Changes in rainfall pattern affect crab herbivory rates in a SW Atlantic salt marsh

Climatic fluctuations usually change the intensity of existing interactions. Thus, in the context of the global climate change, it is important to consider new potential interactions or changes that may appear. Heavy rainy periods (one of the consequences of global climate change in eastern-central Argentina) can promote flooding in some estuaries (mainly on coastal lagoons), and thus, affect interactions between species. In this work we investigate if climatic fluctuations can affect Spartina densiflora Brong. (dominant marsh plant) survival through a chain of biotic and abiotic interactions in a SW Atlantic costal lagoon (37° 40′S, 57° 23′W; Mar Chiquita, Argentina). To achieve this, the long-term rainfall behavior of this region, and the effect of rainy periods on submergence of estuarine marsh areas (using satellite images) were analyzed. Then, the effect of flooding on the activity of the dominant herbivore of this system, the burrowing crab Neohelice granulata (= Chasmagnathus granulatus), was studied using pitfall traps. Finally, the effect of flooding on crab herbivory rates and plant survival were analyzed using transplants, stem-marking and flooding experiments. Long-term rainfall behavior showed that mean annual rainfall has increased during the last century, with the occurrence of more rainy years, and increases in cumulative monthly rainfall increased the submerged area of the S. densiflora marsh. Also, crab activity in the marsh largely increased during periods of flooding, associated with more than 100% increments in herbivory rates and stem mortality. These results reveal that increments in rainfall regime can trigger a cascade of abiotic and biotic interactions leading to increased marsh mortality, and stresses the importance of considering both, biotic and abiotic factors, together to predict changes in community organization.     

Between-habitat comparison of digestive enzymes activities and energy reserves in the SW Atlantic euryhaline burrowing crab Neohelice granulata

The digestive and metabolic characteristics at the biochemical level underlying between-habitat dietary shift of the SW Atlantic euryhaline burrowing crab Neohelice granulata under natural conditions are unknown. We made studies on adult males of N. granulata from the open mudflat and the vegetated saltmarsh in a SW Atlantic costal lagoon (Mar Chiquita, 37°32'-37°45'S; 57°19'-57°26'W, Argentina). We determined and compared amylase, maltase, sucrase, proteolytic, lipase and alkaline phosphatases activities in the hepatopancreas; glycemia, and glycogen, free glucose, triglycerides and protein concentrations in hepatopancreas, chela muscle, and anterior and posterior gills. The results show that N. granulata exhibits characteristics and between-habitat differences at the biochemical level (i.e. high amylase and disaccharidase activities, differences in total proteolytic, lipase and levamisole-insensitive AP activities in the hepatopancreas, and in the concentrations of glycogen in the gills, triglycerides in the hepatopancreas and of protein in the chela muscle) which could represent adaptive digestive and metabolic strategies to face the differences in environmental conditions (i.e. food availability). The possible relationship between digestive and metabolic characteristics and feeding patterns, type of food available and environmental conditions in each habitat is discussed.     

wzzE不影响禽致病性大肠杆菌雏鸭分离株LPS的表型北大核心CSCD

【目的】wzz参与很多革兰氏阴性菌O抗原的合成,并对细菌的致病性具有调控作用。在禽致病性大肠杆菌（Avian pathogenic Escherichia coli,APEC）中,存在Wzz蛋白超家族基因wzz E,目前尚未开展该基因对APEC脂多糖（LPS）的合成及致病作用研究,因此本研究开展了wzz E对APEC LPS合成以及生物学特性影响的研究。【方法】通过构建APEC DE17株的wzz E缺失株,开展对野生型和缺失株的LD50、黏附与入侵DF-1细胞、脂多糖表型及内毒素毒价等相关生物学特性的影响研究。【结果】结果表明,缺失wzz E的APEC,不影响细菌的生长特性。野生型、缺失株及回复株的LPS表型无明显差异。DE17Δwzz E与DE17的黏附与入侵结果无显著差异。血清型鉴定结果表明,缺失wzz E,不影响细菌的血清型。内毒素毒力检测结果DE17、DE17Δwzz E及CΔwzz E内毒素的毒价一致,为4×10~5 EU/mg。对7日龄樱桃谷鸭进行攻毒,测定各菌株的LD50,结果表明,与野生型相比,DE17Δwzz E缺失株毒力下降了10倍。【结论】wzz E缺失对LPS的表型无显著影响,但wzz E参与APEC的致病过程,然而wzz E对APEC毒力的调控机制仍有待进一步研究。     

天蓝色链霉菌孢子色素whiE在大肠杆菌中的异源生物合成

【目的】在大肠杆菌中完整重构孢子色素whiE的生物合成途径,分离纯化表达体系中合成的新化合物,并解析whiE的生物合成途径。【方法】构建whiE-ORFII、whiE-ORFVII和whiE-ORFI的单基因重组质粒,SDS-PAGE检测蛋白表达情况;借助Xba I与Spe I互为同尾酶的特性,实现多基因组合串联;构建好的重组质粒再导入大肠杆菌菌株BAP1中进行异源表达,并用高效液相色谱(HPLC)检测发酵产物;依次使用正相硅胶柱和反向半制备柱分离发酵产物,四级杆飞行时间质谱仪(Q-TOFMS)鉴定发酵产物分子量。【结果】whiE-ORFII、whiE-ORFVII和whiE-ORFI均获得可溶性表达;这3个基因单个串联到菌株BTw95中均未检测到新的产物生成;而whiE-ORFII和whiE-ORFVII、 whiE-ORFI和whiE-ORFVII双基因组合以及三基因组合串联到BTw95中可检测得到两种化合物ZYC-1和ZYC-2。在负离子模式下进行Q-TOFMS检测,ZYC-1的[M-H]-为419.0748,推测分子式为C_(23)H_(16)O_8;ZYC-2的[M-H]-为465.0743,推测分子式为C_(24)H_(18)O_(10)。【结论】本研究推进了孢子色素whiE生物合成途径在大肠杆菌中的异源重构,分离鉴定了2个十二酮II型聚酮化合物,并推测了孢子色素whiE的生物合成途径。     

Pretreatment with heat does not affect double-strand breaks DNA rejoining in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

We aimed to clarify if heat pretreatment could protect Chlamydomonas reinhardtii cells from gamma rays DNA damaging action. It was studied whether: (1) heat pretreatment could accelerate DNA DSB rejoining; (2) chloroplast chaperones (HSP70B, HSP90C) could be involved in protection from radiation-induced DNA DSB.It was obtained that heat pretreatment (37–42 °C) induced minor DNA DSB levels which might be insufficient as signals for DNA DSB repair induction. No correlation between chaperones overproduction and DNA DSB rejoining was shown. These are probably the first data that HSP70B and HSP90C do not protect DNA against radiation-induced damage in a plant model system.     

Handling does not affect reproductive signals of male threespine stickleback

We examined the affect of handling on reproductive signal expression in male threespine stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus. Spectrophotometric techniques have become popular methods for measuring fish color, but the measurements require handling of the subjects in order to make measurements. Fish can undergo rapid physiological color change in response to stress. As such, handling fish may induce color changes and measured colour may not be representative of signal appearance under non-stressful conditions. We measured the reflectance characteristics of the opercular, ventro-lateral and dorso-lateral areas of 41 reproductive males from Hotel Lake, BC, Canada using spectroradiometry immediately upon capture and again at 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 15, and 20 min post-capture. Repeated measures ANOVA revealed that post-capture handling did not affect opercular or ventro-lateral reflectance characteristics over the 20 min period. However, we did observe a change in dorso-lateral reflectance characteristics of parental males over the experiment. The results of our study show that handling does not influence reflective properties of two key components of stickleback reproductive signals during a time frame that is reasonable for taking field measurements of signal color.     

Drosophila melanogaster does not share the telomeric repeat sequence of another invertebrate, Ascaris lumbricoides

Summary The DNA at the chromosomal termini of all eukaryotes from which it has been isolated contains a characteristic sequence motif consisting of tandem arrays of a regular or irregular repeat unit. These terminal repeats are thought to be essential for the maintenance of the chromosome ends. The sequences of the terminal repeats of all vertebrates studied thus far are identical and are similar enough to those of higher plants and some protozoans to cross-hybridize. However, previous studies have not detected cross-hybridization between the DNA of Drosophila mélanogaster and the terminal DNA sequences of any of several organisms tested. Recently, the first terminal DNA clone from a multicellular invertebrate, that of Ascaris lumbricoides, was reported also to consist of a tandem reiteration of a short sequence similar to those previously identified for other eukaryotes. Here I show that a probe for this sequence from A. lumbricoides fails to hybridize delectably to the DNA of D. melanogaster. Thus, in contrast to their conservation among vertebrates, the terminal chromosomal sequences appear not to be shared by all metazoan invertebrates.     

OriC plasmids do not affect timing of chromosome replication in Escherichia coli K12

Summary The variability of the time interval between successive rounds of chromosome replication was estimated by density-shift experiments, by measuring the conversion of heavy DNA to hybrid density and light DNAs upon transfer of a steady-state culture growing in medium with [¹³C]glucose and ¹⁵NH₄Cl to medium with light isotopes. The coefficient of variation (CV%) for the interreplication time of the Escherichia coli K12 chromosome was found to be 17%, i.e. similar to that for interdivision time. The presence of additional copies of oriC in the cell on a high copy number plasmid did not increase the CV of interreplication time. It is concluded that a single rate-limiting event is unlikely to time the initiation of chromosome replication. The regulation of initiation at oriC and the coordination with cell division is discussed.     

Diet does not affect intercolonial fighting in Leptothoracine ants

Summary An experiment examined the effects of diet on brood rearing in colonies ofLeptothorax ambiguus andL. longispinosus and on fighting between colonies of the two species. Colonies fedDrosophila and honey reared more pupae than colonies fed the Bhatkar and Whitcomb (1970) diet. However, diet had no effect on intercolonial fighting.     

不同光质与光周期对粗肋草生长、叶片色素和颜色的影响

为改良粗肋草叶色和优化粗肋草设施栽培体系,该研究以粗肋草品种‘吉利红''的水培苗为材料,设置6种光质(白光、R:B=1:1、R:B=1:2、R:B=2:1、R:B=1:3、R:B=3:1,其中R、B分别代表红光、蓝光)和2种光周期(8、12 h·d^-1)交叉培养,测定粗肋草的生长量、生物量、土壤和作物分析仪器开发(SPAD)值、花色素苷含量和叶片颜色参数(色相值a^*、色相值b^*、明度值L^*、色调角h^*),研究粗肋草对红蓝光质和光周期互作的响应。结果表明:(1)12 h·d^-1光周期更有利于粗肋草生物量的积累,其中LP11(R:B=1:3×12 h·d^-1)处理的粗肋草苗木干重、鲜重均为最高,最有利于植物生长及生物量积累; 其次是LP5(R:B=1:3×8 h·d^-1)处理。(2)相同光质条件下,8 h·d^-1光周期处理的粗肋草叶片SPAD值比12 h·d^-1光周期处理高,12 h·d^-1光周期处理的粗肋草叶片花色素苷含量高于8 h·d^-1光周期的处理,LP11处理叶片SPAD值最低,花色素苷含量最高。12 h·d^-1光周期培养的粗肋草叶片颜色参数a^*、b^*值比8 h·d^-1光周期高,h^*值比8 h·d^-1光周期低。(3)主成分分析结果表明,LP11处理在促进粗肋草生长及叶色改良方面效果最好。综上认为,12 h·d^-1光周期更有利于粗肋草的生长和叶片颜色变化,其中LP11处理为最佳光质和光周期组合。     

粉红珙桐叶片呈色相关生理特性的季节变化

以四川省珙县王家镇同一生境下不同季节的粉红与绿叶珙桐叶片为试材,对其色素含量、渗透调节物质含量及相关酶活性进行测定,分析其季节性变化规律,从生理角度探寻影响珙桐叶片呈色的关键因素,以期为粉红珙桐的选育和合理栽培提供理论依据和技术参考。结果显示:(1)粉红珙桐叶片花色苷含量在春夏秋季均极显著高于绿叶珙桐,在夏季时含量最低;粉红珙桐叶片总叶绿素含量在夏季和秋季极显著低于绿叶珙桐,从春季过渡至秋季过程中逐渐上升;两者的类胡萝卜素和类黄酮含量差异不明显且在季节间较平稳。(2)粉红珙桐叶片的可溶性糖和可溶性蛋白含量略高于绿叶珙桐,夏季时达到最高;其脯氨酸含量也高于绿叶珙桐,且从春季到秋季缓慢上升。(3)粉红珙桐叶片苯丙氨酸解氨酶活性(PAL)、苯基苯乙烯酮黄烷酮异构酶(CHI)和超氧化物歧化酶活性(SOD)都显著高于绿叶珙桐,过氧化物酶(POD)活性则相反;从春季到秋季过程中,两种珙桐叶片PAL活性先减弱后增强,其POD和SOD活性则先增强后减弱,但粉红珙桐CHI活性逐渐减弱,绿叶CHI活性则先上升后下降。(4)粉红珙桐叶片花色苷含量与叶绿素含量、可溶性蛋白含量以及CHI、POD和SOD活性呈显著负相关关系。研究表明,叶片花色苷含量的增加和叶绿素含量的减少是粉红珙桐呈色的决定因素,CHI、SOD和POD活性是调节花色苷降解速率的关键酶。     

Blood sampling does not affect fledging success and fledgling local recruitment in coal tits ( Parus ater)

In order to assess the potentially harmful consequences of blood sampling in nestling coal tits (Parus ater), we analysed fledging success, fledgling local recruitment and recruit natal dispersal for nestlings originating from 27 blood-sampled broods and nestlings from 39 control broods. No adverse effects of blood sampling were detectable.     

Ring-like nucleoid does not play a key role in radioresistance of Deinococcus radiodurans

The conclusion based on transmission electron microscopy, “the tightly packed ring-like nucleoid of the Deinococcus radiodurans R1 is a key to radioresistance”, has instigated lots of debates. In this study, according to the previous research of Pprl’s crucial role in radioresistance of D. radiodurans, we have attempted to examine and compare the nucleoid morphology differences among wild-type D. radiodurans R1 strain, pprf function-deficient mutant (YR1), and pprl function-complementary strains (YR1001, YR1002, and YR1004) before and after exposure to ionizing irradiation. Fluorescence microscopy images indicate: (1) the majority of nucleoid structures in radioresistant strain R1 cells exhibit the tightly packed ring-like morphology, while the pprl function-deficient mutant YR1 cells carrying predominate ring-like structure represent high sensitivity to irradiation; (2) as an extreme radioresistant strain similar to wild-type R1, pprl completely function-complementary strain YR1001 almost displays the loose and irregular nucleoid morphologies. On the other hand, another radioresistant pprl partly function-complementary strain YR1002’s nucleiods exhibit about 60% ring-like structure; (3) a Pprl C-terminal deletion strain YR1004 consisting of approximately 60% of ring-like nucleoid is very sensitive to radiation. Therefore, our present experiments do not support the conclusion that the ring-like nucleoid of D. radiodurans does play a key role in radioresistance. Supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2004CB19604), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 30330020), and the National Science fund for Distinguished Young Scholars (Grant No. 30425038)     

黄曲霉分生孢子色素合成基因pks1的鉴定及其对生长发育和侵染性的影响

【目的】分生孢子色素是真菌细胞壁的重要成分,对真菌的生长发育极为重要,并有助于真菌抵御各种环境胁迫。本研究鉴定了黄曲霉分生孢子色素合成基因,并研究了分生孢子色素对黄曲霉生长发育及其对抗紫外照射和侵染能力的影响。【方法】通过已知真菌孢子色素合成基因蛋白序列同源比对确定了黄曲霉分生孢子色素合成基因及其所在的基因簇,利用同源重组策略对目标基因进行敲除,获得了该色素合成基因缺失的突变菌株,并研究该基因敲除后对表型、产孢、菌核形成、黄曲霉毒素产生、抗紫外照射和侵染性等影响。【结果】与野生型菌株相比,黄曲霉pks1基因缺失菌株的分生孢子颜色变为白色,生长速度、孢子产量、菌核形成和黄曲霉毒素B_1的产生均没有显著性变化,但该基因的缺失导致孢子对紫外线照射的抵御能力明显减弱,降低了黄曲霉对玉米和花生种子的侵染能力。【结论】pks1(AFLA_006170)基因是黄曲霉分生孢子色素合成的关键基因,影响黄曲霉分生孢子对紫外线照射等不利环境因子的抵抗能力和对粮食种子的侵染能力。     

基于RNA-Seq分析MpigE在红曲霉色素生物合成中的转录调控

[目的]分析MpigE的缺失在转录水平对红曲色素产生的影响.[方法]对实验室保存的野生型紫色红曲霉(Monascus purpureus) Mp-21和△MpigE菌株进行高通量转录组测序、注释、表达差异基因功能富集分析和基因通路富集分析,在转录水平揭示MpigE缺失后红曲霉色素产量变化的原因.[结果]通过RNA-Se...     

Exotic Spartina alterniflora provides compatible habitats for native estuarine crab Sesarma dehaani in the Yangtze River estuary

Although the impact of plant invasions on benthic communities, especially burrowing crabs, has received increasing attention, the results from past studies are mixed. The exotic plant Spartina alterniflora has become the most abundant species in the salt marshes of the Yangtze River estuary since it was first found just over a decade ago, but its effects on crabs in the salt marshes is largely unknown. To examine whether the invasions of this exotic plant affected native crabs, we compared the biomass and abundance of the dominant burrowing crab Sesarma dehaani in an exotic Spartina marsh, native Phragmites australis marsh and mudflats of the Yangtze River estuary, China. To explain the differences of S. dehaani populations between different habitats, feeding preference of S. dehaani for Spartina and Phragmites was investigated. Results showed crab abundance and biomass in the Spartina marsh were significantly greater than those in the Phragmites marsh and mudflats. Soil water content and plant community characteristics in the Spartina marsh also significantly differed in the Phragmites marsh and mudflats. Moreover, the feeding preference experiment showed that crabs consumed Spartina more than twice as much as Phragmites. In summary, this study showed that Spartina provided compatible habitats for native crab S. dehaani through offering suitable food source and moderate environmental conditions.     

紫花含笑花被呈色过程中色素含量与超微结构的变化特征

为了探究色素含量以及细胞结构在紫花含笑花被呈色过程中的作用机理,该研究以绿色和紫色花被为材料,测定其花被色素含量,运用逐步回归方程分析花被呈色与色素含量的关系,采用石蜡切片及超薄切片技术观察花被细胞超显微结构变化。结果表明:(1)在紫花含笑花被呈色过程中,紫色花被表面明度L^*值降低,a^*值上升,b^*值降低;花被花青素苷的积累量以及类胡萝卜素和类黄酮等含量增加,同时伴随着叶绿素的降解及其含量降低。(2)a^*与花青素、类黄酮、类胡萝卜素等色素含量以及花青素/类黄酮、花青素/叶绿素呈显著正相关关系,b^*与叶绿素含量和花青素/类胡萝卜素呈显著正相关关系。(3)在细胞结构上,随着花被由绿转紫,其上表皮细胞由扁平型向圆锥凸起型变化,单个细胞长宽比增大,细胞垂周壁出现褶皱,紫色花被上表皮结构向增加入射光吸收面积变化;液泡体积增大与叶绿体向有色体转化是主要的细胞器变化。研究发现,花被呈色是多因素作用的结果,花青素含量的产生与积累以及类胡萝卜素和类黄酮等含量增加辅助增色可能是紫花含笑呈紫色的主要...