Integrating Horizontal Gene Transfer and Common Descent to Depict Evolution and Contrast It with “Common Design”1

ABSTRACT. Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) and common descent interact in space and time. Because events of HGT co‐occur with phylogenetic evolution, it is difficult to depict evolutionary patterns graphically. Tree‐like representations of life's diversification are useful, but they ignore the significance of HGT in evolutionary history, particularly of unicellular organisms, ancestors of multicellular life. Here we integrate the reticulated‐tree model, ring of life, symbiogenesis whole‐organism model, and eliminative pattern pluralism to represent evolution. Using Entamoeba histolytica alcohol dehydrogenase 2 (EhADH2), a bifunctional enzyme in the glycolytic pathway of amoeba, we illustrate how EhADH2 could be the product of both horizontally acquired features from ancestral prokaryotes (i.e. aldehyde dehydrogenase [ALDH] and alcohol dehydrogenase [ADH]), and subsequent functional integration of these enzymes into EhADH2, which is now inherited by amoeba via common descent. Natural selection has driven the evolution of EhADH2 active sites, which require specific amino acids (cysteine 252 in the ALDH domain; histidine 754 in the ADH domain), iron‐ and NAD⁺ as cofactors, and the substrates acetyl‐CoA for ALDH and acetaldehyde for ADH. Alternative views invoking “common design” (i.e. the non‐naturalistic emergence of major taxa independent from ancestry) to explain the interaction between horizontal and vertical evolution are unfounded.     

牛磺酸及微量营养素对大鼠视网膜NOS表达及cGMP含量影响的研究

目的：探讨大鼠补充一定剂量牛磺酸及微量营养素后,能否通过影响视感受器或视中枢ＮＯ合成酶（ＮＯＳ）表达及第二信使（ｃＧＭＰ）合成,影响视觉信号传导。方法：Ｗｉｓｔａｒ大鼠随机分为三组,即对照组（正常饲料组）、实验１组（５倍需要量组）和实验２组（１０倍需要量组）,喂养３周后,每组动物再随机分为光照组和暗适应组（平均照度为３．０３ＬＸ）,以正常饲料喂养７２ｈ,大鼠活杀取样,以放射免疫方法分析ｃＧＭＰ含量     

Soil inorganic carbon storage pattern in China

Soils with pedogenic carbonate cover about 30% (3.44 × 10⁶ km²) of China, mainly across its arid and semiarid regions in the Northwest. Based on the second national soil survey (1979–1992), total soil inorganic carbon (SIC) storage in China was estimated to be 53.3±6.3 PgC (1 Pg=10¹⁵ g) to the depth investigated to 2 m. Soil inorganic carbon storages were 4.6, 10.6, 11.1, and 20.8 Pg for the depth ranges of 0–0.1, 0.1–0.3, 0.3–0.5, and 0.5–1 m, respectively. Stocks for 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, and 1 m of depth accounted for 8.7%, 28.7%, 49.6%, and 88.9% of total SIC, respectively. In contrast with soil organic carbon (SOC) storage, which is highest under 500–800 mm yr⁻¹ of mean precipitation, SIC storage peaks where mean precipitation is <400 mm yr⁻¹. The amount and vertical distribution of SIC was related to climate and land cover type. Content of SIC in each incremental horizon was positively related with mean annual temperature and negatively related with mean annual precipitation, with the magnitude of SIC content across land cover types showing the following order: desert, grassland >shrubland, cropland >marsh, forest, meadow. Densities of SIC increased generally with depth in all ecosystem types with the exception of deserts and marshes where it peaked in intermediate layers (0.1–0.3 m for first and 0.3–0.5 m for latter). Being an abundant component of soil carbon stocks in China, SIC dynamics and the process involved in its accumulation or loss from soils require a better understanding.     

Aflatoxicosis in rabbits: Effectiveness of Egyptian raw bentonite in prevention or diminution the detrimental effects of naturally aflatoxin contaminated diets

Thirty five females and 15 males of New Zealand White mature rabbits about 6 months of age, were assigned to 1–5 dietary treatments (7 does+3 bucks for each): uncontaminated control diet, naturally aflatoxin contaminated diet without or with 1,2 and 3% bentonite. Rabbit fed with the aflatoxin-diet had a decreased (P<0.01 or 0.05) physical semen characteristics of bucks and a reproductive performance traits of does. The values of conception rate (%), gestation length (days), litter size (n) and litter weights (g) at birth and viability (%) of litters of doe rabbits, fed with the aflatoxin-diet, recorded, respectively: 64.5; 31.0; 4.4; 275.0 and 57.1 versus 85.6; 30.3; 7.9; 508.0; and 100 for those fed with the uncontaminated diet. Addition of bentonite to the aflatoxin contaminated diet improved in general the physical semen characteristics of buck and reproductive performance traits of doe rabbits. The results of the study demonstrate that adding 1% of Egyptian raw bentonite to the naturally aflatoxin contaminated rabbit diets can provide an effective, cheap and safe practical technique for preventing the aflatoxicosis in mature rabbits.     

世界竹子清单更新

编研世界竹子清单(World Checklist of Bamboos,WCB)是竹学的一项基础性工作。文中更正了2016年由世界禾草权威英国皇家植物园——Kew园领衔出版的World Checklist of Bamboos and Rattans竹子部分统计数据,实际为1665种,而非其自述的1642种;持续汇集全球竹种,时间更新至2018年底,WCB(2018)已禀赋计130个竹属,包含1700个竹种。     

Antibiotic susceptibility and genotype patterns of Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from urinary tract infected patients

Thirty nine isolates of Escherichia coli, twenty two isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae and sixteen isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from urinary tract infected patients were analyzed by antimicrobial susceptibility typing and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD)-PCR. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was carried out by microdilution and E Test methods. From the antibiotic susceptibility, ten patterns were recorded (four for E. coli, three for K. pneumoniae and three for P. aeruginosa respectively). Furthermore, genotyping showed seventeen RAPD patterns (seven for E. coli, five for K. pneumoniae and five for P. aeruginosa respectively). In this study, differentiation of strains of E. coli, K. pneumoniae and P. aeruginosa from nosocomial infection was possible with the use of RAPD.     

基于叶片尺度观测数据的气孔导度模型评价

气孔导度(g)是控制冠层与大气之间能量和水分交换的重要因素。空气湿度是控制植物叶片气孔导度的一个关键环境因子。在过去的十几年中,普遍得到应用的是Ball-Woodrow-Berry(BWB)模型和Leuning模型中气孔导度与湿度的关系。本研究使用一个诊断变量f(H),基于农田叶片水平的光合-气孔导度观测数据,对BWB模型、Leuning模型以及新发展的power-h模型和power-D模型进行了气孔导度模拟效果的比较和评价。结果表明:BWB模型描述的是g和相对湿度(hs)之间的一种线性关系,当空气较为湿润时,模拟结果存在较大的低估;Leuning模型中反映的是g与饱和水汽压差(Ds)的非线性函数,降低了模拟结果的误差,但仍然不能很好地描述g在较湿状况下的显著升高;相比之下,两个新的模型,即Ds的指数函数和(1-hs)的指数函数形式模型能提高模拟结果的精度。这个研究结果也表明基于Ds的模型模拟效果要好于基于hs的模型。     

植被格局对砒砂岩坡地降雨侵蚀的影响

为进一步研究砒砂岩区不同雨型下植被格局对坡面土壤侵蚀特征的影响,基于野外径流小区原位观测试验与景观生态学相结合的方法,通过对比分析不同坡面的植被斑块格局指数与产流产沙之间的相关关系,阐明植被格局对砒砂岩坡地降雨侵蚀的影响。结果表明:(1)该地区降雨可划分为3类,根据各植被坡面产流产沙能力,得出降雨侵蚀力表现为:雨型II(长历时、大雨量、大雨强) ＞ 雨型III(短历时、小雨量、中雨强) ＞ 雨型I(中历时、中雨量、小雨强)。降雨量和最大30min雨强与产流产沙量呈显著或极显著关系,相关系数0.695以上,是预测该区域水土流失的主要降雨因子。(2)各坡面水土保持能力与降雨类型有关,不同雨型下3种植被坡面减流减沙率分别达0.42%、20.8%以上,不同植被格局坡面减沙效益优于减流效益,3种植被坡面的减流能力为:雨型I ＞ 雨型III ＞ 雨型II。(3)3种植被坡面的径流泥沙模数由小到大依次为:均匀分布 ＜ 聚集分布 ＜ 随机分布,对比区域多年平均径流泥沙模数,3种植被坡面能够减少侵蚀达21.33%以上。(4)景观形状指数和分离度指数是影响坡面产流产沙的主要格局因子,相关系数分别达0.884和0.825以上。产流、产沙量与坡面植被斑块分离度呈显著正相关,与景观形状指数呈显著负相关。坡面产流量(Y₁)与斑块分离度(SPLIT)和景观形状指数(LSI)的关系式为Y₁=8.247SPLIT-6.605LSI+38.928,R²=0.905。以上结果表明植被斑块间的分离度越小,形状越复杂,坡面阻力增大,抗侵蚀能力越强。研究成果可为生态恢复过程中植被斑块格局的优化提供理论依据和数据支撑。     

The role of chloroplast NAD(P)H dehydrogenase in protection of tobacco plant against heat stress

The environmental temperature is one of the mainfactors affecting plant growth and development. Insummer, plants are frequently influenced by hightemperature. In recent years, global temperature wasremarkably elevated accompanied with the climaticchanges,…     

枸杞花粉发育进程中花蕾和叶片物质代谢与育性的关系

以宁夏枸杞主栽品种'宁杞1号'的雄性不育株和可育株为研究材料,通过测定它们枝条生长速率,花粉不同发育时期花蕾和叶片的叶绿素、可溶性糖和脯氨酸含量以及硝酸还原酶活性,比较不育株与可育株在发育进程中物质代谢的差异.结果表明:在枸杞花粉发育进程中,不育株枝条生长速率快,花蕾和叶片的叶绿素含量高,而脯氨酸严重缺乏,可溶性糖含量和硝酸还原酶活性低,且各个发育阶段不育株和可育株均存在明显差异.可见,'宁杞1号'不育株物质代谢水平低,缺乏生理活性物质积累,使花粉发育有关基因的表达受到抑制,最终影响了其育性的正常表达.