Ecological role of energy taxis in microorganisms

Motile microorganisms rapidly respond to changes in various physico-chemical gradients by directing their motility to more favorable surroundings. Energy generation is one of the most important parameters for the survival of microorganisms in their environment. Therefore it is not surprising that microorganisms are able to monitor changes in the cellular energy generating processes. The signal for this behavioral response, which is called energy taxis, originates within the electron transport system. By coupling energy metabolism and behavior, energy taxis is fine-tuned to the environment a cell finds itself in and allows efficient adaptation to changing conditions that affect cellular energy levels. Thus, energy taxis provides cells with a versatile sensory system that enables them to navigate to niches where energy generation is optimized. This behavior is likely to govern vertical species stratification and the active migration of motile cells in response to shifting gradients of electron donors and/or acceptors which are observed within microbial mats, sediments and soil pores. Energy taxis has been characterized in several species and might be widespread in the microbial world. Genome sequencing revealed that many microorganisms from aquatic and soil environments possess large numbers of chemoreceptors and are likely to be capable of energy taxis. In contrast, species that have a fewer number of chemoreceptors are often found in specific, confined environments, where relatively constant environmental conditions are expected. Future studies focusing on characterizing behavioral responses in species that are adapted to diverse environmental conditions should unravel the molecular mechanisms underlying sensory behavior in general and energy taxis in particular. Such knowledge is critical to a better understanding of the ecological role of energy taxis.     

广东南岭国家级自然保护区珍稀濒危植物及其保护

经调查,广东南岭国家级自然保护区共有珍稀濒危植物46种,隶属于29科39属,其中属于国家重点一级保护的有5种,二级保护的有29种.建议将19种列入国家保护名录,20种列入省级保护名录,其中包括广东新分布6种,粤北及南岭特有种9种.分析了广东南岭珍稀濒危植物面临的主要威胁是人为破坏,并针对所受威胁提出了相应的保护措施.     

Alteration of protein patterns in black rock inhabiting fungi as a response to different temperatures

Rock inhabiting fungi are among the most stress tolerant organisms on Earth. They are able to cope with different stressors determined by the typical conditions of bare rocks in hot and cold extreme environments. In this study first results of a system biological approach based on two-dimensional protein profiles are presented. Protein patterns of extremotolerant black fungi – Coniosporium perforans, Exophiala jeanselmei – and of the extremophilic fungus – Friedmanniomyces endolithicus – were compared with the cosmopolitan and mesophilic hyphomycete Penicillium chrysogenum in order to follow and determine changes in the expression pattern under different temperatures. The 2D protein gels indicated a temperature dependent qualitative change in all the tested strains. Whereas the reference strain P. chrysogenum expressed the highest number of proteins at 40 °C, thus exhibiting real signs of temperature induced reaction, black fungi, when exposed to temperatures far above their growth optimum, decreased the number of proteins indicating a down-regulation of their metabolism. Temperature of 1 °C led to an increased number of proteins in all of the analysed strains, with the exception of P. chrysogenum. These first results on temperature dependent reactions in rock inhabiting black fungi indicate a rather different strategy to cope with non-optimal temperature than in the mesophilic hyphomycete P. chrysogenum.     

Patterns of heat response and adaptation on summer pasture: A comparison of heat-sensitive (Angus) and -tolerant (Romosinuano) cattle

Heat stress in Bos taurus cattle is a problem that affects many regions of the world. Numerous studies have focused on heat stress in feedlots or environmental chambers; but few have looked at undisturbed cattle on pasture. The present study followed two Bos taurus cattle breeds throughout a mid-Missouri summer to determine thermoregulatory responses to fluctuating summer air temperature (T_a), as well as differences in adaptation to heat. Heat-sensitive Angus steers (ANG; n=22; 480±7.15 kg BW), and heat-tolerant Romosinuano steers (RO; n=11; 352±6 kg BW) were monitored on 12 day from June through August of 2009 in an endophyte free tall fescue pasture. Data were grouped into two, six-day periods representing peak (Period 1) and late (Period 2) summer for determination of adaptation. Respiration rate (RR) was measured via flank counting and telemetric temperature transmitters in the rumen of each animal monitored core temperature (T_rum). Romosinuano sustained a lower (P<0.05) RR and T_rum compared to ANG during both periods. Linear relationships for RR and T_rum, compared against T_a for both Periods were determined. Slopes of RR to T_a from Period 1 to Period 2 decreased (P<0.05) from 2.63 to 1.08 bpm/°C and 2.25 to 0.49 bpm/°C for ANG and RO, respectively. Slopes of T_rum to T_a also decreased (P<0.05) from Periods 1 to 2 from 0.12 to 0.02 °C T_rum/°C T_a for ANG; however, RO showed no differences between periods. Although Romosinuano have a lower respiration rate and ruminal temperature than Angus, they share a similar pattern of respiration rate adaptation from early to late summer periods.     

Quantitative topography of organelles in the liver

Summary After seven days of feeding fructose the liver of Wistar rats showed enormous accumulations of glycogen, which completely altered the original pattern of distribution of organelles. A quantitative morphological method was used to analyze these changes.The cytoplasm was mapped into arbitrary distance classes corresponding to concentric rings beginning at the outer nuclear membrane. This allowed the density of organelles in a given zone to be estimated.In cells filled with glycogen as a result of the fructose feeding, the following rearrangements were found: in the intermediate zone of both cellular poles (i.e., bile canalicular pole and sinusoidal pole) the mitochondria disappeared, being replaced by glycogen.The endoplasmic reticulum was accumulated in the perinuclear zone of both cellular poles, as in control animals, but was reduced throughout the rest of cytoplasm. It showed a peripheral density maximum at the biliary canalicular pole, in contrast to the cells of control animals.These changes in the distribution of the organelles and cellular compartments correspond to histochemical findings and demonstrate an adaptive reaction in the liver parenchyma to fructose ingestion, the organelles arranging themselves in cytoplasmic regions which still show a metabolic activity.Supported by a grant from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft Az Ri 271/6-5     

整治"三滥"是从源头遏制生态脆弱地区土地荒漠化的必由之路——以科尔沁沙地为例

针对中国土地荒漠化的现状和关键问题,以科尔沁沙地为例,阐述了荒漠化的发展历程、主要动因与未来趋势。科尔沁沙地正处在现代土地荒漠化过程之中,导致快速发展的荒漠化动因主要是源于人们不合理的土地利用方式,即滥垦、滥牧和滥伐(简称“三滥”);而在各种利农政策下,滥垦可能会重新滋生和蔓延,是非常值得借鉴的历史教训。本文应用复合生态系统的观点剖析了“三滥”与荒漠化的关系,并据此提出从源头减轻土地压力的6项对策。     

寄生在鲤鱼及草(鲩)鱼的鱊头槽绦虫的多样性

研究了寄生于鲤鱼及草(鲩)鱼的鱊头槽绦虫(Bothriocephalus acheiloghathi)的多样性.作者在1986-2000年收集材料,遍及中国19个省及自治区.在江苏等5省只收集到其它寄生虫的材料,故结果未列入附录1和2.研究结果表明,鲤鱼及草鱼的寄生鱊头槽绦虫的地理分布截然不同.寄生于鲤鱼的鱊头槽绦虫分布于黄河水系的西北地区及黑龙江水系的东北各省及长江上游的四川、云南和贵州,南方各省的鲤鱼不感染这种绦虫.寄生于草鱼的鱊头槽绦虫分布于沿珠江水系的广东、广西及闽江水系的福建,感染池塘的幼龄草鱼,天然水体中未发现感染阳性的草鱼.交义感染试验表明,寄生在这两种鲤科鱼类的头槽绦虫有极强的宿主特异性,草鱼感染的头槽绦虫一年内大部分时间排出发育完全的胚胎卵,而鲤鱼感染的头槽绦虫排出的虫卵多为早期分裂卵,甚至在盛夏,水温在28℃-30℃的情况下也无例外.虫卵发育程度不同,卵的孵化期也有差异.在同等温度28℃-29℃时,草鱼头槽绦虫虫卵的孵化期为1.69±0.17 d;鲤鱼的头槽绦虫虫卵的孵化期为3.98±0.3 d.此外,种群结构也有明显区别,草鱼的头槽绦虫在繁殖季节,体长＜1 cm的幼虫占种群的主体,年终时绦虫全部从宿主体内消失,生活周期从初染至消敛约1年;鲤鱼的头槽绦虫主体全年皆为孕节成虫,在Ⅱ龄商品鱼中继续繁殖.本研究表明,鲤鱼及草鱼的寄生鱊头槽绦虫显示的多样性是因长期适应不同生活环境从而演化为两个不同的亚种[动物学报 53(3):470-480,2007].     

Localized temperature adaptation of cottonwoods from elevational ecoregions in the Rocky Mountains

To investigate temperature adaptation of cool-climate trees, we studied 14 cottonwood genotypes from riparian (streamside) zones in three ecoregions differing in elevation in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta, Canada. Black cottonwoods (Populus trichocarpa) were collected from the higher, cooler montane and intermediate (aspen) parkland, and narrowleaf cottonwoods (P. angustifolia) were collected from the lower, warmer fescue prairie. The genotypes were grown in growth chambers under three temperature regimes reflecting the ecoregion variation. Sapling growth (dry weight) varied significantly across temperatures and for the genotypes from within and particularly across the ecoregions. Significant temperature × genotype interactions further indicated differentiation of the temperature response. Growth of the montane clones increased by 209% between 15/10 and 20/15°C and was 37% lower at 25/20°C. In contrast, genotypes from the lower ecoregions grew more slowly at the cool and intermediate temperatures (59 and 58% of montane) and then demonstrated constant (−3% parkland) or slightly increased (+16% prairie) growth at 25/20°C. This suggests the existence of P. trichocarpa ecotypes, localized populations with different temperature responses. This differentiation may explain our previous observation of comparable growth across these ecoregions despite substantial temperature variation, and the existence of ecotypes would produce a range of responses to climate warming that should produce an upward shift of the mountain ecoregions.     

Acoustic communication in the Kittiwake <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rissa tridactyla</Emphasis>: potential cues for sexual and individual signatures in long calls

Sex and individual recognition systems vary among species and can have various functions in different contexts. In order to determine the basis of identification by voice in the Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla), the greeting calls of 32 individuals (18 males and 14 females) were recorded in May–June 2004 on the Kittiwake colony of Hornøya island (Barents sea) and analysed. On the basis of coefficient of variation calculations and discriminant analyses, we show (1) that calls are sexually dimorphic and that the dimorphism is mainly based on the value of the fundamental frequency, and (2) that calls are individually distinct, individuality being due to a complex of temporal and frequency parameters located in different parts of the signal. This coding strategy is discussed in the context of the colonial breeding habitat of the species.     

Feeding strategy of the sacoglossan opisthobranch <Emphasis Type="Italic">Oxynoe olivacea</Emphasis> on the tropical green alga <Emphasis Type="Italic">Caulerpa taxifolia</Emphasis>

The feeding behaviour of the shelled sacoglossan Oxynoe olivacea was investigated to better understand the role and importance of this species in influencing encroachments of the alien alga Caulerpa taxifolia in the Mediterranean sea. We tested whether this slug preferred, as preliminary field observations suggested, an aggregative feeding behaviour and which part of the algal thallus, phylloid vs rhizoid, it preferred. Results showed that O. olivacea fed in groups and actively selected phylloid. This outcome poses important questions regarding the possibility that this species, fragmenting the alga thallus, could enhance dispersion and regeneration of C. taxifolia.