Cost of sexually embracing a large female offset by the number of eggs fertilized for small male Bufo bufo L.

When pairing with high quality females, a male increases its fitness through an increased number and/or quality of sired offsprings. In anurans, size has often been used as a measure of female quality. In the present study, we examined the effects of pairing with large females for small males in the common toad, Bufo bufo . For the first time in anurans, we show a fitness cost for males to maintain amplexus with a large female. Indeed, although we did not detect any effect of male size on male pairing success in a first breeding event in the presence of other competing males, when males that were successful in the first breeding event were tested for a second time, male pairing success strongly decreased when they had been first paired with a large female. However, the higher fecundity of large females (1.52-fold more than that of small females) may override this pairing cost, especially because high fertilization rate was not linked to male/female body size ratio. Indeed, we did not detect any difference in egg fertilization success between small males paired with large and small females. Our results suggest that predictable cues of female reproductive value exist in common toads, thus meeting a prerequisite of the occurrence of male mate choice. Male mate choice, probably underestimated in anurans, may be particularly important in species where the breeding season is short and the number of mating events for a male is limited. © 2007 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2007, 92 , 755–762.     

内蒙古多伦县土地沙漠化景观格局变化特征

利用景观分析软件Fragstats 3.3和内蒙古多伦县1960、1975、1987、1995、2000、2005年6期遥感影像解译结果,分析了1960—2005年间土地沙漠化景观格局变化.结果表明:1960—1995年间研究区土地沙漠化面积呈先增后减趋势,总沙漠化面积增加212.70km2,沙漠化斑块数先增多后减少,景观多样性和均匀性上升,轻度、中度、重度沙漠化斑块形状趋向简单;1995—2005年间研究区沙漠化斑块数大幅增加,景观多样性和均匀性下降,轻度、中度、重度沙漠化斑块形状趋向复杂;严重沙漠化斑块形状在1960年以后一直趋向复杂化.整个景观在研究期间表现为完整-破碎-完整-破碎的趋势,由轻度到严重沙漠化,其景观类型的破碎化程度逐渐降低.     

遂渝铁路边坡草本植物多样性季节动态和空间分布特征

以遂渝铁路边坡植物群落为研究对象,自然边坡为对照,分别于2008年9月、12月、2009年3月和6月对其进行植物调查。采用Margalef指数、Simpson指数、Shannon-Wiener指数和Pielou指数等指标评价不同季节、坡位和植被类型条件下草本植物多样性的变化。结果表明：在时间尺度上,铁路边坡坡中物种丰富度呈现明显的季节性差异(P<0.05),以秋季最大为2376;铁路边坡各坡位草本植物多样性和均匀度指数也呈现显著季节性变化(P<0.05),且变化规律一致：春季>夏季>冬季>秋季;与铁路边坡不同,自然边坡草本植物丰富度、多样性和均匀度指数变化趋势不明显(P>0.05)。在空间分布上,坡位对铁路边坡物种丰富度影响显著(P<0.05),其中,夏季坡上植物丰富度最大为2.164,春季、秋季和冬季丰富度最大值均在坡中最大,分别为2.261、2.376和1.983;坡位仅对自然边坡秋季物种丰富度和均匀度影响显著(P<0.05),其中,物种丰富度表现为坡上>坡下>坡中,而均匀度为坡中>坡上>坡下。不同植被类型的物种丰富度、多样性和均匀度也有较大差异,自然边坡物种多样性明显大于铁路边坡,总体上自然边坡植被恢复优于铁路边坡。因此,加强对植被恢复的管理是铁路边坡生态恢复的重要环节。     

鹊肾树树皮的化学成分和抗炎作用研究

通过药理实验确定了鹊肾树树皮的乙酸乙酯萃取物为抗炎活性部位,并利用色谱技术从该部位中分离得到了7个化合物,通过UV、IR、NMR、MS等现代谱学方法鉴定化合物的结构分别为:丁二酸(1)、6-乙基-5-羟基-2,7-二甲氧基-1,4-萘醌(2)、3β,20-二羟基-5β-孕甾烷(3)、5-羟基麦芽酚(4)、双[5-甲酰基...     

Ultrasonic analysis of kinetic mechanism of hydrolysis of cellobiose by β-glucosidase

High-resolution ultrasonic spectroscopy (HR–US) was applied for real-time analysis of enzymatic hydrolysis of cellobiose by a β-glucosidase from Aspergillus niger (Novozyme 188) at 50 °C and pH 4.9. This technique is noninvasive, it does not require optical transparency and is suitable to continuously monitor the time dependence of the reaction progress in a broad range of experimental conditions. The time profiles of the amount of glucose released and the reaction rate were obtained from the time profile of ultrasonic velocity. The results are in good agreement with a discontinuous glucose assay (hexokinase method). The kinetic parameters of the reaction were estimated by fitting the ultrasonic time profiles of the reaction rates to several inhibition models. In addition, the equilibrium constant for the reaction of hydrolysis of cellobiose and the molar Gibbs free energy of hydrolysis were determined from the ultrasonic time profiles of concentration of glucose in the reverse reaction (glucose condensation). The results suggest the existence of more complex mechanisms regulating the activity of cellobiase than the combination of simple inhibitions. An extended kinetic model based on two sites for the competitive inhibitor (glucose) is proposed.     

Polyandry reduces sperm length variation in social insects

Postcopulatory sexual selection, either in the form of sperm competition or cryptic female choice, is an important selective force that is thought to have generated the enormous variation in sperm morphology observed interspecifically. However, the evolutionary significance of intraspecific variation in sperm morphology, and the role that postcopulatory sexual selection plays in influencing this variation, remains poorly investigated in invertebrates. Here, we tested the hypothesis that postcopulatory sexual selection reduces variation in sperm morphology, both between and within males, in 27 species of eusocial ants and bees. These eusocial species offer an unusual opportunity to assess how selection acts on variance in sperm morphology, as haploid males produce clonal, haploid sperm that does not experience haploid-diploid conflict. We provide solid evidence that males of polyandrous ant and bee species indeed produce less-variable sperm, indicating that sperm competition selected for sperm of superior quality. Our results offer a mechanistic explanation for the evolution of high-quality sperm and provide comprehensive evidence that sperm morphology of social insects is influenced by sexual selection.     

Enhancing bioremediation of diesel-fuel-contaminated soil in a boreal climate: Comparison of biostimulation and bioaugmentation

Cold conditions delay bioremediation of oil hydrocarbons, but other bottlenecks also affect the outcome. Means to stimulate biodegradation of diesel oil hydrocarbons in contaminated soil were compared. Different combinations of nutrients, bulking agent, aeration, and microbial inocula were examined in lab simulations, and effective combinations were tested in field conditions. Bacterial communities were investigated by cloning and sequencing 16S-rRNA genes. Efficient degradation was attained when slow-release nutrients and aeration were used simultaneously. Bacterial inocula did not advance soil remediation, nor did they have any lasting effect on bacterial densities. Bacteria belonging to Proteobacteria were dominant in all cases. In the field test, a bulking agent promoting air passage through the soil ensured sufficient aeration, while forced air decreased the soil moisture excessively. We concluded that biostimulation via optimization of nitrogen and oxygen supply significantly improved bioremediation of oil-contaminated soil, while bioaugmentation had no additional effect.     

Net sodium fluxes change significantly at anatomically distinct root zones of rice (Oryza sativa L.) seedlings

Casparian bands of endodermis and exodermis play crucial roles in blocking apoplastic movement of ions and water into the stele of roots through the cortex. These apoplastic barriers differ considerably in structure and function along the developing root. The present study assessed net Na⁺ fluxes in anatomically distinct root zones of rice seedlings and analyzed parts of individual roots showing different Na⁺ uptake. The results indicated that anatomically distinct root zones contributed differently to the overall uptake of Na⁺. The average Na⁺ uptake in root zones in which Casparian bands of the endo- and exo-dermis were interrupted by initiating lateral root primordia (root zone III) was significantly greater than that at the root apex, where Casparian bands were not yet formed (root zone I), or in the region where endo- and exo-dermis with Casparian bands were well developed (root zone II). The measurement of net Na⁺ fluxes using a non-invasive scanning ion-selective electrode technique (SIET) demonstrated that net Na⁺ flux varied significantly in different positions along developing rice roots, and a net Na⁺ influx was obvious at the base of young lateral root primordia. Since sodium fluxes changed significantly along developing roots of rice seedlings, we suggest that the significantly distinct net Na⁺ flux profile may be attributed to different apoplastic permeability due to lateral root primordia development for non-selective apoplastic bypass of ions along the apoplast.