社会关系和性关系中的自我理毛行为

有很多观点解释了动物自我理毛的作用。例如,动物通过自我理毛可以清除在与附近的同种异性接触期间传播来的寄生虫,当嗅出同种异性的气味时也可能自我理毛,因为自我理毛是一种动物在逃避还是战斗之间所面临的进退两难选择时表现出来的改向行为。动物可以通过自我理毛缓解紧张,因而是一种缓解冲动的方式。在其它情况下,动物自我理毛可能表示对同种个体的反应,它们在不同场合下普遍存在自我理毛行为,表明这种行为有多种功能。因此,在这篇综述中,作者尽量避免自我理毛具有其它功能的争议,我们无意把自我理毛看成一种仅仅是对焦虑和紧张的反应、降低体温的机制,或者是一种护理体表的行为,我们也感到这种观点没有新意,这种有局限性的观点不支持自我理毛行为具有多种功能。我们在本文中更多关注的是自我理毛的特定背景,即当一个个体遇到同种个体的气味而出现的自我理毛行为[动物学报5l（5）：772-779,2005]。     

Comparison of measured and EF5-r-derived N2O fluxes from a spring-fed river

There is considerable uncertainty in the estimates of indirect N₂O emissions as defined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) methodology. Direct measurements of N₂O yields and fluxes in aquatic river environments are sparse and more data are required to determine the role that rivers play in the global N₂O budget. The objectives of this research were to measure the N₂O fluxes from a spring‐fed river, relate these fluxes to the dissolved N₂O concentrations and NO₃‐N loading of the river, and to try to define the indirect emission factor (EF5‐r) for the river. Gas bubble ebullition was observed at the river source with bubbles containing 7.9 μL N₂O L^?1. River NO₃‐N and dissolved N₂O concentrations ranged from 2.5 to 5.3 mg L^?1 and 0.4 to 1.9 μg N₂O‐N L^?1, respectively, with N₂O saturation reaching 404%. Floating headspace chambers were used to sample N₂O fluxes. N₂O‐N fluxes were significantly related to dissolved N₂O‐N concentrations (r²=0.31) but not to NO₃‐N concentrations. The N₂O‐N fluxes ranged from 38 to 501 μg m^?2 h^?1, averaging 171 μg m^?2 h^?1 (±SD 85) overall. The measured N₂O‐N fluxes equated to an EF5‐r of only 6.6% of that calculated using the IPCC methodology, and this itself was considered to be an overestimate because of the degassing of antecedent dissolved N₂O present in the groundwater that fed the river.     

Stable Isotopes (δD, δ13C, δ15N) Reveal Associations Among Geographic Location and Condition of Alaskan Northern Pintails

Abstract: Information on spring migration routes, geographic linkages among winter, spring, and breeding locations, and potential geographic effects on arrival body condition of northern pintails (Anas acuta) are currently unknown. Through a combination of stable-isotope measurements of tissues representing different periods of dietary integration and body composition analyses, we examined these linkages for pintails breeding in Alaska, USA. We collected 77 females at 4 locations upon spring arrival. We performed carbon (δ¹³C), nitrogen (δ¹⁵N), and hydrogen (δD) isotope measurements on flight feathers, breast feathers, and whole blood, and we conducted body composition analyses. Inference based on stable-isotope values in pintail tissues suggests that philopatry to Alaska was strong, as most of the collected females had stable-isotope values consistent with the boreal forest of Canada or western Alaska and most spring migrating females had whole-blood values indicating use of a food web in the boreal forest before collection. These patterns highlight the importance of the boreal forest for production and staging of pintails. Breast feather isotope values grown during prealternate molt were variable and covered the currently documented distribution of wintering pintails. Our results indicate associations among specific geographic areas, habitat use, and arrival condition of female pintails settling in Alaska. Females that wintered or staged in coastal habitat (as indicated by elevated δ¹³C values) arrived with less body fat compared to those that we inferred to have wintered or staged on inland freshwater habitat. Those females we inferred to use coastal areas appeared to rely more heavily on agricultural fields for nutrient acquisition (as indicated by elevated δ¹⁵N but low δ¹³C values). Our results provide the first link between low-condition females and inferred use of specific geographic areas before arrival. Conservation on wintering grounds should focus on restoration and protection of wetland complexes that provide adequate natural food resources in proximity to coastal systems that are heavily used by wintering pintails. Conservation efforts should also focus on the boreal forest, not only for pintail, but for other boreal-dependent species such as lesser scaup (Aythya affinis) (JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT 72(3):715–725; 2008)     

The Association of Acid Hydrolase Activity with the Microsomal Fraction from Pea Cotyledons (Pisum sativum L.)

A fraction enriched in microsomal membranes was prepared fromdeveloping pea cotyledons by differential centrifugation andfound to contain 5-10% of the total extractable -mannosidase,-and ß-galactosidase, hexosaminidase, ß-glucosidaseand p-nitrophenylphosphatase (PNPase). Further purificationof this microsomal fraction on linear sucrose density gradientswith or without EDTA confirmed the association of the majorityof the glycosidase activity with ER membranes whereas PNPasewas associated with a different unidentified membrane componentfound at a density of 1:19 g cm^–3. The microsomal-associatedglycosidases were divided into luminal and membrane-bound fractions,the ratio being different for each individual glycosidase. PNPasewas entirely membranebound. Neither the membrane-bound glycosidasesnor PNPase could be released from the membranes by ionic treatment,changes in pH or competition with monosaccharide solutions.Chromatofocusing of the glycosidases from the microsomal fractionshowed that specific isozymes of -mannosidase and ß-galactosidasewere associated with the membranes and lumen respectively butthere was no consistent relations between these and the isozymespresent in the protein bodies. The significance of these observationswith regard to the intracellular targeting of newly synthesizedenzymes from their site of synthesis to specific organellesis discussed. Key words: Endoplasmic reticulum, Glycoproteins, Glycosidases, Lectin, Phosphatase, Protein transport     

The Influence of Arginine-specific Reagents on Nitrate Uptake by Corn Seedlings

The effects of three arginine-specific reagents on uptake were studied using corn seedlings (Zea mays L., GoldenCross Bantam). In the presence of borate, 0.25 mM 2, 3-butanedione(BD) and 1.0 mM 1, 2-cyclohexanedione (CHD) inhibited uptake by 76% and 68%, respectively, compared tothe controls. However, in the absence of borate, only 18% and38% inhibition was observed for 0.25 mM BD and 1.0 mM CHD, respectively.Similarly, 0.5 mM phenylglyoxal (PGO) resulted in 75% inhibition.The degree of inhibition of nitrate uptake exhibited a concentration-dependencewith respect to the reagents. Corn seedlings are 2- or 3-foldmore sensitive to BD than to PGO and CHD, respectively, presumablydue to the unfavourable steric effects of the benzal ring. Uptakeof was partially restored after removal of BD, CHD, and PGO from the uptake medium. No significant differenceswere observed for the ATPase and plasma membrane-associatedvanadate-sensitive H⁺-ATPase or K⁺-stimulated ATPase activityin homogenates and microsomal fractions prepared from corn seedlingswhich had been incubated for 2 h in the presence or absenceof 0.5 mM BD or 1.0 mM PGO. This suggests that inhibition ofnitrate uptake by the arginine-specific reagents was not causedby the indirect effect of their binding and inhibiting H⁺-ATPase.The fact that the arginine-specific reagents strongly inhibit uptake indicates that the transport system has arginine residues at or near the activesite. Key words: Arginine-specific reagents, borate effect, nitrate uptake, reversibility     

Induction of the Feline Oncornavirus Associated Cell Membrane Antigen in Human Cells

BY N-terminal amino-acid sequence analysis, Glenner et al.¹ have shown that amyloid fibrils are very similar to the variable part of an immunoglobulin kappa light chain (Bence-Jones protein Ker) and they suggested that amyloid is constituted by immunoglobulin light chains.     

Populations of Rhizoctonia solani in soil under crops in rotation with sugar beet

Using a soil debris isolation method, populations of Rhizoctonia solani were monitored over a 4 -yr period in four fields which were initially cropped to sugar beet and in which four areas of Rhizoctonia crown rot diseased beets (DA) and four areas of apparently healthy beets (AH) had been selected and precisely located. Soil from these areas was assayed during the subsequent crops, which included sugar beet, tomato, cucumber, maize and soybean. No significant differences in colony counts were found between the soils in DA and AH on any of 30 sampling dates. R. solani population counts were, in general, quite low, except under sugar beet and following tomato harvest. Areas of diseased beet and high R. solani soil populations that developed in subsequent sugar beet crops did not necessarily coincide with the previously selected diseased areas. High R. solani populations developed from parasitic activity on sugar beet or saprophytically on tomato crop residues. Of the other crops, both maize and soybean may have slightly increased the low R. solani residual populations in soil. The monitoring of R. solani populations in the season prior to, and during the early season of sugar beet cropping did not provide a basis for forecasting disease in fields or sites within fields. The initiation of disease patches in these sugar beet fields was therefore governed by factors other than inoculum density.