated in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. The cascaded hydropower dams and river channelization have caused habitat fragmentation and loss of fish diversity, which has aggravated the contradictions between hydropower development and environmental protection. This paper collected data on aquatic reserves (i.e. natural reserves and aquatic germplasm resources conservation zones) and cascade dams in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, and vectorized the data in ArcGIS. Taking into account the diversity, richness and distribution of fish, we analyzed the changes in fish resources and the problems in the construction and management of the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. Therefore, several strategies have been proposed to reduce the conflicts between hydropower development and aquatic ecosystem protection, including conducting reserve census, evaluating management effectiveness of the protected areas for spatial optimization of the reserve networks, implementing the ecological restoration of essential fish habitats, implementing the rescue action plan for the upper Yangtze endangered endemic fish, establishing an efficient ecological compensation mechanism, and strengthening scientific monitoring and related research. These recommendations will provide a scientific basis for the coordinated development of hydropower exploitation and river ecological protection in the upper Yangtze River. © 2019, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.     

BIODIVERSITY PATTERN AND CONSERVATION OF AQUATIC VASCULAR PLANTS IN THE YANGTZE RIVER BASIN,CHINA北大核心CSCD

The Yangtze River is the largest river in China. It is a priority conservation area for biodiversity of the world, with its main river, branches and wetlands. As an essential part of freshwater ecosystem, aquatic vegetation has been well studied by Chinese researchers since 1950s, but large-scaled analysis on the biodiversity pattern is lacked. Based on published studies, we analyzed spatial and temporal pattern of aquatic plant diversity in the Yangtze River Basin, and calculated the suitable habitat area and underlying influence of environmental factors using MaxEnt software. A total of 298 species are recognized, belonging to 121 genera in 52 families, which is 57.6% of the total aquatic vascular plants in China. The Yangtze River Basin is the key area for aquatic plant diversity of China, especially the subregions of middle reaches. The elevation and land use are the key environmental variables to the spatial pattern of aquatic plants. The separation among water systems have weak influence on the spatial pattern of diversity in aquatic vascular plants, but potamo-lacustrine habitats facilitated the species homogenization of the flora in a sub-basin scale. The network consists of Poyang Lake, Dongting Lake, Tai Lake, and the middle and lower mainstream is the suitable area for the aquatic plants based on the MaxEnt model. In the past half century, the decline or loss of aquatic vegetation occurred in plenty of lakes in the Yangtze River Basin. We suggested that the protection of aquatic vegetation should be incorporated into the integrated conservation of the middle and lower Yangtze River. © 2019, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.     

MANAGEMENT,CONSERVATION AND RESEARCH OF INTERNATIONALLY SHARED WATERCOURSES IN SOUTIIERN AFRICA—NAMIBIAN EXPERIENCE WITH THE OKAVANGO RIVER AND RIVERS OF THE EASTERN CAPRIVI

Summary

Although the emphasis of the recent National Rivers Research Initiative (now the Research Programme for the Management of Rivers) in South Africa was on river research in that country, the reality is that in southern Africa many watercourses are shared by more than one country. Therefore a central issue in integrated river basin management and development should be the recognition of the principle of international joint planning, conservation, monitoring and research.

Co-operation and a better understanding of shared waters would prevent deleterious impacts, not only in the country where they occur, but also in those downstream. With this in mind, since the early 1980s Namibia has worked on joint cross-border projects in efforts to manage and conserve her shared water bodies. These include joint river gauging exercises, biological control of Saivinia molesta in the eastern Caprivi region and, more recently, the application of a biological monitoring technique, the South African Scoring System version 4, to north-eastern perennial rivers.

The formation of the Joint Permanent Water Commission between Botswana and Namibia enabled the Departments of Water Affairs of both countries to work together on their shared rivers. The establishment of the Permanent Okavango River Basin Water Commission between Angola, Botswana and Namibia in 1994 improved this co-operation even further. Namibia and its' counterparts are thus committed to sharing information, co-ordinating research and monitoring activities and to undertaking detailed studies to improve their knowledge of these shared systems.

Such cross-border co-operation is vital for the survival of shared river systems not only as ecological entities in their own right, but also as sources of water, power and the other resources they provide, both directly and indirectly, to the human and wildlife populations that they support.     

STUDIES ON BLOOD COAGULATION : I. THE R?LE OF PROTHROMBIN AND OF PLATELETS IN THE FORMATION OF THROMBIN

1. A method is described for the preparation and titration of prothrombin and thrombin. 2. Confirming the views of Morawitz, Howell (1916–17, 1925), and Bordet, thrombin cannot be regarded as an artificial by-product of coagulation (Wooldridge, Nolf (both quoted from Morawitz)). Calcium, a platelet factor, and a plasma factor (prothrombin) interact to form thrombin, and this then acts upon fibrinogen to form fibrin. The amount and rate of thrombin formation in the first reaction are independent of the presence or absence of fibrinogen. After a variable latent period, thrombin suddenly appears in large quantities, coincident with or immediately preceding the deposition of fibrin if fibrinogen is present. 3. The amount of thrombin formed in a mixture of prothrombin, Ca and platelets is independent of the platelet or Ca concentration, and depends primarily upon the amount of prothrombin used. The platelets (or cephalin) enormously accelerate the transformation of prothrombin to thrombin, and this acceleration seems to be their physiological rôle in the coagulation process. 4. Contrary to previous reports, platelets have not been demonstrated to contain significant quantities of prothrombin. 5. The available data do not allow any definite decision as to whether the platelet factor actually combines with prothrombin to form thrombin, or merely catalyzes the transformation. The very slow formation of thrombin in the complete absence of platelets may be due to dissolved traces of platelet material released during the physical manipulation of the plasma (centrifuging, Berkefeld filtration). 6. There was no evidence for a species-specific activity of platelets in the transformation of prothrombin to thrombin.