粤东柘林湾海域富营养化评价与分析

根据2001年7月～2002年7月对拓林湾进行的生态调查所得的数据,运用模糊集理论中的权距离概念结合隶属度的模糊评价方法,以化学耗氧量、总无机氮、活性磷酸盐和叶绿素a为指标,对粤东拓林湾和湾外水域的富营养化状况进行了评价.结果表明,拓林湾的营养状况已达到中营养程度以上,而湾外则处于贫营养状态.     

苦苣苔科大叶石上莲CYC类基因RT-PCR表达模式研究

CYC类基因的分子系统学研究已经在苦苣苔科Gesneriaceae中展开,但是还缺乏对这些基因表达和功能的研究。因此,我们选择苦苣苔科大叶石上莲Oreocharis benthamii作为实验材料,分离出了CYC类基因的两个拷贝,经过分子系统学分析这两个基因分别属于苦苣苔科GCYC1和GCYC2两个分支,故命名为ObCYC1和ObCYC2。分区的RT-PCR实验结果显示这两个基因拥有不同的时间空间表达模式。ObCYC1与模式植物金鱼草Antirrhinum majus中的CYC基因类似,集中在花冠背部区域表达,这与它们拥有保守的功能区TCP和R相一致。但是,ObCYC1与CYC表达模式仍有区别,即,和CYC相比ObCYC1在花冠背部区域的表达提前减弱。这可能和大叶石上莲花冠微弱的两侧对称性相关。另外,由于大叶石上莲的背部花瓣较两侧和腹部花瓣小,因此,在功能上ObCYC1可能起抑制背部花瓣生长作用而CYC基因则促进背部花瓣生长。与ObCYC1不同,ObCYC2的保守功能区有更多的氨基酸位点变化,而且在RT-PCR实验中也没有检测到它的表达。因此,需要开展更深入的实验研究分析ObCYC2的基本功能,这将有助于了解GCYC2类基因在苦苣苔科及其近缘科中的功能和进化途径。     

On-line Estimation of the Rate of Sap Flow in Plant Stems Using Stationary Thermal Response Data

The heat pulse method for the measurement of the rate of sapflow in plants suffers from two drawbacks, viz. the discontinuousnature of the measurements and the lack of a precise mathematicalformulation of the heat fluxes. To overcome these drawbacksa random noise heat signal has been used as an input and twosensor pairs have been used for the measurement. A model isgiven that employs the signal from one sensor pair as inputand the signal from the second pair as output of a heat transportsystem. Thus the adverse effects of radial heat conduction havebeen eliminated. Simulation models with the rate of sap flowas one of the parameters have been fitted to the stationaryresponse data with an on-line parameter optimization algorithm.The method has been validated in applications to artificialdata and to real data obtained from a plastic tube and fromtomato plants. Key words: Sap flow, Heat pulse method, Continuous measurement     

Stress Response of Working African Elephants to Transportation and Safari Adventures

Abstract: African elephants (Loxodonta africana) are intensively managed in southern Africa and are routinely translocated between reserves. Domesticated elephants are used for elephant-back safaris and interactions with guests. Understanding how elephants respond to such activities is critical because of welfare issues associated with both humans and elephants. We investigated the stress response (i.e., fecal glucocorticoid metabolite secretion [FGM]) of working elephants in Letsatsing Game Reserve, South Africa, over 1 year to evaluate their response to transportation and ecotourism activities. We used free-ranging elephants in adjacent Pilanesburg National Park as controls. Fecal glucocorticoid metabolites were greatest prior to and during translocation and declined over the year. Within 1–2 months of transportation, FGM levels in working elephants became indistinguishable from those in wild elephants. Fecal glucocorticoid metabolite levels were higher during human interaction days than days without interaction. The highest observed FGM levels were associated with transportation and episodic loud noises. Transportation is a stressful activity for elephants, and ≥3 months should be provided to translocated elephants to acclimate to their new surroundings. Although stress levels of elephants increased slightly when interacting with humans in the contexts we studied, evaluating interactions under a wider range of contexts is necessary to minimize danger to elephants and humans.     

Past and present distribution, densities and movements of blue whales Balaenoptera musculus in the Southern Hemisphere and northern Indian Ocean

• 1 Blue whale locations in the Southern Hemisphere and northern Indian Ocean were obtained from catches (303 239), sightings (4383 records of ≥8058 whales), strandings (103), Discovery marks (2191) and recoveries (95), and acoustic recordings.
• 2 Sighting surveys included 7 480 450 km of effort plus 14 676 days with unmeasured effort. Groups usually consisted of solitary whales (65.2%) or pairs (24.6%); larger feeding aggregations of unassociated individuals were only rarely observed. Sighting rates (groups per 1000 km from many platform types) varied by four orders of magnitude and were lowest in the waters of Brazil, South Africa, the eastern tropical Pacific, Antarctica and South Georgia; higher in the Subantarctic and Peru; and highest around Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Chile, southern Australia and south of Madagascar.
• 3 Blue whales avoid the oligotrophic central gyres of the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, but are more common where phytoplankton densities are high, and where there are dynamic oceanographic processes like upwelling and frontal meandering.
• 4 Compared with historical catches, the Antarctic (‘true’) subspecies is exceedingly rare and usually concentrated closer to the summer pack ice. In summer they are found throughout the Antarctic; in winter they migrate to southern Africa (although recent sightings there are rare) and to other northerly locations (based on acoustics), although some overwinter in the Antarctic.
• 5 Pygmy blue whales are found around the Indian Ocean and from southern Australia to New Zealand. At least four groupings are evident: northern Indian Ocean, from Madagascar to the Subantarctic, Indonesia to western and southern Australia, and from New Zealand northwards to the equator. Sighting rates are typically much higher than for Antarctic blue whales.
• 6 South‐east Pacific blue whales have a discrete distribution and high sighting rates compared with the Antarctic. Further work is needed to clarify their subspecific status given their distinctive genetics, acoustics and length frequencies.
• 7 Antarctic blue whales numbered 1700 (95% Bayesian interval 860–2900) in 1996 (less than 1% of original levels), but are increasing at 7.3% per annum (95% Bayesian interval 1.4–11.6%). The status of other populations in the Southern Hemisphere and northern Indian Ocean is unknown because few abundance estimates are available, but higher recent sighting rates suggest that they are less depleted than Antarctic blue whales.

     

Invasion and fixation of sex-reversal genes

We simulated a meta-population with random dispersal among demes but local mating within demes to investigate conditions under which a dominant female-determining gene W, with no individual selection advantage, can invade and become fixed in females, changing the population from male to female heterogamety. Starting with one mutant W in a single deme, the interaction of sex ratio selection and random genetic drift causes W to be fixed among females more often than a comparable neutral mutation with no influence on sex determination, even when YY males have slightly reduced viability. Meta-population structure and interdeme selection can also favour the fixation of W. The reverse transition from female to male heterogamety can also occur with higher probability than for a comparable neutral mutation. These results help to explain the involvement of sex-determining genes in the evolution of sex chromosomes and in sexual selection and speciation.     

翅果油树种仁脂肪酸合成关键基因筛选

【目的】通过翅果油树不同时期种仁的转录组学分析,挖掘与脂肪酸合成相关的关键基因。【方法】观察记录翅果油树果实发育情况并以成年翅果油树果实开始膨大时期（C6）、果实迅速膨大时期（C7）和果实成熟时期（C8）的新鲜种仁为试验材料,以水解-提取法测定3个时期种仁的脂肪酸组分与含量,利用转录组测序技术分析C6、C7时期样品表达差异,并寻找关键差异表达基因。【结果】3个时期的脂肪酸平均含量随时间推移呈逐渐上升趋势;C6、C7时期的种仁数据中共获得6 375个上调表达基因,8 124个下调表达基因;8 137个差异表达基因在GO数据库中获得注释;4 275个差异表达基因在KEGG数据库中获得注释,主要涉及代谢途径,次生代谢物的生物合成,激素传导,氨基酸合成途径等通路,其中,脂肪酸生物合成、不饱和脂肪酸生物合成等与脂肪酸相关的通路均被富集,并重点挖掘出8个与脂肪酸合成相关的候选基因,发现与果实膨大时期（C6）相比,EmBCCP1、EmSAD1、EmFAD2-1、EmFAD3-1、EmPDCT1基因的上调表达和EmFAbG1、EmPDAT1、EmKASI1基因的下调表达。【结论】EmBCCP1、EmSAD1、EmFAD2-1、EmFAD3-1、EmPDCT1、EmKASI1、EmFAbG1、EmPDAT1基因可能促进了翅果油树种仁油酸、亚油酸的合成积累,可作为翅果油树种仁脂肪酸合成的关键候选基因     

热激蛋白90在植物发育和疾病抗性中的作用

相对分子质量90000的热激蛋白（heatshock protein,HSP90）是真核细胞必需的分子伴侣。拟南芥中HSP90有7个成员,其中AtHSP90-1、AtHSP90-2、AtHSP90-3和AtHSP90-4组成细胞质亚族;AtHSP90-5、AtHSP90-6、AtHSP90-7分别位于叶绿体、线粒体和内质网。HSP90分子伴侣复合物在植物发育和对外部刺激应答中非常重要,尤其是在抗性（resistance R）蛋白介导的抵抗病毒侵入的过程中起重要作用。