Occurrence and distribution of organochlorine pesticide residue levels in water,sediment and aquatic weeds in the Nyando River catchment,Lake Victoria,Kenya

Samples of water, sediments and aquatic weeds were collected from 26 sites in the Nyando River catchment of the Lake Victoria basin in 2005–2006. The objective was to investigate levels of organochlorine pesticides that have either been banned or are restricted for use in Kenya. The pesticides investigated were lindane, aldrin, endosulfan, endrin, dieldrin, DDT, heptachlor and methoxychlor. These pesticides had previously found wide applications in public health and agriculture in Kenya for control of disease vectors and crop pests respectively. Results showed that mean concentrations were highest for methoxychlor (8.817 ± 0.020?µg l^?1) in water, sediments (92.893 ± 3.039 µg kg^?1), and weeds (39.641 ± 3.045?µg kg^?1), the weeds also tended to accumulate aldrin (15.519 ± 3.756?µg kg^?1). The results show that the pesticides are still in use and are detected in the catchment. Stringent management and public awareness measures are required to enforce the ban on the organochlorine pesticides in order to safeguard the environment and ecosystems of Lake Victoria.     

NESTING OF THE VILLAGE WEAVER PLOCEUS CUCULLATUS

From August to October 1975, 31 nesting colonies of Village Weavers were identified within an area of 3000 km², south of Lake Chad in Africa. The number of nests and the productivity of each colony were estimated by means of several samplings made during the course of the nesting season. Differences between bush colonies and village colonies are not relevant. The average length of the nesting season is 70 days. In each colony the number of nests increases during the first month and then decreases. The average number of fledging attempts is four per colony, with a period of about ten days from one to another. On a regional scale, breeding periods and fledging attempts are well synchronized. Each nest carries an average of 2.4 eggs and 1.9 young, the difference occurring only at hatching. Due to regional synchronism, the period of most intensive reproductive activity, at which the number of nests reaches its maximum, can be determined.     

Spermatogenic cells of the prepuberal mouse: isolation and morphological characterization

A procedure is described which permits the isolation from the prepuberal mouse testis of highly purified populations of primitive type A spermatogonia, type A spermatogonia, type B spermatogonia, preleptotene primary spermatocytes, leptotene and zygotene primary spermatocytes, pachytene primary spermatocytes and Sertoli cells. The successful isolation of these prepuberal cell types was accomplished by: (a) defining distinctive morphological characteristics of the cells, (b) determining the temporal appearance of spermatogenic cells during prepuberal development, (c) isolating purified seminiferous cords, after dissociation of the testis with collagenase, (d) separating the trypsin-dispersed seminiferous cells by sedimentation velocity at unit gravity, and (e) assessing the identity and purity of the isolated cell types by microscopy. The seminiferous epithelium from day 6 animals contains only primitive type A spermatogonia and Sertoli cells. Type A and type B spermatogonia are present by day 8. At day 10, meiotic prophase is initiated, with the germ cells reaching the early and late pachytene stages by 14 and 18, respectively. Secondary spermatocytes and haploid spermatids appear throughout this developmental period. The purity and optimum day for the recovery of specific cell types are as follows: day 6, Sertoli cells (purity>99 percent) and primitive type A spermatogonia (90 percent); day 8, type A spermatogonia (91 percent) and type B spermatogonia (76 percent); day 18, preleptotene spermatocytes (93 percent), leptotene/zygotene spermatocytes (52 percent), and pachytene spermatocytes (89 percent), leptotene/zygotene spermatocytes (52 percent), and pachytene spermatocytes (89 percent).     

中国‘苦水’玫瑰杂交育性的初步研究

油用玫瑰主栽品种‘苦水’玫瑰的栽培园区总见千花无果现象,为此,本研究对‘苦水’玫瑰的杂交育性进行了遗传学研究。授粉试验发现,自然授粉和人工辅助授粉时‘苦水’玫瑰自交不结实;异交时,‘苦水’玫瑰作为母本与‘丰花’玫瑰、‘四季’玫瑰、‘艳霞’玫瑰、重瓣黄刺玫之间具有亲和性,而作为父本与杂交母本都无法成功授粉结实。在雄蕊花瓣化、P/O值、花粉异型性和花粉萌发率等生殖特征中发现‘苦水’玫瑰的花粉畸形现象严重,萌发率近似为零。进而,显微观察小孢子母细胞减数分裂各时相发现‘苦水’玫瑰中存在染色体分配行为不协调,胞质分裂不均一,四分体中有三分体等异常现象。由此可见‘苦水’玫瑰的异常减数分裂行为致花粉败育妨碍其做父本时的受精结实,故雄性不育而非蔷薇科常见的自交不亲和性,是‘苦水’玫瑰自交不结实的主要原因,也表明作为母本通过杂交育种方法改良‘苦水’玫瑰的种质是可行的。     

Increase in levels of microbiota recoverable from male and larval Myrmecia gulosa (Fabricius) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) following segregation from worker ants

The segregation of laboratory maintained male and larval Myrmecia gulosa from workers resulted in increased levels of culturable microbiota. After 29 days, microbial levels recovered from segregated males and larvae were 27 and 126 times greater than from males and larvae not segregated from workers. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that metapleural gland secretions, absent in larvae and males, are transferred from workers to larvae, and males contribute to the inhibition of cuticular microbiota.     

低温胁迫下交替呼吸途径对当归幼苗叶绿素荧光活性的影响

以岷当归幼苗为材料,通过温室盆栽试验研究了在低温(4℃和-7℃)胁迫下交替呼吸途径对当归幼苗叶片叶绿素含量和荧光特性的影响,探讨交替呼吸途径在当归响应低温逆境过程中的作用。结果表明,随着胁迫温度的降低和处理时间的延长,当归叶片的叶绿素含量、实际光化学效率[Y(Ⅱ)]、光合电子传递速率(ETR)及光化学淬灭系数(qL)逐渐降低,而非光化学猝灭系数(NPQ)升高;同时,低温胁迫也导致当归幼苗叶片交替呼吸容量显著升高;在低温胁迫下,经交替呼吸途径抑制剂[1 mmol·L~(-1)的水杨基氧肟酸(SHAM)]预处理的当归幼苗叶片叶绿素含量、Y(Ⅱ)、ETR及qL进一步显著下降,而NPQ进一步显著升高,且温度越低升降幅度越大。研究发现,低温胁迫对当归幼苗叶片叶绿素的合成以及PSⅡ的光化学性能产生了显著抑制,低温胁迫下交替呼吸途径对当归幼苗叶绿素合成以及PSⅡ的光化学性能具有一定的保护作用。     

《中国植被志》的植被分类系统、植被类型划分及编排体系

植被志(vegegraphy)是基于植被调查资料, 全面记叙植被的群落外貌、种类组成、结构和功能、生境条件, 以及地理分布等特征, 并对同类植被进行归纳和总结的志书。“植被志”的英文译为“vegegraphy”, 是本文的新造词, 它是由“vegetation”的词头“vege-”和英文后缀“-graphy” (记叙之意)组成的合成词。《中国植被志》的研编是一项时间紧迫、内容复杂、工作量浩繁的重大科学工程。它的完成将极大提升中国植被科学和生态学的研究水平, 并为中国植被资源的合理利用、生物多样性保护及生态环境治理等提供不可或缺的基础资料。本文首先简述了植被的基本特征(主要包括外貌特征、种类组成、群落结构以及动态变化等)和国内外植被调查的进展情况, 简要回顾了中国植被分类系统的研究历史, 并对以往的分类系统进行了若干修订。在此基础上, 着重讨论并提出了《中国植被志》卷册编排体系和用于《中国植被志》研编的植被类型划分方案。在对植被分类系统的修订方面, 主要对高级分类单位及相对应的英文名称进行了讨论和修订。按照本文修订的分类系统, 中国植被的分类单位及其对应的英文名称分别是: 植被型组(Vegetation Formation Group)、植被型(Vegetation Formation)和植被亚型(Vegetation Subformation)、群系组(Alliance Group)、群系(Alliance)和亚群系(Suballiance)、群丛组(Association Group)以及群丛(Association)。在植被型组中, 划分为9类: 森林、灌丛、草本植被、荒漠、高山冻原与稀疏植被、沼泽与水生植被、农业植被、城市植被及无植被地段。关于《中国植被志》的卷册编排和“植被类型”划分, 首先按高级分类单位——植被型划分相应的“卷”; 在此框架下, 模糊“植被亚型”、“群系组”和“群系”的概念, 确定“植被类型” (Vegetation type), 并将其作为植被志各卷中的“册”。这样处理不仅保证了研编工作的可操作性, 也保持了同一卷册中特定植被类型的完整性。《中国植被志》编排体系中的“植被类型”的划分很重要, 它是指具有相同建群种及相同优势类群(如种、属)的植被组合, 但它不是严格意义上的植被分类单位。“植被类型”的划分遵循“优势类群及生活型的同一性, 生境条件的相对重要性, 植被特征及用途的差异性, 以及突出植被志的应用性”等原则。按该编排体系, 《中国植被志》将由48卷约110册组成。     

城市高架桥荫光照特性与绿化的合理布局

选取上海东西、南北走向高架桥各3段,分4个季度测定高架桥荫绿化带的光照分布状况及日变化动态,结合光合光子通量及植物光补偿点、需光度等指标,分析了高架桥荫光照的特殊性。结果表明,不同类型高架桥荫绿化带的光照分布及其日变化动态并不相同,同一高架桥荫光照也有明显差异,这主要与道路上方高架桥数量、高架桥高度、桥面与桥荫绿化带宽度差异以及天气情况有密切关系。高架桥荫绿化带光照分布的不均匀,使其存在植物生长的“死区”以及“强光伤害”区。因此,针对高架桥荫绿化带的光照分布特征进行合理布局是改善桥荫植物生长不良的有效途径。