多代驯化对布氏田鼠非繁殖期性激素本底水平的影响

为阐明驯化过程对季节性繁殖的布氏田鼠Lasiopodomys brandtii性腺活性的影响,采用放射免疫技术从秋季（11月）至翌年春季（3月）对室内驯化1月、3年和10年的雌雄鼠粪便中的性激素水平进行监测。结果显示,在11—12月非繁殖季节,驯化10年组雄鼠睾酮水平分别达到3年组和1月组的3.5倍和13.3倍,驯化10年组雌鼠雌二醇水平分别达到3年组和1月组的2.0倍和3.7倍,且差异均达到显著水平;长期（3年和10年）驯化组雄鼠在繁殖初期（1—3月）的睾酮水平也较短期驯化组显示出更大幅度的提升。表明在经历长期驯化后布氏田鼠对稳定的室内环境逐渐适应,非繁殖期性腺活性抑制的程度逐渐减弱,呈现出随驯化时长增加而逐渐递增的趋势,从而导致鼠类繁殖表型发生了可塑性变化。     

基于无人机低空遥感影像分析的布氏田鼠冬季洞群空间分布特征及其影响因子

布氏田鼠是内蒙古典型草原主要害鼠之一。为探明其发生机制,建立规模化调查技术,在内蒙古东乌珠穆沁旗草原利用无人机航拍技术采集布氏田鼠冬季栖息地影像。通过拼接、目视解译、格网化(1hm²)分析,利用遥感数据、地理空间数据等获取格网内生境指标,采用皮尔逊相关分析和广义加性模型等方法,探讨了影响布氏田鼠越冬洞群分布的相关生境因子。结果表明:(1)生长季植被指数对其洞群密度空间分布有一定指示作用,布氏田鼠喜栖于植被较为低矮的裸露草场(0.1 ＜ NDVI ＜ 0.18);(2)9月和10月NDVI与其越冬洞群密度的分布具有较大关系,其中9月份布氏田鼠洞群主要集中在0.25 ＜ NDVI ＜ 0.35的区域,而10月份NDVI与洞群密度呈负相关关系;(3)布氏田鼠越冬栖息地的选择偏向于海拔相对较高(895m-915m)的西南缓坡(0.3°-1.6°)。研究结果将为布氏田鼠越冬栖息地选择预测提供了参考依据。     

繁殖季节和非繁殖季节布氏田鼠种群参数

在繁殖季节（6月份）和非繁殖季节（10月份）,采集了内蒙古自治区阿尔善宝力格地区的布氏田鼠样本,比较其种群参数与生理指标,探讨了布氏田鼠社群结构和生理特征的季节性差异,并分析了原因。结果表明,布氏田鼠的年龄组成和性比存在明显的季节差异：繁殖季节洞口系数小,种群性比接近1,主要由当年新生鼠和越冬鼠组成;非繁殖季节洞口系数大,种群性比偏雄,主要由当年新生鼠组成。繁殖器官在繁殖季节显著大于非繁殖季节,保持了更高活性。非繁殖季节个体的胴重比更高,且雄鼠高于雌鼠,表明非繁殖季节个体和雄鼠具有更好的营养状态;同时,非繁殖季节个体具有更小的肾上腺和更大的脾脏,说明非繁殖季节中的布氏田鼠表现出更低的应激状态和更强的免疫能力。这些研究结果表明,布氏田鼠的种群参数和生理特点具有明显的季节性特点,这与不同季节中布氏田鼠采取的生存策略有着紧密联系。     

Differential effects of transient constant light-dark conditions on daily rhythms of Period and Clock transcripts during Senegalese sole metamorphosis

Studies on the developmental onset of the teleost circadian clock have been carried out in zebrafish and, recently, in rainbow trout and Senegalese sole, where rhythms of clock gene expression entrained by light-dark (LD) cycles have been reported from the first days post fertilization. However, investigations of molecular clock rhythms during crucial developmental phases such as metamorphosis are absent in vertebrates. In this study, we documented the daily expression profile of Per1, Per2, Per3, and Clock during Senegalese sole pre-, early-, middle-, and post-metamorphic stages under LD 14:10 cycles (LD group), as well as under transient exposure to constant light (LL-LD group) or constant dark (DD-LD group) conditions. Our results revealed that robust rhythms of clock genes were maintained along the metamorphic process, although with declining amplitudes and expression levels. All daily profiles were affected by transient constant conditions, in particular Per1, Per3, and Clock amplitudes and Per2 acrophase. Rhythm parameters were progressively restored upon reversion to LD cycles but even after 9?d under cycling conditions, a prolonged effect on clock function was observed, especially in the LL-LD group. These results reflect the differential sensitivity of clock machinery of sole to transitory light cues, being Per1 and Per3 predominantly clock regulated and supporting the role of Per2 as part of the light input pathway. Interestingly, there is no reversal in the phase of clock gene rhythms between pre- and post-metamorphic animals that would be coincident with the switch from diurnal to nocturnal locomotor activity, which occurs in this species just before the beginning of this process. Whether specialized central pacemakers dictate the phase of locomotor activity or this control is exerted outside of the core clock mechanism remains to be elucidated. Our results emphasize the importance of maintaining cycling light-dark conditions in aquaculture practices during ontogeny of Senegalese sole. (Author correspondence: munoz.cueto@uca.es or carlos.pendon@uca.es)     

Seasonality of reproduction in Asian elephants Elephas maximus and African elephants Loxodonta africana: underlying photoperiodic cueing?

1. Animals in seasonal environments often rely on photoperiodicity to time their reproduction. Elephants have a gestation length of approximately two years and a historical geographic distribution including higher latitudes than at present, so the evolution of a seasonal breeding pattern cued by photoperiodicity and timed to the long‐day period is a theoretical option in both species.
2. We reviewed literature on reproductive patterns in free‐ranging, semi‐captive and captive Asian and African elephants, photoperiodic cueing, seasonal variation in body condition, and other factors influencing their reproduction, as well as data from zoological collections on the timing of births.
3. Most of the free‐ranging and all the semi‐captive and captive elephant populations showed a moderate yet distinct seasonal breeding pattern.
4. Peak breeding activity of free‐ranging Asian elephants took place in either the dry or the wet season, with no preference for short‐day or long‐day breeding at low latitudes (close to the equator) but a preference for long‐day breeding at higher latitudes. Semi‐captive Asian elephants mainly bred in the dry season when body condition was lowest and day‐lengths were increasing. Peak conception often occurred in the wet season in free‐ranging African elephants when body condition was highest, with no evident preference for short‐day or long‐day breeding at low latitudes but preference for long‐day breeding at higher latitudes.
5. Asian and African elephants in zoos at latitudes from 43 to 53°N tended to conceive more often during spring and summer, i.e. when day‐lengths were increasing. Body condition was not reported to vary significantly throughout the year and was rather high compared to in the wild.
6. We hypothesise that elephants are ‘long‐day breeders’ in which the photoperiodic timing of conception can be influenced by many additional factors. Strategies to encourage natural conception in captive populations should include measures aimed at increasing breeding incentives in the northern hemisphere spring.

     

高频电刺激下丘脑后核对氟哌啶醇致大鼠运动不能的影响

目的：利用氟哌啶醇致僵直大鼠模拟帕金森病（PD）的运动不能,通过高频电刺激下丘脑后核(PH),观察大鼠僵直和运动能力的变化,从而探讨PH 在PD治疗中潜在的应用价值。方法：将成年雄性SD 大鼠随机分为PH 刺激组、假刺激组和对照组,对PH 刺激组和假刺激组大鼠双侧PH 置入双极刺激电极,腹腔注射氟哌啶醇30 min 后,PH刺激组给予持续高频电刺激(130 Hz,60us, 100 uA),分别利用爬杆实验和跑步机实验评价大鼠僵直程度和运动能力。结果：腹腔注射氟哌啶醇1.0 mg/kg 后,①大鼠呈僵直状态,其潜伏期为167.88± 17.88 s, 给予双侧PH 高频电刺激后潜伏期显著缩短至77.5± 21.27 s（P<0.01）。②跑步机试验显示大鼠跑动速度和跑动距离显著下降,分别为5.78± 0.90 cm/s 和8.06± 4.35 m（P<0.01）,给予双侧PH高频电刺激后显著提高跑动速度和跑动距离,分别为12.72± 3.66 cm/s 和98.61± 96.75 m（P<0.01）。结论：腹腔注射氟哌啶醇可模拟帕金森病的僵直和运动不能症状,双侧高频电刺激PH 可显著拮抗氟哌啶醇对大鼠僵直和运动不能的作用,提示PH 为DBS治疗帕金森病运动不能的有效刺激靶点,为临床DBS 刺激PH 治疗PD 提供实验依据。     

Temperature and photoperiodic control of diapase induction in the ant <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lepisiota semenovi</Emphasis> (Hymenoptera,formicidae) from Turkmenistan

The ants L. semenovi has been found to belong to species with endogenous-heterodynamic seasonal life cycles with the obligate diapause induced predominantly by factors internal for a colony, whereas external ecological factors (photoperiods and temperature) produce merely modifying effects by accelerating or delaying the diapause onset. The photoperiodic and temperature regulation of diapause induction in larvae and queens is shown. Under effect of short days and low temperature the periods of larval pupation and queen oviposition in a colony are shortened markedly, i.e., the diapause of larvae and queens occurs earlier. The daily rhythms of temperature 15/25°C and particularly 20/30°C as compared with constant temperatures 20 and 25°C that correspond to the mean circadian temperatures of the thermorhythm, inhibit manifestations of the short day effects by stimulating the non-diapause development and increasing duration of the seasonal development cycle of ant colonies. The L. semenovi photoperiodic reaction is quantitative, as development and pupation of larvae and egg-laying of queens cease sooner or later under both the short and the long days, but in the latter case significantly later. Thus L. semenovi is one more example among very rare ant species that are revealed to have the photoperiodic regulation of the colony development seasonal cycle.     

DOES MATE LIMITATION IN SELF‐INCOMPATIBLE SPECIES PROMOTE THE EVOLUTION OF SELFING? THE CASE OF LEAVENWORTHIA ALABAMICA

Genetic diversity at the S‐locus controlling self‐incompatibility (SI) is often high because of negative frequency‐dependent selection. In species with highly patchy spatial distributions, genetic drift can overwhelm balancing selection and cause stochastic loss of S‐alleles. Natural selection may favor the breakdown of SI in populations with few S‐alleles because low S‐allele diversity constrains the seed production of self‐incompatible plants. We estimated S‐allele diversity, effective population sizes, and migration rates in Leavenworthia alabamica, a self‐incompatible mustard species restricted to discrete habitat patches in rocky glades. Patterns of polymorphism were investigated at the S‐locus and 15 neutral microsatellites in three large and three small populations with 100‐fold variation in glade size. Populations on larger glades maintained more S‐alleles, but all populations were estimated to harbor at least 20 S‐alleles, and mate availabilities typically exceeded 0.80, which is consistent with little mate limitation in nature. Estimates of the effective size (N_e) in each population ranged from 600 to 1600, and estimated rates of migration (m) ranged from 3 × 10⁻⁴ to nearly 1 × 10⁻³. According to theoretical models, there is limited opportunity for genetic drift to reduce S‐allele diversity in populations with these attributes. Although pollinators or resources limit seed production in small glades, limited S‐allele diversity does not appear to be a factor promoting the incipient breakdown of SI in populations of this species that were studied.     

SEX REVERSAL: A FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH FOR SEX CHROMOSOMES?

Nonrecombining Y chromosomes are expected to degenerate through the progressive accumulation of deleterious mutations. In lower vertebrates, however, most species display homomorphic sex chromosomes. To address this, paradox I propose a role for sex reversal, which occasionally occurs in ectotherms due to the general dependence of physiological processes on temperature. Because sex‐specific recombination patterns depend on phenotypic, rather than genotypic sex, homomorphic X and Y chromosomes are expected to recombine in sex‐reversed females. These rare events should generate bursts of new Y haplotypes, which will be quickly sorted out by natural or sexual selection. By counteracting Muller's ratchet, this regular purge should prevent the evolutionary decay of Y chromosomes. I review empirical data supporting this suggestion, and propose further investigations for testing it.