Intensified wind pollination mediated by pollen dimorphism after range expansion in an ambophilous biennial Aconitum gymnandrum

Pollination systems and associated floral traits generally differ between core and marginal populations of a species. However, such differences are rarely examined in plants with a mixed wind‐ and bumblebee‐pollination system, and the role of wind pollination during range expansion in ambophilous plants remains unclear. We compared floral traits and the contributions of bumblebee and wind pollination in refugium and marginal populations of the ambophilous plant Aconitum gymnandrum. We found that most floral traits differed between the two populations, and those traits associated with the shift to wind pollination were pronounced in the marginal population. Bumblebee visitation rates varied significantly, but were generally low in the marginal population. Wind pollination occurred in both populations, and the efficiency was lower than that of bumblebee pollination. Two types of pollen grains, namely round and fusiform pollen, were transported to a stigma by bumblebees and wind, but fusiform pollen contributed to wind pollination to a larger degree, especially in the marginal population. Our results suggest that wind pollination was enhanced by pollen dimorphism in the marginal population of A. gymnandrum, and wind pollination may provide reproductive assurance when bumblebee activity is unpredictable during range expansion, indicating that ambophily is stable in this species and shift in pollination system could be common when plants colonize new habitats.     

Cross‐sectional relations of whole‐blood miRNA expression levels and hand grip strength in a community sample

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate gene expression with emerging data suggesting miRNAs play a role in skeletal muscle biology. We sought to examine the association of miRNAs with grip strength in a community‐based sample. Framingham Heart Study Offspring and Generation 3 participants (n = 5668 54% women, mean age 55 years, range 24, 90 years) underwent grip strength measurement and miRNA profiling using whole blood from fasting morning samples. Linear mixed‐effects regression modeling of grip strength (kg) versus continuous miRNA ‘Cq’ values and versus binary miRNA expression was performed. We conducted an integrative miRNA–mRNA coexpression analysis and examined the enrichment of biologic pathways for the top miRNAs associated with grip strength. Grip strength was lower in women than in men and declined with age with a mean 44.7 (10.0) kg in men and 26.5 (6.3) kg in women. Among 299 miRNAs interrogated for association with grip strength, 93 (31%) had FDR q value < 0.05, 54 (18%) had an FDR q value < 0.01, and 15 (5%) had FDR q value < 0.001. For almost all miRNA–grip strength associations, increasing miRNA concentration is associated with increasing grip strength. miR‐20a‐5p (FDR q 1.8 × 10^?6) had the most significant association and several among the top 15 miRNAs had links to skeletal muscle including miR‐126‐3p, miR‐30a‐5p, and miR‐30d‐5p. The top associated biologic pathways included metabolism, chemokine signaling, and ubiquitin‐mediated proteolysis. Our comprehensive assessment in a community‐based sample of miRNAs in blood associated with grip strength provides a framework to further our understanding of the biology of muscle strength.     

A comparative study of the effects of abscisic acid and methyl jasmonate on seedling growth of rice

The effects of abscisic acid (ABA) and methyl jasmonate (MJ) on growth of rice seedlings were compared. The lowest tested concentration of ABA and MJ that inhibited seedling growth was found to be 4.5 and 0.9 µM, respectively. Growth inhibition by ABA is reversible, whereas that by MJ is irreversible. GA₃ was found to be more effective in reversing inhibition of shoot growth by ABA than by MJ. KCl partially relieved MJ-inhibited, but not ABA-inhibited, growth of rice seedlings. The beneficial effect of K⁺ on growth of rice seedlings in MJ medium could not be replaced by Li⁺, Na⁺ or Cs⁺. MJ treatment caused a marked release of K⁺ into the medium. In order to understand whether cell wall-bound peroxidase activity was inversely related to rice seedling growth, effects of ABA and MJ on cell wall-bound peroxidase activity were also examined. Results indicated that both ABA and MJ increased cell wall-bound peroxidase activity in roots and shoots of rice seedlings. Although MJ (4.5 µM) was less effective in inhibiting root growth than ABA (9 µM), MJ was found to increase more cell wall-bound peroxidase activity in roots than ABA.     

江西省九连山自然保护区的植被

1． 九连山自然保护区位于我国南部的南岭山地东段,处于江西南部,与广东边境相连,北纬24˚31′一24˚39′,东经114˚27′一114˚29′,面积约2000公顷。2．自然保护区内动植物种类极为丰富,其中高等植物1200种以上,约有206科;苔藓植物约30种,蕨类约62种,种子植物1100种以上。脊椎动物100多种。3．动植物区系起源较古老,有许多古代的科属,包括很多残遗种和稀有种。又是我国著名的单种属：观光木属和半枫荷属的家乡。有许多稀有的珍贵动物如：云豹、金猫、豹、华南虎、獐、水鹿、鬣羚、大灵猫、穿山甲、水獭、白鹇、平胸龟等。动物区系上,属于东洋界的华中区。4．自然保护区植被主要有四个群系纲;Ⅰ．常绿阔叶林;Ⅱ．针叶林;Ⅲ．山地草甸;Ⅳ．山地苔藓、矮林;14个群系,约19个群丛。顶极植被为常绿阔叶林。     

不同的下丘脑肽和神经递质对鲤鱼促性腺激素和生长激素分泌活动的影响

以１龄性腺发育中期鲤鱼为材料,采用腹腔（ｉ．ｐ）注射的方法,研究不同的下丘脑肽和神经递质对鲤鱼促性腺激素（ＧｔＨ）和生长激素（ＧＨ）分泌的影响。结果表明：促甲状腺激素释放激素（ＴＲＨ）、Ｌ－多巴（Ｌ－ＤＯＰＡ）、甲基睾酮（ＭＴ）、γ－氨基丁酸（ＧＡＢＡ）、促黄体素释放激素类似物（ＬＨＲＨ－Ａ）和三碘甲状腺原氨酸（Ｔ３）都能显著刺激ＧｔＨ的分泌,但最大效应时间各不相同。ＴＲＨ和ＬＨＲＨ－Ａ能促进ＧＨ的分泌,Ｌ－ＤＯＰＡ、ＭＴ、ＧＡＢＡ对血清ＧＨ水平没有明显影响;Ｔ３则对ＧＨ分泌有一定的抑制作用。这说明鲤鱼ＧｔＨ和ＧＨ的分泌除了受各自的下丘脑释放因子和释放抑制因子的双重神经内分泌调控外,还受多种其它相同和不同调节因子的影响,也反映了鲤鱼ＧｔＨ和ＧＨ分泌的神经内分泌调控的复杂性。     

Chromosome analysis on 930 consecutive newborn children using quinacrine fluorescent banding technique

Summary Chromosome analysing using quinacrine fluorescence was performed on 930 consecutive newborn infants. The total incidence of major chromosome aberrations including numerical changes of the sex chromosomes, and structural changes of autosomes, was 0.54%. Incidences of XYY (0.4%) and XXY (0.2%) were relatively higher as compared to other studies. About 0.75% of the newborn infants were found to have a variable bright fluorescent band located on the proximal area of the short arm (p11) rather than on the proximal long arm (q11) of chromosome No. 3. Attempts were also made to record the variable fluorescent regions on 7 autosomes and the Y chromosome.     

Ability of Pollen to Germinate prior to Anthesis and Effect of Desiccation on Germination

The ability of pollen to germinate prior to anthesis was tested using Easter lily (Lilium longiflorum L.) and corn (Zea mays L.). Lily pollen normally dries to a low moisture content between anthesis and pollination while corn does not. The corn pollen germinated well (about 73%) when removed from anthers 1 day before anthesis and placed on culture medium. The lily pollen germinated poorly (0 to 5%) when harvested one to six days before anthesis. However, the lily pollen harvested one or two days before anthesis gave greatly improved germination (about 55%) after it was dried to a low moisture content. The results indicate that an internal control prevents premature germination of lily pollen and that drying is the final stage of pollen maturation. A different sort of regulatory mechanism must operate to prevent premature germination of corn pollen.     

Virulence and community dynamics of fungal species with vertical and horizontal transmission on a plant with multiple infections

The virulence evolution of multiple infections of parasites from the same species has been modeled widely in evolution theory. However, experimental studies on this topic remain scarce, particularly regarding multiple infections by different parasite species. Here, we characterized the virulence and community dynamics of fungal pathogens on the invasive plant Ageratina adenophora to verify the predictions made by the model. We observed that A. adenophora was highly susceptible to diverse foliar pathogens with mixed vertical and horizontal transmission within leaf spots. The transmission mode mainly determined the pathogen community structure at the leaf spot level. Over time, the pathogen community within a leaf spot showed decreased Shannon diversity; moreover, the vertically transmitted pathogens exhibited decreased virulence to the host A. adenophora, but the horizontally transmitted pathogens exhibited increased virulence to the host. Our results demonstrate that the predictions of classical models for the virulence evolution of multiple infections are still valid in a complex realistic environment and highlight the impact of transmission mode on disease epidemics of foliar fungal pathogens. We also propose that seedborne fungi play an important role in structuring the foliar pathogen community from multiple infections within a leaf spot.