ABSTRACT. Analysis of total DNA isolated from the Chrysophyte alga Ochromonas danica revealed, in addition to nuclear DNA, two genomes present as numerous copies per cell. The larger genome (?120 kilobase pairs or kbp) is the plastid DNA, which is identified by its hybridization to plasmids containing sequences for the photosynthesis genes rbcL, psbA, and psbC. The smaller genome (40 kbp) is the mitochondrial genome as identified by its hybridization with plasmids containing gene sequences of plant cytochrome oxidase subunits I and II. Both the 120- and 40-kbp genomes contain genes for the small and large subunits of rDNA. The mitochondrial genome is linear with terminal inverted repeats of about 1.6 kbp. Two other morphologically similar species were examined, Ochromonas minuta and Poteriochromonas malhamensis. All three species have linear mitochondrial DNA of 40 kbp. Comparisons of endonuclease restriction-fragment patterns of the mitochondrial and chloroplast DNAs as well as those of their nuclear rDNA repeats failed to reveal any fragment shared by any two of the species. Likewise, no common fragment size was detected by hybridization with plasmids containing heterologous DNA or with total mitochondrial DNA of O. danica; these observations support the taxonomic assignment of these three organisms to different species. The Ochromonas mitochondrial genomes are the first identified in the chlorophyll a/c group of algae. Combining these results with electron microscopic observations of putative mitochondrial genomes reported for other chromophytes and published molecular studies of other algal groups suggests that all classes of eukaryote algae may have mitochondrial genomes < 100 kbp in size, more like other protistans than land plants. 相似文献
SUMMARY. 1. Biogeographical and on-site. hydrological variables were evaluated to determine spatial distribution of benthic invertebrate assemblages at 100 river sites in northwestern North America. 2. Results of cluster analysis suggested that the river sites comprised sixgroups (A-F), each supporting a characteristic invertebrate assemblage.Distinct groups were best represented by abundant Tricorythidae (C), Amphipoda (F), Rhyacophilidae and Systellognatha (E), and Elmidae and Hydroptilidae (A). Brachycentridae (B) and Oligochaeta (D) were widespread throughout the study area. 2. Both biogeographical and hydrological features contributed to the correct classification of site groupings characterized by distinctive fauna. However, biogeographical features were more useful than variables measured at the river site in discriminating among the site groupings.Groups C and F were most prevalent within the Hudson Bay drainage.Groups A, C and F were typically located within plains; group E sites were in mountainous regions. 4. The hydrological variables most useful in delineating site groupings were mean current velocity and mean depth. Slow, deep waters characterized amphipod sites; shallow, fast flowing waters occurred at Rhyacophilidae Sysellognatha sites. 5. Results substantiate previous views of a strong association between benthic invertebrates in small rivers and the terrestrial biome through which the river flows. 相似文献
Theoretically, both balancing selection and genetic drift can contribute to the maintenance of gender polymorphism within and/or among populations. However, if strong differences exist among genotypes in the quantity of viable gametes they produce, then it is expected that these differences will play an important role in determining the relative frequency of the genotypes and contribute to whether or not such polymorphism is maintained. In this issue, De Cauwer et al. (2010) describe an investigation of gynodioecious wild sea beet, which in addition to containing females, contain two types of hermaphrodites: restored hermaphrodites carrying a cytoplasm that causes pollen sterility and a nuclear gene that restores pollen fertility, and hermaphrodites without the sterilizing cytoplasm. The results show that restored hermaphrodites, who have relatively low pollen viability, achieve disproportionately high siring success simply because of where they are located in a patchy population ( Fig. 1 ). Notably, these individuals tend to be close to females because of the genetics of sex determination. These results indicate that population structure caused by drift processes can have an unexpectedly large effect on the fitness of these low quality hermaphrodites, thereby contributing in the short term to the maintenance of gynodioecy in this population. While these results indicate that population structure caused by drift processes can have a large effect on the relative fitness of genetic variants, whether these effects promote or discourage the maintenance of polymorphism in the long term is still up for debate. Figure 1 Open in figure viewer PowerPoint A stretch of beach along which wild sea beet can be seen to be growing among the rocks above the splash zone. This linear arrangement enhances the potential for mating success to depend on proximity to other plants (Photo: J.‐F. Arnaud). 相似文献