Protist diversity and distribution: some basic considerations

This essay discusses protist species number and geographic distribution, both heavily influenced by undersampling and human introductions. The features of the ubiquity model and the moderate endemicity model are compared. I recognize five main flaws of the ubiquity model, viz., the ignorance of the extraordinary possibilities protists have to speciate due to their short generation time and the likelihood that many persisted over geological time scales; that all protist species have high abundances; that their small size is a main reason for global distribution; the ignorance of human introductions; and the rejection of literature evidence on the occurrence of flagship species with restricted distribution in a wide variety of protists. Thus, the data available support the moderate endemicity model which proposes about 300,000 extant, free-living protist species, of which one third might have a restricted distribution, i.e., is not cosmopolitan in spite of suitable habitats. To sum up, the distribution of protists, flowering plants, and larger animals has much in common, but protists usually have wider ranges and thus a higher proportion of cosmopolites. Future research should reconcile morphologic, genetic, and ecological species concepts because this is crucial for determining the number of protist species. Further, greatly intensified research is required on morphospecies in heterotrophic protists because their diversity has never been investigated in large areas of the earth. Special Issue: Protist diversity and geographic distribution. Guest editor: W. Foissner.     

Structure of the Human Cholesterol Transporter ABCG1

ABCG1 is an ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporter that removes excess cholesterol from peripheral tissues. Despite its role in preventing lipid accumulation and the development of cardiovascular and metabolic disease, the mechanism underpinning ABCG1-mediated cholesterol transport is unknown. Here we report a cryo-EM structure of human ABCG1 at 4 Å resolution in an inward-open state, featuring sterol-like density in the binding cavity. Structural comparison with the multidrug transporter ABCG2 and the sterol transporter ABCG5/G8 reveals the basis of mechanistic differences and distinct substrate specificity. Benzamil and taurocholate inhibited the ATPase activity of liposome-reconstituted ABCG1, whereas the ABCG2 inhibitor Ko143 did not. Based on the structural insights into ABCG1, we propose a mechanism for ABCG1-mediated cholesterol transport.     

Association of cholesteryl ester transfer protein −629C > A polymorphism with high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in coronary artery disease patients

In Turkish population, plasma HDL‐C levels were found to be lower than in any other country and it is suggested that this is associated with genetic origin. The cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) ?629C > A polymorphism is associated with lower plasma CETP concentration, with increased HDL‐C level. In the present study, the frequency of ?629C > A polymorphism in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) was investigated and the effect of genotype on HDL‐C was evaluated in a Turkish population. For this aim CETP ?629C > A polymorphism was studied in angiographically documented CAD patients and healthy controls. There was no statistical significance in the distribution of genotypes between patients and controls. Although A allele carriers with CAD had significantly lower HDL‐C levels than controls, plasma lipid levels showed no difference according to the genotypes. Adjustment by a logistic regression model predicting CAD status through HDL‐C and including some risk factors as covariate indicated that the HDL‐C doesn't have a significant association with CAD risk in CA and AA genotype carriers. Smoking, gender and hypertension were the common predictors for the HDL‐C levels in CA and AA carriers. Although HDL‐C appeared to be the only significant predictor of CAD in our study groups, the contribution of CETP ?629C > A polymorphism to the alterations in HDL‐C level appears to be weak to mention a protective effect of this polymorphism for CAD. In conclusion, the findings of the present study indicate that the CETP ?629C > A polymorphism is not among the determinants of the coronary artery disease in Turks. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

黄土丘陵区坡面林-草边界土壤水分特征

研究了黄土高原丘陵区林-草边界上旱季和雨季土壤水分的空间分布变化特征.结果表明,旱季林地土壤水分的变异系数都小于草地,林地内各个层次土壤含水量差异不大,草地内各个层次土壤含水量差别较大;雨季林地土壤水分的变异系数都大于草地,林地内各个层次土壤含水量差别较大,而草地内各个层次土壤含水量差异不显著;林-草边界各个层次土壤水分的变异程度为弱变异或中等变异.林-草边界在旱季和雨季具有不同的影响域,旱季边界影响域为从林外0.4倍树高距离到林内0.4倍树高距离;雨季边界影响域为从林外0.4倍树高距离到林内0.8倍树高距离.因此,可将林-草景观划分为3个区：草地区,即由距林缘0.4倍树高距离处向草地方向延伸;林缘区,即由林外0.4倍树高距离到林内0.4倍树高距离(旱季)或0.8倍树高距离(雨季);林地区,即由林内0.4倍树高距离(旱季)或0.8倍树高距离(雨季)处向林内方向延伸.林-草边界水平方向上3个分区的土壤水分垂直分布呈现出不同的变化规律,而且旱季的规律特征与雨季相反.     

舟山群岛獐的分布

1999 年7 月至2000 年6 月采用访问和样线法对浙江舟山群岛25 个岛上的獐的分布进行调查。结果显示獐在该地区主要分布在北纬30°26′以南, 东经122°24′以西, 且集中在西南诸岛上。较大岛屿獐的分布比例较高, 10 km²以上的岛屿81.25 %有獐分布。并且其周围小岛獐的分布比例也较高。所调查的5 个距离舟山本岛3 km范围内的小岛均有獐分布。獐所分布的岛屿随着离大陆和本岛距离的增加而减少。獐主要栖息在山丘上, 但夜里常到农田觅食。21.47 %有人居住岛上有獐分布。对獐分布影响较大的因素是离本岛和大陆的距离及岛屿面积; 其次是人类活动, 主要是偷猎; 淡水水源影响不大; 分布与岛屿形状无关。獐可以在岛屿之间迁游, 从而影响分布。獐在舟山地区可能是原有分布的, 几次地质变化可能对其产生一定影响。     

Petal evolution and distribution patterns of Epimedium Linn. (Berberidaceae)

The genus Epimedium as known at present comprises 50 species, in contrast to the 21 species recognized by Stearn in 1938. Its wide and fragmented range from Japan westward to Algeria indicates its antiquity. The species of the genus Epimedium are far from being evenly distributed over Eurasian land. Approximately 80% species of the total species of the genus are now represent ed in the central-southeastern China. This must be considered as a very high concentration of the number of species for a genus in a relatively not very large area like that of the central-southeastern China. On the other hand, an analysis of the petal evolution seems to indicate that the genus Epi medium has enjoyed uninterrupted evolution only in China. From the above facts, we can see clearly that the central-southeastern China has the credit of being a center of concentration for the species of Epimedium in the North Hemisphere. Epimedium occupies two widely separated regions, in East Asia and the Mediterranean regions; within each region there are extensive areas from which the ge nus is entirely absent. Despite the wide and discontinuous distribution outlined above, the ecological requirements of the species appear to be much alike. Essentially woodland herbs, the Epimedium plants often grow in the shade of Fagus forest as dominant species of herb layer in East Asia and the Mediterranean land, and its distribution pattern is very similar to that of Fagus in Eurasian land. It is significant that the distribution pattern of Epimedium coincides in many respects with the modern distribution pattern of the Tertiary genus Fagus. It is reasonable, despite the lack of fossil evidence, to suppose that Epimedium had acquired its wide dispersion in the North Hemisphere during the Paleogene if not before the collision of India with the Eurasia plate and the subsequent uplift of the Himalayas increased aridity in Central Asia. This led to its further disjunction.