一串红染色体制片技术优化与计数

以一串红商品种‘展望红’萌发种子根尖、幼苗茎尖生长点以及嫩叶为实验材料,利用常规压片法比较不同材料、不同预处理液及预处理时间对一串红染色体制片的影响,探索实验预处理条件。然后利用去壁低渗法对一串红4个商品种和一串红株型突变体及其野生型进行染色体计数。实验结果显示:以一串红萌发种子的根尖为实验材料,用0.002 mol/L 8-羟基喹啉预处理3~4 h压片所得染色体效果最好;分别观察6个供试品种(系)分散良好、清晰的30个分裂相细胞,86.7%及以上的细胞染色体数目为2n=44。研究表明,一串红株型突变体与野生型及4个商品种在染色体数目上没有差异。     

中国布氏鲾属鱼类的分类探讨

研究旨在利用传统形态学与DNA条形码技术相结合的方法, 进一步探讨中国布氏鲾属Eubleekeria Fowler 1904鱼类的分类与鉴定问题。2014—2016年从广东湛江和广西北海、防城港和东兴近海采集了153尾鲾科鱼类样品, 经形态学鉴定为布氏鲾属种类: 琼斯氏布氏鲾Eubleekeria jonesi (James, 1971)。该种主要鉴别特征为: 眼位于口裂的水平线之上, 颊部无鳞, 两臀鳍之间区域裸露无鳞, 颈部有半圆形裸露无鳞区域, 背鳍上黑斑色淡, 略呈灰色。将其鉴别特征与相关文献记录比较, 表明之前中国大陆记录的黑边布氏鲾Eubleekeria splendens (Cuvier, 1829)可能为琼斯氏布氏鲾。基于线粒体COⅠ基因片段结合GenBank中布氏鲾属鱼类的同源序列, 采用邻接法构建的分子系统树显示, 此研究中采集自中国大陆的布氏鲾属鱼类标本与中国台湾记录的黑边布氏鲾Eubleekeria splendens (Cuvier, 1829)明显地分为两支。基于Kimura双参数模型(K2P)计算, 支系间遗传距离为0.130, 远大于支系内平均遗传距离(0.005和0.006), 支持将二者作为独立物种的观点, 与此研究传统形态学方法的结果一致。     

鸟类饲料长角直斑腿蝗Stenocatantops splendens (Thunberg)的人工繁殖初试

长角直斑腿蝗是一种鸟类昆虫饲料,具有较高市场经济价值。在广州从化对长角直斑腿蝗进行了初步的人工大量繁殖试验。分别采用了箱养和棚养两种方式,比较了不同饲养条件下长角直斑腿蝗成虫的存活情况,昼夜温差和昼夜湿度差的变化对成虫存活的影响,以及在棚养条件下各棚成虫死亡的差异。结果显示,虽然棚养的成虫密度（?=29.87±2.51头/m3）远低于箱养成虫（?=2371.26±87.23头/m3）,但成虫死亡率（88.02±0.07%）却是箱养成虫（40.71±0.11%）的2.16倍,差异显著。昼夜温差和昼夜湿度差的变化与成虫死亡无显著的相关性（箱养、G棚和I棚）或相关性程度低（F棚：R2=0.1596）。在棚养条件下,F棚成虫的死亡73.94%发生在4月,而G棚和I棚在4月死亡的成虫不及其死亡成虫总数的50%,分别为47.18%和40.80%,各棚之间差异极显著。棚养成虫的死亡可能主要是与成虫交配产卵等相关的生物学因素有关。在棚养条件下,长角直斑腿蝗的卵能正常发育并孵化,若虫能正常蜕皮并发育至3龄,然而3龄若虫在发育初期突然大量死亡,其原因有待探究。解决3龄若虫大量死亡的问题是人工繁殖长角直斑腿蝗的关键技术所在。     

我国主栽一串红资源的表型多样性分析

为了提高一串红品种资源的利用效率,从20个数量性状和5个质量性状方面对我国主栽的20份一串红种质资源的表型遗传多样性进行了研究。结果表明一串红表型多样性丰富,品种间表型性状变异程度较高。外引与中国两个类群间表型变异程度及丰富性都比较相似。25个表型性状的Shannon-Weaver多样性指数变化于0.23~1.97之间,数量性状中以主茎直径、花冠直径、叶柄长、始花时间和花间长的多样性指数较高,质量性状中则以叶面泡状突起程度及叶柄显色强度多样性指数较高。主成分分析筛选出对总体方差累计贡献率达83.96%的前5个主成分,可反映一串红资源的总体形态表现。20份资源间平均遗传距离约为7.0,在欧氏距离约为8.5时,参试的20份资源可分为高生种和矮生种两大类,前者仅包含1个品种(篝火),而后者包含19个品种,且在欧氏距离约为7.2处又可进一步分为4个亚类。     

Molecular and morphological evidence supports the species status of the Mahachai fighter Betta sp. Mahachai and reveals new species of Betta from Thailand

Two regions of mitochondrial (mt) DNA, cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) and 16S rRNA, were sequenced in nine species of Betta from Thailand and Indonesia. Most species showed little intraspecific COI variation (adjusted mean = 0·48%) including the putative species Betta sp. Mahachai, but one species (Betta smaragdina) included three lineages showing much greater divergence (7·03–13·48%) that probably represent overlooked species. These findings were confirmed by maximum likelihood analysis and Bayesian inference, which revealed well‐supported corresponding monophyletic clades. Based on these results and morphological differences, the putative species Betta sp. Mahachai from central Thailand is a species distinct from other members of the B. splendens group and represents a new and hitherto undescribed species. Furthermore, this study also demonstrated the probable existence of two overlooked Betta species found in the Khorat plateau basin, illustrating the utility of mitochondrial genetic markers in the revelation of overlooked diversity.     

The influence of sex, line, and fight experience on aggressiveness of the Siamese fighting fish in intrasexual competition

We examined the influence of sex, line, i.e., broods from different parents, and previous fight experience on the aggressiveness of the Siamese fighting fish Betta splendens in intrasexual competition. The innate aggressiveness of the fish against their mirror images was measured on the day prior to the direct fight with other individuals, and it was found to be influenced by the line type but not by the sex. In the direct fight with other individuals, the males invested more effort in the fight than the females. In addition, the individuals of a particular line that exhibited a lower innate aggressiveness spent less time in the direct fight and were often losers when compared with those of other lines. After the direct fight with other individuals, the aggressiveness of the fish against their mirror images was remarkably influenced by the outcome of the direct fight, i.e., the winners exhibited more aggressive behavior, whereas the losers exhibited a lesser degree of aggressive behavior. This influence of the previous fight experience on subsequent aggressiveness was the greatest in the individuals of the line that have exhibited the lowest innate aggressiveness. However, the positive effect of the winning experience or the negative effect of the losing experience on subsequent aggressiveness decreased following several days after the previous fight increased.     

Adult insect personality in the wild—Calopteryx splendens as a model for field studies

Animal personality has received increasing interest and acknowledgment within ecological research over the past two decades. However, some areas are still poorly studied and need to be developed. For instance, field studies focused on invertebrates are currently highly underrepresented in the literature. More studies including a wider variety of traits measured and species tested are needed to improve our understanding of trait‐correlation patterns and generalities. We studied nine behavioral traits, in the damselfly Calopteryx splendens, from an array of three experiments: (i) courtship, (ii) aggressiveness, and (iii) boldness, and calculated their repeatability. The behaviors were measured twice in two different contexts: (i) undisturbed territory and (ii) partially deteriorated territory. Traits related to courtship and boldness were all repeatable across the two contexts. Among aggressive behaviors, only one trait (number of hits) was repeatable. This work demonstrates, for the first time, the presence of within‐population personality differences in an adult damselfly in the wild. We further propose C. splendens as a promising model species for testing personality in the wild under highly controlled environmental conditions.     

An experimental study of intraspecific variation, developmental timing, and heterochrony in fishes

Heterochrony is widely regarded as an important evolutionary mechanism, one that may underlie most, if not all, morphological evolution, yet relatively few studies have examined variation in the sequence of development. Even fewer studies have been designed so that intraspecific variation in the relative sequence of developmental events can be assessed, although this variation must be the basis for evolutionary change. Intraspecific variation in developmental ossification sequences was documented from the zebrafish (Danio rerio) by Cubbage and Mabee (1996) and from the Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens) by Mabee and Trendler (1996), but a quantitative analysis of the patterns within this variation was not made. Here, we quantify the effect of rearing temperature on the sequence of ossification and characterize the levels and patterns of intraspecific variation in these fishes. For Danio, there were no temperature effects on the sequence of bone development across the cranium, cranial region development, cartilage versus dermal bones, or lateral line bone versus nonassociated bones. Likewise the level of variation in relative sequence (position) of ossification was low, about two ranks, across temperatures. At higher temperatures, we found higher levels of variation in iterated cranial bones and less in bones forming early in the sequence. No temperature effects on variation were found among regions, between lateral line-associated bones and nonassociated bones, between median and paired bones, or across the entire sequence, indicating concordant variability among the three temperatures. Individual bones with the highest levels of variability were not consistent among temperatures. Baseline patterns of intraspecific variation in Danio were compared to those of Betta. For both species, the level of intraspecific variation in sequence position was low and the variability of cranial bones was concordant. Individual bones with the highest levels of variability were not consistent between species. In both species, variation was widespread (distributed evenly across the sequence). We used comparisons (among regions, between dermal and cartilage bones, between lateral line-associated and other bones, between median and paired bones, between iterated and noniterated bones, between feeding-associated bones and others) to see which subsets were most variable and thus potentially useful in predicting high levels of evolutionary change. The only subset of bones that was significantly more variable than others was cartilage bones. If interspecific patterns are parallel to these intraspecific differences, cartilage bones would be expected to show higher levels of heterochrony. Although concordance across the cranial ossification sequence and among regions in Danio, Betta, and two other teleosts, Oryzias and Barbus, suggests an evolutionarily conserved pattern of ossification, identity in sequence position across taxa was not observed for any bone. Thus, variation existed in sequence position across temperatures and species. Intraspecific variation of this sort may influence the morphological outcome and evolutionary trajectories of species.     

Characteristics of the Achnatherum splendens community along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, China

The Achnatherum splendens community is an important type of warm steppe vegetation which plays a very important role in environmental protection in the area along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway. In order to under-stand its dynamic features, the characteristics of the A. splendens community, such as spatial distribution pattern, species richness and biomass, were examined near Haiyan County, Qinghai Province. Results showed that the A. splendens community consisted of two types of mosaic patches, the microaggregation dominated by A. splendens and the microaggregation dominated by Stipa sp. The number and size of the two patches showed an interesting distribution pattern. The A. splendens patch decreased with increasing distance away from the railway, while species diversity increased. The total coverage of A. splen-dens was significantly higher than that of Stipa sp. The number and size of patches may indicate the degradation of the A. splendens community, which could be acceler-ated by human activities. Based on the characteristics and status quo of the A. splendens community, we suggest that some measures be taken to control human activities and rodents to conserve the A. splendens community.