Forest cover reduces thermally suitable habitats and affects responses to a warmer climate predicted in a high-elevation lizard

Warmer climates have affected animal distribution ranges, but how they may interact with vegetation patterns to affect habitat use, an important consideration for future wildlife management, has received little attention. Here, we use a biophysical model to investigate the potential thermal impact of vegetation pattern on the habitat quality of a high-elevation grassland lizard, Takydromus hsuehshanensis, and to predict the thermal suitability of vegetation for this species in a future warmer climate (assuming 3 °C air temperature increase). We assess the thermal quality of vegetation types in our study area (Taroko National Park in areas >1,800 m) using three ecologically relevant estimates of reptiles: body temperature (T _b), maximum active time, and maximum digestive time. The results show that increasing forest canopy gradually cools the microclimates, hence decreasing these estimates. In the current landscape, sunny mountain-top grasslands are predicted to serve as high quality thermal habitat, whereas the dense forests that are dominant as a result of forest protection are too cold to provide suitable habitat. In simulated warmer climates, the thermal quality of dense forests increases slightly but remains inferior to that of grasslands. We note that the impact of warmer climates on this reptile will be greatly affected by future vegetation patterns, and we suggest that the current trend of upslope forest movement found in many other mountain systems could cause disadvantages to some heliothermic lizard species.     

Evolutionary Genomics and Adaptive Evolution of the Hedgehog Gene Family (Shh,Ihh and Dhh) in Vertebrates

The Hedgehog (Hh) gene family codes for a class of secreted proteins composed of two active domains that act as signalling molecules during embryo development, namely for the development of the nervous and skeletal systems and the formation of the testis cord. While only one Hh gene is found typically in invertebrate genomes, most vertebrates species have three (Sonic hedgehog – Shh; Indian hedgehog – Ihh; and Desert hedgehog – Dhh), each with different expression patterns and functions, which likely helped promote the increasing complexity of vertebrates and their successful diversification. In this study, we used comparative genomic and adaptive evolutionary analyses to characterize the evolution of the Hh genes in vertebrates following the two major whole genome duplication (WGD) events. To overcome the lack of Hh-coding sequences on avian publicly available databases, we used an extensive dataset of 45 avian and three non-avian reptilian genomes to show that birds have all three Hh paralogs. We find suggestions that following the WGD events, vertebrate Hh paralogous genes evolved independently within similar linkage groups and under different evolutionary rates, especially within the catalytic domain. The structural regions around the ion-binding site were identified to be under positive selection in the signaling domain. These findings contrast with those observed in invertebrates, where different lineages that experienced gene duplication retained similar selective constraints in the Hh orthologs. Our results provide new insights on the evolutionary history of the Hh gene family, the functional roles of these paralogs in vertebrate species, and on the location of mutational hotspots.     

Loss of Intralipid?- but Not Sevoflurane-Mediated Cardioprotection in Early Type-2 Diabetic Hearts of Fructose-Fed Rats: Importance of ROS Signaling

Background

Insulin resistance and early type-2 diabetes are highly prevalent. However, it is unknown whether Intralipid® and sevoflurane protect the early diabetic heart against ischemia-reperfusion injury.

Methods

Early type-2 diabetic hearts from Sprague-Dawley rats fed for 6 weeks with fructose were exposed to 15 min of ischemia and 30 min of reperfusion. Intralipid® (1%) was administered at the onset of reperfusion. Peri-ischemic sevoflurane (2 vol.-%) served as alternative protection strategy. Recovery of left ventricular function was recorded and the activation of Akt and ERK 1/2 was monitored. Mitochondrial function was assessed by high-resolution respirometry and mitochondrial ROS production was measured by Amplex Red and aconitase activity assays. Acylcarnitine tissue content was measured and concentration-response curves of complex IV inhibition by palmitoylcarnitine were obtained.

Results

Intralipid® did not exert protection in early diabetic hearts, while sevoflurane improved functional recovery. Sevoflurane protection was abolished by concomitant administration of the ROS scavenger N-2-mercaptopropionyl glycine. Sevoflurane, but not Intralipid® produced protective ROS during reperfusion, which activated Akt. Intralipid® failed to inhibit respiratory complex IV, while sevoflurane inhibited complex I. Early diabetic hearts exhibited reduced carnitine-palmitoyl-transferase-1 activity, but palmitoylcarnitine could not rescue protection and enhance postischemic functional recovery. Cardiac mitochondria from early diabetic rats exhibited an increased content of subunit IV-2 of respiratory complex IV and of uncoupling protein-3.

Conclusions

Early type-2 diabetic hearts lose complex IV-mediated protection by Intralipid® potentially due to a switch in complex IV subunit expression and increased mitochondrial uncoupling, but are amenable to complex I-mediated sevoflurane protection.     

植物组合及水体营养梯度对三种功能性植物生物量累积与分配的影响

设置4个营养水平(I: 0.5 mg N·L^-1, 0.1 mg P·L^-1; II: 1.5 mg N·L^-1, 0.3 mg P·L^-1; III: 4.5 mg N·L^-1, 0.9 mg P·L^-1; Ⅳ: 13.5 mg N·L^-1, 2.7 mg P·L^-1), 研究了水体营养水平、物种组合及其交互作用对入侵漂浮植物凤眼莲、本地扎根浮叶植物黄花水龙和沉水植物苦草生物量累积与分配的影响.结果表明：随营养水平的升高,4个营养水平的凤眼莲和黄花水龙单种和混种的总生物量及茎叶生物量都呈上升趋势,凤眼莲和黄花水龙的总生物量在Ⅲ、Ⅳ处理下平均比Ⅰ、Ⅱ处理下分别增加了54.47%和102.63%;不同植物组合下,苦草各部分生物量呈下降趋势,Ⅲ、Ⅳ处理的总生物量比Ⅰ、Ⅱ处理平均降低了45.88%;经双因素分析,水体营养水平对凤眼莲和黄花水龙生物量有极显著的正影响（P<0.01）,对苦草生物量有极显著的负影响（P<0.01）;而植物组合的影响随目标植物的不 同呈现出差异.     

蒙特卡罗法在化感作用全区间抑制强度评估(wholerange assessment)中的应用

植物化感作用的强弱与化感物质的作用浓度相关.化感作用全区间抑制强度指数(Whole-range assessmentindex)是用于评估植物在一定的化感物质作用范围内所受化感作用总体抑制程度的一种方法.在对非线性剂量响应进行曲线拟合的基础上,本研究应用蒙特卡罗模拟法为计算化感作用全区间抑制强度指数提供了一种科学的数学计算方法,并应用该计算方法分析了番茄水浸提液对生菜、萝卜、白菜、菜心、包心菜、豆角和水稻的化感作用强度.     

哺乳期棕色田鼠对非亲缘幼仔的行为反应

通过观察产后2 日(L2)、6 日(L6)、10 日(L10)、14 日(L14)和20 日(L20)的棕色田鼠母鼠对2 日龄、6 日龄、10 日龄和14 日龄非亲缘幼仔的攻击行为和衔回行为,探讨了哺乳期棕色田鼠的母性行为与非亲缘幼仔的发育(日龄或个体大小)及母鼠产后时间的关系。结果表明,在哺乳前期(L2,L6),非亲缘幼仔的日龄大小显著影响母鼠的攻击行为(P < 0.05);在哺乳中期(L10,L14)及后期(L20),非亲缘幼仔的日龄对母鼠的攻击行为没有显著影响(P > 0. 05)。在整个哺乳期,母鼠对14 日龄非亲缘幼仔的攻击频次最高(P < 0.05)。产后不同时间的母鼠对同一日龄非亲缘幼仔的攻击频次没有显著差异(P > 0.05)。这些结果表明,哺乳期内的棕色田鼠对非亲缘幼仔的攻击与幼仔的发育有关,与母鼠的产后时间无关。     

四川黄龙沟森林植被中兰科植物群落优势种种间联结和相关分析

四川黄龙沟内分布着十分丰富的兰科植物(19属30余种),并且部分种类在沟内形成优势群落。目前尚不清楚在群落中这些兰科植物种之间作用关系。运用种间关联分析和相关分析对黄龙沟森林植被兰科植物群落中的24个优势种的种间关系进行了研究。两种分析方法得到的结果相近,表明黄龙沟优势兰科植物可以分为两组。一组包括无苞杓兰(Cypripedium bardolphianum)、黄花杓兰(C. flavum)、二叶红门兰(Orchis diantha)、广布红门兰(Orchis chusua)、少花虾脊兰(Calanthe delavayi)和西藏杓兰(C. tibeticum),主要分布在光线充足但又具有一定遮荫条件的环境中;另一组包括筒距兰(Tipularia szechuanica)、沼兰(Malaxis monophyllos)、珊瑚兰(Corallorhiza trifida)、小斑叶兰(Goodyera repens)、布袋兰(Calypso bulbosa)、小花舌唇兰(Platanthera minutiflora)和小叶对叶兰(Listera smithii),它们主要分布于荫蔽的环境中。这些兰科植物在组内大多呈现显著的正相关关系,组间大多呈现显著的负相关关系,说明黄龙沟兰科植物在资源利用方式上可能产生了分化。     

初始克隆分株数对大米草表型可塑性及生物量分配的影响

克隆植物大米草 (Spartina anglica) 目前在我国出现了严重的自然衰退 (Dieback),为了阐明大米草衰退的机理,分析影响大米草形态可塑性的因素与自然衰退之间的相关性,以期为近缘植物互花米草 (S. alterniflora) 这一爆发种群的生物控制提供借鉴,对3种不同初始克隆分株数 (单克隆、三克隆和五克隆) 大米草的克隆生长、生物量累积与分配和异速生长特征进行了野外栽培试验。研究结果表明,初始克隆分株数对间隔子长度影响较弱;初始多克隆的分支强度高于初始单克隆;初始三克隆和五克隆在总生物量 (7.921 5~10.431 7 g 和 8.903 9~10.431 7 g)、地上生物量 (3.396 1~4.255 8 g 和3.618 4~4.338 9 g)、地下生物量 (4.286 9~5.206 6 g 和 5.298 8~6.079 3 g)和根状茎生物量 (1.318 6~1.767 7 g 和 1.499 1~2.038 7 g) 积累上均显著高于初始单克隆,不同初始克隆分株数条件下根生物量差异不显著;初始多克隆倾向于将资源更多地分配给根状茎,而初始单克隆倾向于将更多的资源分配给根系。由此推断,在不同初始克隆分株数条件下,大米草的形态可塑性和生物量分配格局的差异显示出在同样资源格局下,初始多克隆的克隆生殖能力较初始单克隆强。初始多克隆生长的大米草较初始单克隆生长的大米草更能占据优势生境,选择生境“觅养”的能力与克隆繁殖能力更强。     

电导率作为流域水文变化指标初探

利用电导率作为主要指标, 研究了四川黑水河流域的水文特征.方差分析表明, 支流和干流上共10个样点的电导率值在采样地点间差异显著（枯水期和平水期,P＝0000）,但在时间上不具显著性差异（枯水期P＝0346,平水期P=0517）;对枯水期和平水期各样点的电导率值做配对t检验,得出两个时期的电导率值虽差异显著,但具有极其相似的动态规律（r=0973,P＝0000）,表明流域内电导率呈规律性的变化.可将电导率应用于水文时期的划分以及河流特征的标识等研究.通过计算支流电导率对邻近干流的贡献,可以推算各支流流量的贡献率.将电导率作为流域水文时空变化的特征性指标,可为深入研究河流水文变化提供更便捷的途径.