Effects of an exotic invasive macrophyte (tropical signalgrass) on native plant community composition,species richness and functional diversity

1. The issue of freshwater species being threatened by invasion has become central in conservation biology because inland waters exhibit the highest species richness per unit area, but apparently have the highest extinctions rates on the planet. 2. In this article, we evaluated the effects of an exotic, invasive aquatic grass (Urochloa subquadripara– tropical signalgrass) on the diversity and assemblage composition of native macrophytes in four Neotropical water bodies (two reservoirs and two lakes). Species cover was assessed in quadrats, and plant biomass was measured in further quadrats, located in sites where tropical signalgrass dominated (D quadrats) and sites where it was not dominant or entirely absent (ND quadrats). The effects of tropical signalgrass on macrophyte species richness, Shannon diversity and number of macrophyte life forms (a surrogate of functional richness) were assessed through regressions, and composition was assessed with a DCA. The effects of tropical signalgrass biomass on the likelihood of occurrence of specific macrophyte life forms were assessed through logistic regression. 3. Tropical signalgrass had a negative effect on macrophyte richness and Shannon and functional diversity, and also influenced assemblage composition. Emergent, rooted with floating stems and rooted submersed species were negatively affected by tropical signalgrass, while the occurrence of free‐floating species was positively affected. 4. Our results suggest that competition with emergent species and reduction of underwater radiation, which reduces the number of submersed species, counteract facilitation of free‐floating species, contributing to a decrease in plant diversity. In addition, homogenisation of plant assemblages shows that tropical signalgrass reduces the beta diversity in the macrophyte community. 5. Although our results were obtained at fine spatial scales, they are cause for concern because macrophytes are an important part of freshwater diversity.     

Z:ZCLA长爪沙鼠微卫星标记的遗传多态性研究

通过对9个微卫星座位的扩增,研究了Z：ZCLA长爪沙鼠的遗传多态性。结果表明,Z：ZCLA长爪沙鼠在其中1个位点上只有一个等位基因,在其它位点上均有2～4个等位基因,平均等位基因数2．6个。平均杂合度0．4684,平均多态信息量0．4166,平均有效等位基因数2．1756。全群基因纯合度从0．1111～0．5555,平均0．3389,提示目前本群遗传多样性水平处于中度多态。     

海藻酸微囊替代DMSO和FBS的STO细胞冷冻保存研究

目的:改进现有的细胞冷冻保存方法,建立一个不含二甲基亚砜(DMSO)和血清(FBS)的高效冷冻保存方法,为细胞治疗等临床实践提供优质细胞.方法:海藻酸微囊包埋鼠胚成纤维细胞(STO细胞)后用不含DMSO和FBS的冷冻保存液进行冷冻保存.设四个对照组:添加10％DMSO和20％FBS的组、仅添加10％DMSO的组、仅添加20％FBS、DMSO和FBS均不添加组.在冷冻前后对各实验组细胞用台盼兰染色,进行细胞计数,计算细胞存活率,同时利用溴乙锭的二聚物(EthD)、钙黄绿素-AM(Calcein-AM)进行染色观察细胞的形态,且进一步验证细胞存活率;解冻复苏后用MTT法评估细胞的增殖速度和生长活力.结果:冷冻保存30天后对各组的细胞数量、细胞存活率、细胞形态和解冻复苏后细胞的生长活力进行比较发现,海藻酸微囊包埋冷冻组的细胞数、细胞存活率、细胞形态和生长活力均与添加DMSO和FBS的组之间无显著性差异,而与其它三个对照组呈显著性差异.结论:使用海藻酸微囊替代DMSO和FBS保存STO细胞,能有效的维持细胞形态、数量、存活率,同时不影响细胞的生长活力,从而建立了一个不含DMSO和FBS的高效冷冻保存方法.     

内蒙古大兴安岭森林可燃物燃烧释放PM2.5中水溶性离子排放特性

研究森林可燃物燃烧释放的细颗粒物(PM2.5)的排放因子对于揭示森林火灾对大气和生态系统的影响至关重要,而水溶性离子是细颗粒物的重要化学成分,对颗粒物的形成具有重要意义.利用自主设计的生物质燃烧系统,模拟内蒙古大兴安岭5种典型乔木(蒙古栎、白桦、兴安落叶松、黑桦、山杨)的3种组成部分(树干、树枝、树皮)及其地表死可燃物...     

MDR1基因单靶点双荧光素酶报告基因系统的建立

目的通过构建以MDR1启动子为启动序列的双荧光素酶报告基因系统并进行活性分析,为MDR1基因表达的单靶点调控研究和逆转剂的筛选提供一种有效的方法。方法从HCT-8细胞中提取DNA并克隆含有MDR1基因启动子中Y—box序列。将该序列重组到萤光素酶报告基因载体pGL-3．Basic的启动区域中,从而构建报告基因载体pGL-MDR1。将pGL-MDR1和pRL-TK载体共转染到HCT-8和HCT-8／VCR细胞中。通过调节不同载体的比例来优化转染效率。利用MDRI基因激活剂（热诱导）和抑制剂（EGCG）等处理来分析其启动转录活性受外界因素的影响。结果通过直接测序法验证了pGL-MDR1含有MDR1基因启动子Y—box序列且没有出现碱基突变。在pGL-MDR1和pRL-TK的转染比例为5：5时,转染效率最高并具有最高的萤光素酶活性。通过MDR1基因激活处理后表现为时间依赖性地激活MDR1基因的表达,而MDR1基因抑制剂的作用则相反。结论MDR1启动子为启动序列的双荧光素酶报告基因系统建立成功。该系统不但可以用于研究活体生物发光成像和MDRI基因表达的机理,而且可用于单靶点的多药耐药抑制剂的筛选。     

Hierarchical analysis of variation in the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene among Hymenoptera

Nucleotide sequences from a 434-bp region of the 16S rRNA gene were analyzed for 65 taxa of Hymenoptera (ants, bees, wasps, parasitoid wasps, sawflies) to examine the patterns of variation within the gene fragment and the taxonomic levels for which it shows maximum utility in phylogeny estimation. A hierarchical approach was adopted in the study through comparison of levels of sequence variation among taxa at different taxonomic levels. As previously reported for many holometabolous insects, the 16S data reported here for Hymenoptera are highly AT-rich and exhibit strong site-to-site variation in substitution rate. More precise estimates of the shape parameter (alpha) of the gamma distribution and the proportion of invariant sites were obtained in this study by employing a reference phylogeny and utilizing maximum-likelihood estimation. The effectiveness of this approach to recovering expected phylogenies of selected hymenopteran taxa has been tested against the use of maximum parsimony. This study finds that the 16S gene is most informative for phylogenetic analysis at two different levels: among closely related species or populations, and among tribes, subfamilies, and families. Maximization of the phylogenetic signal extracted from the 16S gene at higher taxonomic levels may require consideration of the base composition bias and the site-to-site rate variation in a maximum-likelihood framework.      

Mycotoxins of Alternaria alternata produced on ceiling tiles

The production of mycotoxins by Alternaria alternata in cellulosic ceiling tiles was examined with thin-layer chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography procedures. Alternariol and alternariol monomethyl ether were found in ceiling tile extracts, whereas extracts of control rice cultures of all three isolates produced these mycotoxins plus altenuene and altertoxin I. Extensive fungal growth and mycotoxin production occurred in the ceiling tiles at relative humidities of 84–89% and 97%. Received 28 May 1997/ Accepted in revised form 06 October 1997     

Water Flow in Wheat Seedlings after Small Water Deficits

Cultures of Scenedesmus obliquus when grown heterotrophically for 10 or 30 days without addition of fresh medium showed 85 and 98% loss of their photosynthetic capacity respectively. This loss in photosynthetic capacity was accompanied by an increase in quantum requirement. No major changes in the pigment amounts or types were detected which would explain the decay in photosynthetic capacity. Partial reactions mediated by photosystem II or I showed a more or less constant decay over a period of 30 days. Photosystem II reactions appeared less stable than those of photosystem I, decaying by 95% as compared with 70%, over this time period. The results of comparative studies on aged cells for their potential of cytochrome f photooxidation, fluorescence kinetics, 520 nm absorbance change and the variable influence of 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea and 2,5-dibromo-3-methyl-6-isopropyl-p-benzoquinone on the photosynthetic capacity of such cells, suggest that it is the inherent ability of the cells to photooxidize plastohydroquinone which is affected primarily. In addition, secondary changes were noted in the activity of reactions on the water-splitting side of photosystem II and in the P700 — plastocyanin — cytochrome f complex.     

海洋浮游藻类细胞质膜氧化还原活性与细胞外CA活性的关系

海洋浮游藻类除通过吸收和释放分子与离子来改变其环境的化学成分外,还可通过细胞外表面一些酶的作用引起质膜外化学物质变化。在这方面,海洋浮游藻类一个主要的细胞外表面酶-碳酸酐酶(CA),在经胰蛋白酶处理从细胞质膜上释放出来后,仍保留其催化活性。当细胞外表面CA(简称细胞外CA)具活性时,可催化质膜外HCO_3~-与CO_2的相互转化,为Rubisco(磷酸核酮糖羧化酶)提供一稳定的CO_2流量环境,以维持正常的光合作用。