Mapping the habitat suitability of Ottelia species in Africa

Understanding the influence of environmental covariates on plant distribution is critical, especially for aquatic plant species. Climate change is likely to alter the distribution of aquatic species. However, knowledge of this change on the burden of aquatic macroorganisms is often fraught with difficulty. Ottelia, a model genus for studying the evolution of the aquatic family Hydrocharitaceae, is mainly distributed in slow-flowing creeks, rivers, or lakes throughout pantropical regions in the world. Due to recent rapid climate changes, natural Ottelia populations have declined significantly. By modeling the effects of climate change on the distribution of Ottelia species and assessing the degree of niche similarity, we sought to identify high suitability regions and help formulate conservation strategies. The models use known background points to determine how environmental covariates vary spatially and produce continental maps of the distribution of the Ottelia species in Africa. Additionally, we estimated the possible influences of the optimistic and extreme pessimistic representative concentration pathways scenarios RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 for the 2050s. Our results show that the distinct distribution patterns of studied Ottelia species were influenced by topography (elevation) and climate (e.g., mean temperature of driest quarter, annual precipitation, and precipitation of the driest month). While there is a lack of accord in defining the limiting factors for the distribution of Ottelia species, it is clear that water-temperature conditions have promising effects when kept within optimal ranges. We also note that climate change will impact Ottelia by accelerating fragmentation and habitat loss. The assessment of niche overlap revealed that Ottelia cylindrica and O. verdickii had slightly more similar niches than the other Ottelia species. The present findings identify the need to enhance conservation efforts to safeguard natural Ottelia populations and provide a theoretical basis for the distribution of various Ottelia species in Africa.     

Taxonomic synopsis of Berberis (Berberidaceae) from the northern Hengduan mountains region in China,with descriptions of seven new species

Though Berberis (Berberidaceae) is widely distributed across the Eurasian landmass it is most diverse in the Himalaya–Hengduan Mountain (HHM) region. There are more than 200 species in China where it is one of the most common mountain shrubs. The study on the taxonomy and evolution of Berberis in this region can thus provide an important insight into the origin and diversification of its flora. A prerequisite to this is mapping and describing the various species of Berberis in the region – a task that despite recent progress is by no means complete. It is clear that in China there may be a significant number of species still to be described and that even with published species much about their distribution remains to be discovered. As a contribution to the first of these tasks seven new species from the northern Hengduan Mountain of N. Sichuan and S. Qinghai: Berberis chinduensis, Berberis degexianensis, Berberis jiajinshanensis, Berberis jinwu, Berberis litangensis, Berberis longquensis and Berberis riparia, are described here. Differences in overall morphology and especially in floral structures with each other and with similar species of Berberis in the same region are presented. The report is the result of phylogenetic analyses based on plastome and partial nrDNA sequences of both the seven proposed new species and a significant number of similar species already published. Provisional conclusions as to the insights provides on the history of the genetic divergence are discussed.     

子宫内膜癌中的lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA ceRNA网络的整合分析

子宫内膜癌(uterine corpus endometrial carcinoma,UCEC)是危害女性健康的癌症之一,但其发生发展机制尚不完全清楚.基因的异常表达在细胞癌变过程中发挥着重要的作用.本研究利用生物信息学方法对UCEC中异常表达的基因进行网络调控分析,为UCEC的机制研究及预后治疗提供理论依据.首先,利...     

细胞重编程和移植技术用于帕金森病治疗的研究进展

帕金森病(Parkinson disease,PD)是一种复杂的中枢神经系统退行性疾病,主要病理特征为黑质致密部多巴胺神经元的进行性丧失.目前PD主要治疗手段包括药物和手术.但药物存在神经保护活性不足、缺乏对因治疗、晚期无药可用等问题,手术治疗风险较大.近年来,细胞重编程技术取得突破性进展,由重编程产生的诱导多能干细胞(induced pluripotent stem cells,iPSCs)、诱导多巴胺神经元(induced dopamine neurons,iDNs)和诱导神经干细胞(induced neural stem cells,i NSCs)可用于治疗PD.移植iPSCs分化而来的多巴胺能神经元、iDNs和iNSCs至相应脑区,可起到神经替代与修复作用,有效治疗PD.本文重点介绍细胞重编程的机制,总结iPSCs、iDNs和iNSCs治疗PD的优缺点,并阐述尚存在的挑战,探讨可能的解决方案.     

Novel attempts launched toward universal Sarbecovirus vaccine

The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome corona-virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants and new coronaviruses raise the demand for universal vaccines.In recent ...     

雪灾干扰后林冠开阔度对黄心树幼苗更新的影响

幼苗更新是森林更新的关键过程,而林窗对于植物幼苗更新、生长及最终存活具有重要影响。极端气候事件会使森林在短时间内形成大量林窗,从而显著影响林内幼苗更新和存活。本研究以2015年雪灾后云南省哀牢山中山湿性常绿阔叶林优势种黄心树(Machilus bombycina)幼苗为对象,对194个1 m×1 m样方中的幼苗生长和死亡动态进行为期4年的监测,利用线性混合模型(LMM)和广义线性混合模型(GLMM),分析林冠开阔度对幼苗高度相对生长率、叶片相对增长率、新增率和死亡率的影响,研究了雪灾干扰后的林冠开阔度对植物幼苗更新的影响。结果表明:(1)林冠开阔度随时间推移逐渐变小(20.07%～9.97%),且速度由快到慢;(2) 2015—2016年,已有幼苗高度相对生长率与林冠开阔度呈显著正相关(P<0.05),其余年份两者间无显著相关性; 2016—2017年已有幼苗叶片相对增长率与林冠开阔度呈显著正相关(P<0.05),其余年份两者间无显著相关性;(3)林冠开阔度与幼苗新增率和死亡率均无显著相关性。本研究表明,雪灾后造成的林冠开阔度增加有利于黄心树幼苗生长。     

冰雪灾害对森林的影响

冰雪灾害是一种常见的自然灾害,往往对森林造成很大破坏。随着冰在树冠上不断积累,产生的压力逐渐增大,最后超过该部位最大弯曲力矩时林木会受到伤害。受害程度与林分的多种特征,如树种组成和林分密度及林木的多种特征,如胸径、树高、树干尖削度、叶片表面积、树冠对称性、根系、林龄等有密切关系。影响冰雪灾害的外部因素有地形因子和土壤因子,包括海拔、坡度、坡向、坡位和土壤类型、土壤厚度、土壤水分含量。冰雪灾害对林下光照、土壤、凋落物、真菌和森林动物产生影响。冰雪灾害后的林下光照对树种更新、森林动态和恢复具有重要意义。研究冰雪灾害对天然林的影响,长期监测冰雪灾害后的森林动态、林下植物的光环境、森林的养分循环、土壤以及森林动物,特别是土壤微生物的变化,加强森林的防灾管理是今后该领域的研究方向。     

臭氧浓度升高对香樟叶片光合色素及抗过氧化的影响及其氮素响应

为阐明氮(N)沉降条件下我国亚热带典型常绿树种香樟(Cinnamomum camphora)的臭氧(O3)胁迫响应特征,以1年生幼苗为试验对象,采用开顶气室(OTC)进行模拟研究。O3处理设大气O3(AA)、大气O3+60 nmol/mol(AA+60)、大气O3+120nmol/mol(AA+120)3个水平;N素以硝酸铵(NH4NO3)溶液形式施加,施N量设0(N0)、30(N30)、60(N60)(kg.hm-.2a-1)3个水平。主要考察了叶片膜质过氧化、光合色素、胞质抗坏血酸含量及总抗氧化能力的胁迫响应特征。结果表明:一个生长季(2009年5月15日—2009年9月10日)高浓度O3处理导致试验幼苗叶肉细胞膜脂过氧化程度显著加剧,叶绿素a、叶绿素b、类胡萝卜素含量显著降低;N素施加显著提高了叶绿素含量,但未改变细胞膜脂过氧化水平。叶片总抗氧化能力在AA+120处理下显著提高,但未受N施加影响。还原型抗坏血酸含量在N0处理下随O3浓度升高而降低;在N30及N60处理下随O3浓度升高而增高。施N可通过提高叶片抗坏血酸含量来增强香樟对O3升高的适应能力。研究结论可为O3与N复合污染下,我国亚热带地区典型常绿树种的保护提供科学参考。     

Mechanisms of chromatin-based epigenetic inheritance

Multi-cellular organisms such as humans contain hundreds of cell types that share the same genetic information(DNA sequences), and yet have different cellular traits and functions. While how genetic information is passed through generations has been extensively characterized, it remains largely obscure how epigenetic information encoded by chromatin regulates the passage of certain traits, gene expression states and cell identity during mitotic cell divisions, and even through meiosis. In this r...