Development of microsatellite markers in rose

Thirteen polymorphic microsatellite markers were developed in rose (Rosa hybrida L.) from an enriched genomic library. Ten out of 13 microsatellites showed amplification and produced four to 12 polymorphic alleles per locus, with an average of 8.4 in Rosa multiflora. The average values of observed and expected heterozygosities among the 10 loci were 0.62 and 0.82, respectively. Thirteen microsatellites produced three to 22 genotypes with an average value of 11.4 in modern garden roses. The average value of the power of discrimination among the microsatellites was 0.79, ranging from 0.29 to 0.95.     

Genetic variability in a population of wild Japanese quail kept for 15 years in a domestic environment

Summary. To provide information on the extent to which domestication has altered the natural levels of genetic variability of the wild quail, electrophoretic variability at 32 loci was estimated in a quail population established by capturing wild quail and keeping them for 15 years in a domestic environment without any artificial selection. The gene frequencies of the domesticated quail population were very similar to those of the commercial and laboratory quail populations and different from those of the wild quail populations previously reported by Kimura et al . (1984).     

Characteristics of Sleep and Wakefulness inWild-Derived Inbred Mice

Genetic variations in the wild-derived inbred mouse strains are more diverse than that of classical laboratory inbred mouse strains, including C57BL/6J (B6). The sleep/wake and monoamine properties of six wild-derived inbred mouse strains (PGN2, NJL, BLG2, KJR, MSM, HMI) were characterized and compared with those of B6 mice. All examined mice were nocturnal and had a polyphasic sleep pattern with a “main sleep period” identified during the light period. However, there were three sleep/wake phenotypic differences between the wild-derived mouse strains and B6 strain. First, the amount of sleep during the dark phase was comparable with that of B6 mice. However, the amount of sleep during the light phase was more varied among strains, in particular, NJL and HMI had significantly less sleep compared with that of B6 mice. Second, PGN2, NJL, BLG2, and KJR mice showed a “highly awake period” (in which the hourly total sleep time was <10%) immediately after the onset of the dark period, which was not seen in B6 mice. Third, relative to that of B6 mice, PGN2 and KJR mice showed longer duration of wakefulness episodes during the 12-h dark phase. Differences in whole brain noradrenaline, dopamine, and 5-hydroxy-tryptamine contents between the wild-derived mouse strains and B6 strain were also found. These identified phenotypes might be potentially under strong genetic control. Hence, wild-derived inbred mice could be useful for identifying the genetic factors underlying the regulation of sleep and wakefulness.     

内蒙古中部敖尔班地区的岩石及生物地层

中国北方新近纪地层中,早中新世的哺乳动物化石地点比较稀少,化石面貌也不十分清楚。在内蒙古中部,尽管通古尔台地上有研究历史近百年的新近纪经典地点,但上世纪90年代发现的嘎顺音阿得格,依然是内蒙古目前惟一产出早中新世动物群的小盆地。同内蒙古诸多其他新近纪哺乳动物群一样,嘎顺音阿得格动物群与相邻动物群彼此缺乏时空上的联系,还不易建立可靠的层序关系。位于苏尼特左旗东南约60 km的敖尔班(曾用名"奥尔班",见Liddicoat et al.,2007),红色地层大面积出露,是2004年发现的一个新的哺乳动物化石地点。敖尔班剖面总厚50余米,大、小哺乳动物化石共生,岩性特征易识别,有利层位对比,是研究生物地层学的理想地点。自2004年以来,我们连续在敖尔班地区采集化石并进行地层工作,建立了一个较完整的哺乳动物序列,时代跨越早中新世晚期到晚中新世晚期。更加难得的是,敖尔班同一剖面上含有4个哺乳动物化石层位,其上下层序关系一目了然,在内蒙古新近纪地层中仅此一例。敖尔班哺乳动物序列的建立,无疑将对整个内蒙古中部新近纪,尤其是早中新世动物群面貌的了解具有促进作用。本文着重对敖尔班岩石地层进行描述,并结合我们4年来对脊椎动物化石的积累与认识,试图进一步完善内蒙古中部地区的生物地层层序,进而建立这一地区的年代地层框架。对化石的详细描述将适时发表。根据岩性及接触关系,敖尔班剖面可分为三大段:敖尔班组、巴伦哈拉根层及必鲁图层。敖尔班组(新建组)由一套红色和绿色的泥岩及粉砂岩组成,发育有成熟的古土壤层,厚约42 m,时代属于早中新世中晚期。敖尔班组的层型剖面建立在敖尔班露头出露最厚的中部,下部未见底,顶部与上覆巴伦哈拉根层呈假整合或不整合接触。该组目前已知分布仅局限于敖尔班露头。敖尔班组可进一步划分出三段:下红泥岩段、中绿泥岩段及上红泥岩段。三段呈连续沉积。敖尔班组与巴伦哈拉根层之间的假整合所代表的沉积间断延续了中中新世的大部分时段。巴伦哈拉根层为一套橘红色砂岩、粉砂岩及底砾岩,时代大致是最晚中中新世至最早晚中新世。不整合于巴伦哈拉根层之上是必鲁图层。两层之间似乎缺失了晚中新世的大部分堆积。必鲁图层的底砾岩是一种切割与充填构造,其中所含钙质结核及相当数量的化石都可能是巴伦哈拉根层原生堆积物再沉积的结果。必鲁图层的分布还需做更多工作,其时代可能是晚中新世晚期。主要依据小哺乳动物的组合,在敖尔班剖面中可建立4个动物群。最早为敖尔班组下红泥岩段产出的下敖尔班动物群。该动物群的特征是,小哺乳动物中在渐新世十分兴旺的一些科,如Ctenodactylidae,Tachyoryctoididae,Aplodontidae和Zapodidae还相当繁荣;中新世出现的属,如Mioechinus,Keramidomys,Heterosminthus和Democricetodon等占动物群总量的半数以上;大哺乳动物中残留有Palaeogale和裂爪兽。比下敖尔班动物群稍晚的是上敖尔班动物群,产出于敖尔班组的上红泥岩段。上敖尔班动物群的特征是,小哺乳动物在渐新世中占统治地位的一些科或完全绝迹,如Ctenodactylidae,或在种类和数量上明显减退,如Aplodontidae和Zapodidae;缺少在下敖尔班动物群中还相当常见的一些古老属,如Amphechinus,Tachyo- ryctoides和Sinolagomys等;出现了下敖尔班动物群中所没有的Megacricetodon,Cricetodon和Alloptox属;大哺乳动物中出现了长鼻类和柄杯鹿(Ligeromeryx/Lagomeryx)。经过相当长的一个沉积间断,敖尔班剖面的上部出现了巴伦哈拉根动物群。该动物群中渐新世常见的小哺乳动物科进一步衰落,同时出现了亚洲古北界晚中新世以后常见的跳鼠科(Dipodidae)和鼢鼠科(Siphneidae),具有明显的中中新世晚期或晚中新世早期生物组合的特点。最后是敖尔班剖面顶部必鲁图层中的必鲁图动物群。必鲁图动物群显然带有中中新世及晚中新世的混合特征,很可能是水流作用再沉积的结果。根据其中最进步分子的成分判断,估计必鲁图动物群的年代是晚中新世的晚期,其特征是,鼠科(Muridae)动物高度分化,而野兔科(Leporidae)尚未出现;含有晚中新世宝格达乌拉动物群或最晚中新世二登图动物群中大量出现的属种,如Lophocricetus grabaui,Paralactaga suni,Dipus fraudator和Hansdebruijnia pusilla等;但二登图动物群中很繁荣的一些属在必鲁图动物群中未被发现或者发现的个体数量很少,如Prospermophilus, Paralophicricetus和Microtodon等。     

Comparison of oxygen consumption in drosophilid flies from different climates

Oxygen consumption at rest was studied in drosophilid species from cool‐temperate, warm‐temperate and subtropical regions to assess whether adaptations to different climates are associated with changes in metabolic rates. In experiments at 23°C using 8‐day‐old males of 28 species, body mass was revealed to be a significant predictor of oxygen consumption. No significant relation was detected between mass‐adjusted oxygen consumption and latitudinal distribution or thermal tolerance by either conventional regression analysis or a phylogenetically based method. The effect of temperature on oxygen consumption was studied with experiments at 15, 18, 23 and 28°C using 8‐ and 24‐day‐old males of four species of each of the montium species subgroup and the subgenus Drosophila. In these experiments, it was confirmed that temperature was a significant predictor of mass‐adjusted oxygen consumption. In both lineages, mass‐adjusted oxygen consumption was not higher in cool‐temperate species than in subtropical species. Thus, adaptations to colder climates are not associated with elevation of metabolic rates in these drosophilid species. The results of the present study also indicate that oxygen consumption is not related to the capacity to walk quickly.     

Morph‐dependent form of asymmetry in mandibles of the stag beetle Prosopocoilus inclinatus (Coleoptera: Lucanidae)

Abstract 1. The form of asymmetry in bilateral organs usually follows the same pattern within single populations. However, some exceptions may occur when a population consists of different phenotypes that are from different ontogenic backgrounds and under different selective pressures. We investigated the asymmetric patterns of mandibles of larvae, females, and males in the stag beetle Prosopocoilus inclinatus. 2. Larval mandibles exhibited directional asymmetry both in length and cross direction, whereas female mandibles showed directional asymmetry in cross direction. These asymmetric structures might be more effective in cutting wood fibres. 3. For the relation of male mandible length to body size, a model with a switch point showed a better fit to the data than a convex curve model. This shows that the males are dimorphic with two distinct morphs. 4. The form of asymmetry in male mandible length differed between the morphs. The smaller males exhibited left‐biased directional asymmetry in common with larvae, whereas the larger males exhibited fluctuating asymmetry. 5. This is a novel finding of a morph‐dependent asymmetry. The morph‐dependent asymmetry in males may be as a result of different selection on each morph or a developmental constraint from larval mandibles to adult ones.     

LATERAL DISPERSAL OF ADULT AQUATIC INSECTS FOLLOWING EMERGENCE FROM THE MIDDLE REACHES OF THE CHIKUMA RIVER(HONSHU ISLAND,JAPAN)IN RELATION TO WATERFRONT VEGETATION

Adults of aquatic insects emerge fromstreamslive inthe nearby riparian zone where they can select streamsidevegetations as preferred sites in order to(a)completemetamorphosis,(b)rest while awaiting proper swarmingtime,(c)feedin order to produce eggs,or(d)mate toreproduce[1—3].Most adult aquatic insect dispersal studies have fo-cused on quantifying the degree of upstream move-ment[4,5].Some researchers have shown distinct patternsof upstreammovement related to post-mating ovipositionalbehavior[6],while there...     

Seasonal life cycles and resource uses of flower- and fruit-feeding drosophilid flies (Diptera: Drosophilidae) in central Japan

Seasonal life cycles and resource uses of flower- and fruit-feeding drosophilids (Diptera: Drosophilidae) were studied from low to high altitudes in central Japan to understand their adaptation to seasonal changes of environmental conditions. Drosophila unipectinata and D. oshimai specialized to flowers, D. suzukii and D. subpulchrella depended almost on fruits, while D. lutescens , D. rufa , D. auraria , D. biauraria and D. sternopleuralis used both of them. It was assumed that D. unipectinata moved from low to high altitudes in June while D. oshimai , D. suzukii and D. subpulchrella in July. Migration of D. unipectinata is considered as a means to avoid summer heat or exploit early-summer resources at high altitudes. On the other hand, D. oshimai , D. suzukii and D. subpulchrella have the capacity to pass the summer at low altitudes, and therefore their migration is assumed as a means to escape from resource-poor conditions in summer at low altitudes or exploit resources at high altitudes. The generalist species, D. lutescens , D. rufa , D. auraria , D. biauraria and D. sternopleuralis , would not perform such extensive movements between low and high altitudes. They may pass the summer at low or mid altitudes depending on accidentally fallen immature fruits and/or some other resources such as decayed leaves.