Costs of receipt and donation of ejaculates in a simultaneous hermaphrodite

Background  

Sexual conflicts between mating partners can strongly impact the evolutionary trajectories of species. This impact is determined by the balance between the costs and benefits of mating. However, due to sex-specific costs it is unclear how costs compare between males and females. Simultaneous hermaphrodites offer a unique opportunity to determine such costs, since both genders are expressed concurrently. By limiting copulation of focal individuals in pairs of pond snails (Lymnaea stagnalis) to either the male role or the female role, we were able to compare the fecundity of single sex individuals with paired hermaphrodites and non-copulants. Additionally, we examined the investment in sperm and seminal fluid of donors towards feminized snails and hermaphrodites.     

电晕电场对沙生植物愈伤组织诱导及分化的影响

用不同电场剂量处理花棒和杨柴的下胚轴后进行愈伤组织诱导及分化培养,以探讨电晕电场对其愈伤组织诱导与分化的影响.结果表明,电场处理可以显著提高愈伤组织诱导率和分化率,并有效降低愈伤组织的褐化率.花棒在电场强度为5 kV/m下处理60 min时,出愈率可达90.5%,分化率可达88.7%;杨柴在电场强度为3 kV/m下处理100 min时,出愈率可达95.8%,分化率可达78.9%.     

濒危植物蒙古扁桃花粉活力和柱头可授性研究

用过氧化氢酶法测定蒙古扁桃花粉的活力和寿命,用联苯胺-过氧化氢法测定柱头可授性。结果表明,蒙古扁桃花粉活力在散粉后第2天最高,3d后活力迅速下降,三种类型的植株的花粉活力下降速度存在差异,其活力可持续30d左右。短柱头植株柱头在开花后1d可分泌黏液,长柱头和中柱头花植株的柱头在开花后2d才分泌黏液,短柱头分泌黏液的持续时间较后者长。柱头可授性持续时间同种之间也存在差异,长柱头和中柱头植株可达6d,而短柱头花植株可持续10d左右。     

气候变化对内蒙古中东部沙地-湿地镶嵌景观的影响

利用小波分析和遥感技术相结合的方法,研究了气候变化对1961—2005年内蒙古中东部沙地-湿地镶嵌景观的影响.结果表明：1961—2005年,研究区年均气温呈直线上升趋势,增温率为0.32 ℃·（10 a）^-1,年降水量变化呈现30 a的长周期和15 a的短周期,年均风速呈下降趋势,10 a的风速减小率为0.26 m·s^-1;研究区东南部存在一个气候变化恒定区域,由此恒定区向西北进入浑善达克沙地腹地,向东逐步进入科尔沁沙地腹地;2010年以前,研究区仍将维持气温升高、降水偏少、风速减小的趋势;受气候暖干化的影响,浑善达克沙地及其周围湿地的总面积呈逐年缩小趋势,随着沙地内部植被的退化,流动沙地不断扩大、湿地萎缩、湖泊干涸,而相应的固定和半固定沙地面积则明显减少.     

植物逆境胁迫耐受性启动子的研究进展

逆境胁迫如干旱、极端温度、损伤等非生物胁迫和病虫害等生物胁迫严重影响植物的生长发育及产量。逆境胁迫耐受性启动子能够接受逆境条件下的诱导信号,激活植物体内胁迫应答基因的表达,使植物感知并适应逆境。本文对逆境胁迫耐受性启动子的克隆及功能研究情况进行综合分析,主要包括抗旱、耐盐、耐高温、抗冻、耐损伤、抗病和抗虫基因启动子。     

蜂毒肽抑杀病原菌的超微结构观察

本研究比较了蜂毒肽对4种不同病原菌生长的影响及其抑杀菌作用的差异,并利用电子显微镜观察了蜂毒肽抑杀菌过程中超微结构的变化.结果表明,蜂毒肽对白菜软腐病菌的杀菌作用最强,而且速效;对酵母菌和番茄叶霉病菌孢子同样具有很强的杀灭作用,但作用时间延长;对金黄葡萄球菌为低浓度抑菌,高浓度杀菌作用.实验中观察到,蜂毒肽在抑杀菌过程中超微结构的变化有3种方式致死细胞：一是膜孔洞式,即蜂毒肽作用后在细胞膜区形成小空泡,随之由内向外扩展穿透细胞壁形成孔洞,引起菌体内容物泄漏死亡,显示了膜孔洞的形成过程;二是质壁分离式,小空泡以横向扩展使细胞产生类似质壁分离样空腔,最后细胞裂解死亡;三是细胞质空腔式,蜂毒肽进入细胞后与细胞质中的类膜系统的膜结合引起解体,细胞质固缩,出现空腔,细胞死亡.值得注意的是蜂毒肽抑杀菌作用的强弱及速效性与其不同杀菌方式相关.综上结果,蜂毒肽各种抑杀菌方式的共同点是蜂毒肽与膜磷脂分子结合相互作用所致.     

Individual optimization: Mechanisms shaping the optimal reaction norm

In general, optimal reaction norms in heterogeneous populations can be obtained only by iterative numerical procedures (McNamara, 1991; Kawecki and Stearns, 1993). We consider two particular, but biologically plausible and analytically tractable cases of individual optimization to gain insight into the mechanisms which shape the optimal reaction norm of fecundity in relation to an environmental variable or an individual trait. In the first case, we assume that the quality of the environment (e.g. food abundance) or the quality of the individual (e.g. body size) is fixed during its entire life; it may also be a heritable individual trait. In the second case, individual quality is assumed to change randomly such that the probability distribution of quality in the next year is the same for the parent and for her offspring. For these two cases, we obtain analytical expressions for the shape of the optimal reaction norm, which are heuristically interpretable in terms of underlying selective mechanisms. It is shown that better quality may reduce the optimal fecundity. This outcome is particularly likely if better quality increases a fecundity-independent factor of parental survival in a long-lived species with fixed quality. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

新疆塔里木柯坪地区上奥陶统凯迪阶串管海绵类化石及其滤食选择性探讨北大核心

奥陶纪是串管海绵早期演化的一个关键阶段,记录了该类群的首次大规模辐射演化事件(属级分类单元达15个)。然而,现有大部分奥陶系串管海绵的报道来自澳大利亚东部和北美等地,在中国至今仅发现了两个属,与前述地区相比研究程度偏低。早期研究主要基于形态学特征对串管海绵进行系统分类描述,对其滤食策略知之甚少,因此制约了对此类海绵在奥陶纪底栖生态系统作用的相关探讨。本文系新疆塔里木柯坪地区奥陶纪串管海绵的首次系统古生物学报道,详细描述凯迪阶(上奥陶统)印干组中保存完好的阔室丛花海绵(Corymbospongia amplia)化石的形态学特征,并通过研究标本外壁微孔孔径的大小分布,探讨其滤食选择性。海绵外壁微孔孔径的分析表明:小型和微型浮游生物可能是其食物的主要来源,而多细胞浮游动物因个体尺寸大于海绵外壁微孔,不能被阔室丛花海绵捕获。本研究为奥陶纪串管海绵古生态学及其地球生物学意义的探讨提供了进一步的依据。