Effects of malaria double infection in birds: one plus one is not two

Avian malaria parasites are supposed to exert negative effects on host fitness because these intracellular parasites affect host metabolism. Recent advances in molecular genotyping and microscopy have revealed that coinfections with multiple parasites are frequent in bird-malaria parasite systems. However, studies of the fitness consequences of such double infections are scarce and inconclusive. We tested if the infection with two malaria parasite lineages has more negative effects than single infection using 6 years of data from a natural population of house martins. Survival was negatively affected by both types of infections. We found an additive cost from single to double infection in body condition, but not in reproductive parameters (double-infected had higher reproductive success). These results demonstrate that malaria infections decrease survival, but also have different consequences on the breeding performance of single- and double-infected wild birds.     

Effect of mother’s physical condition during pregnancy and lactation on postnatal growth and reproductive success of offspring in water vole <Emphasis Type="Italic">Arvicola terrestris</Emphasis>

Postnatal growth, life span, and probability of reproduction in the adult state depended on the mother’s physical condition during pregnancy and lactation in water vole. The white fat weight in the female abdominal cavity was shown to significantly increase in pregnancy and to decrease in late lactation. As an indicators for nutritional state of females, their body weight difference after parturition (or in late lactation) and expected from the regression equation relating individual body weight at the beginning and the end of each reproductive stage were used (physical condition indexes in pregnancy or lactation). The correlation of the physical condition index in pregnancy with the storage fat weight was 0.67. The metabolic resources of the mother’s body proved to favor faster offspring development. The female offspring weight at the age of 3 and 10 weeks as well as adult ones positively correlated with the mother’s nutritional state in pregnancy, while the male offspring weight demonstrated a similar correlation at the age of 3 and 6 weeks. Increased negative energy balance during lactation proved to decrease the offspring weight in both sexes after separation from mother and at the age of 6 weeks. High nutritional state of mother in pregnancy favored both the probability of reproduction and life span of female offspring. The reproduction of male offspring did not depend on the mother’s physical condition. The life span peaked in male offspring of mothers in a nutritional state below average in pregnancy and above average in lactation. Thus, the physical condition of the mother’s body is an important sex-dependent factor of phenotypic variation in the offspring body weight, reproductive competence, and life span.     

Live Fast and Die Young: Metal Effects on Condition and Physiology of Wild Yellow Perch from along Two Metal Contamination Gradients

This review summarizes some of the main findings of our work with the Metals in the Environment Research Network examining seasonal and regional effects on metal accumulation, growth, condition, and physiology in wild yellow perch (Perca flavescens) from 10 lakes comprising two metal contamination gradients in the industrial regions of Sudbury, Ontario and Rouyn-Noranda, Québec, Canada. The specific objectives of this review are: (1) to propose threshold tissue metal concentrations to discriminate between fish from contaminated and reference sites; (2) to identify factors that can influence metal accumulation and fish condition; and (3) to define an experimental approach for measuring metal effects in wild yellow perch. Using tissue thresholds appeared useful not only for discriminating fish from clean or contaminated environments, but also provided a simple approach to examine metabolic consequences of tissue metal accumulation. Overall, fish from Sudbury grew faster, expressed higher aerobic capacities, and died younger, but also appeared better at limiting accumulation of some metals than Rouyn-Noranda fish. The condition of the latter fish was clearly more affected by metals than Sudbury fish. Finally, our dataset allows us to propose that yellow perch are highly suitable for ecological risk assessment studies of metal effects in wild fish, but that fish size, season, and region must be considered in sampling design and that several reference sites must be studied for meaningful conclusions to be reached.     

Seasonal and Regional Variations in Metal Contamination and Condition Indicators in Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens) along Two Polymetallic Gradients. II. Growth Patterns,Longevity, and Condition

Wild yellow perch (Perca flavescens) were sampled from five lakes in each of two metal contamination gradients in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada (n = 1324) and Rouyn-Noranda, Québec, Canada (n = 1125) in the spring and summer of 2002 and 2003, respectively, in order to examine growth patterns, longevity, and the influences of season and region on fish condition. Fish from Rouyn-Noranda began rapid growth at a young age, whereas fish from Sudbury lakes showed slow growth rates between ages 0–3, after which growth rates improved. Fish from contaminated lakes grew faster and died younger than fish from reference lakes in both contamination gradients. Fish from Sudbury had lower condition than in Rouyn-Noranda, higher condition occurred in summer than spring, and fish from contaminated lakes had lower condition than those from cleaner lakes. Tissue Zn concentrations were correlated with fish condition and showed strong temporal stability. However, it is more likely that Zn covariates, such as Cd or Cu (which were more temporally variable) influenced condition, suggesting that long-term, broad-scale processes are more important than short-term, lake-specific processes for establishing growth patterns, longevity, and fish condition in metal-contaminated systems. Results from this study reveal that fish condition must be interpreted in the light of regional, seasonal, and other factors that can potentially influence fish growth patterns. Ecological risk assessments that fail to take these factors into account may draw erroneous conclusions about risk to indigenous populations.     

非胁迫条件下外源一氧化氮对马铃薯叶片组织光系统Ⅱ光化学活性的影响

在非胁迫条件下,研究了外源一氧化氮供体硝普钠(Sodium nitroprusside,SNP对马铃薯(Sodlanum tuberosuml.)离子叶片和叶圆片叶绿素荧光参数的影响.在光照条件下(150Umol-2,27℃),光系Ⅱ(PSⅡ)的最大量子效率(FVFm)和有交最子效率(φPSⅡ)均被SNP对PS的影响不仅与SNP的浓度有关,也与其作用时间有关.以叶贺片为材料的实验结果表明,SNP对φPSⅡ的影响可以被血红蛋白(NO)的清除)所抑制,而NO2-和NO3的混合液(NO供体SNP的分解产物)对φPS的影响远小于SNP,说明外源SNP主要是通过产生NO来影响PSⅡ的光化学活性.光照(150μmol·m-2·s1,25℃)4h或以上,SNP150μmol\L)处组理和不处理对照组的非光化学狂灭(NPO)没有统计差异,但SNP处理的有效量子效率(φPSⅡ)和开入反应中心的比例(qP)明显降低.经25min 的暗适应后,SNP处理组和水处理对照组的原初荧光(FO)无明显差异,但经SNP处理光照8或12叶片的最大荧光(FM)仍然显著低于对照.分析认为,在本实验条件下,NO对叶片光化学活性的影响点可能不在反应中心;在PSⅡ供体侧,NO可能影响叶片的捕光能力,在受体侧,NO主要影响电子传递链中QA下游的某些元件,即NO阴碍了QA下游的电子传递,提高了反应中心的还原程度,从而降低了PSⅡ的光化学活性.     

Effects of parental body condition and size on reproductive success in a tenebrionid beetle with biparental care

Abstract. 1. The beetle Parastizopus armaticeps (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) inhabits the Kalahari desert of southern Africa, constructs breeding burrows after rainfall, and shows extensive biparental care. Previous work has shown that it is predominantly male size, not female size, that determines breeding success; however, in the field these beetles show size assortative mating. This might obscure or override effects of female size on reproduction. Moreover, the inaccessibility of the breeding burrows makes it impossible to test effects of female and male size on offspring development and survival before adulthood. 2. To disentangle the effects of male and female length, body mass, and body condition on reproductive success, males and females were paired randomly in small breeding cages in the laboratory (n = 887 breeding pairs). The construction of the breeding cages allowed a clear view of the brood chamber contents at each stage in offspring development. Larva, pupa, and imago numbers and development were monitored daily, and imago mass at hatching from the pupa (hatchlings), offspring mass, and offspring body length at complete exoskeleton melanisation (juveniles) were determined. 3. There was a weak positive correlation between body condition and body length for females only. Breeding chronology was related to male body condition: males in better condition were fast to start and finish a breeding bout. Males in better condition produced heavier hatchlings and juveniles, and larger‐sized males produced larger‐sized juveniles. In contrast, numbers of larvae and juveniles produced were determined mainly by female length and body condition: larger females in better condition hatched more larvae and produced more offspring. 4. The results suggest that male size and condition will be the most important determinant of reproductive success under relatively dry conditions, when burrow length is critical for reproductive success. Female size might be more important for the pair's reproductive success under wet breeding conditions, when burrow length is less critical for successful reproduction.     

人为扰动程度对土壤环境和甘草地下根系的影响

在相对一致的生境条件下 ,人为干扰 (即土壤耕作 )是土壤物理性质改变的重要原因 ,而土壤条件的变化又是影响甘草地下部分形态变化和无性繁殖效率的主要原因。按照土壤扰动程度将甘草分为无扰动野生甘草、轻度扰动野生甘草、重度扰动野生甘草和栽培型甘草。土壤扰动程度对土壤的水分通透性、土壤保水能力、有机质含量、p H值等指标产生较大的影响。土壤干扰的程度越强 ,表层土壤水分含量降低 ,土壤 p H值增大 ;土壤干扰的程度对 4 0 cm以下的土壤受到影响较小。土壤干扰可使适合甘草根茎生活的密沙壤层变薄。不同土壤扰动程度对无扰动野生甘草、轻度扰动野生甘草、重度扰动野生甘草的横走根茎的分布深度具有较大影响。在重度干扰土壤中 ,如果不考虑对横走根茎的人为破坏 ,野生甘草的主根分布的上限可能达到 2 0 cm。在不同土壤扰动程度下 ,3种野生型甘草休眠芽萌发率均在 10 %～ 15 %之间 ,而栽培甘草高达 2 9.78% ;随着对土壤干扰的加强 ,野生甘草休眠芽萌发率有下降的趋势 (栽培甘草例外 )。不同类型的甘草的休眠芽成苗率较低 ,均不超过 7% ,其中野生型、野生轻度干扰型、野生重度干扰型甘草休眠芽成苗率有上升的趋势 ,但栽培甘草的成苗率最低 ,只有 2 .3%。横走根茎是甘草无性繁殖的重要器官 ,受土壤     

A more detailed seasonal division of the energy balance and the protein balance of Japanese macaques (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Macaca fuscata</Emphasis>) on Kinkazan Island,northern Japan

Nakagawa (Am J Primatol 41:267–288, 1997) reported that both the gross energy and gross protein intakes of an adult female Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata) on Kinkazan Island, northern Japan, were high in spring (March–May) and fall (September–November) and low in summer (June–August) and winter (December–February), and that these values reflected the seasonal differences in nutritional conditions (defined as whether the intakes of energy and protein satisfy the requirements). We estimated the energy balance (energy intake minus its expenditure) and the protein balance (protein intake minus its requirement) of the monkeys on Kinkazan Island every month over the course of 1 year (2004–2005) in order to verify Nakagawa’s conclusions. Like Nakagawa, we found that the energy balance of the monkeys in the fall was higher than in the summer and winter, whereas the protein balance in the fall was higher than in the winter. However, we did not find that spring energy and protein values were greater than summer and winter values. We also did not find that summer protein values were low. Both the energy balance and the protein balance changed rapidly within the same season. The energy intakes and the energy balances were higher in mid-spring and mid- and late fall and lower in late spring and early summer, whereas the protein intakes and the protein balances were higher in mid-spring and mid-summer and lower in early and mid-winter. Since Japanese macaques respond to seasonal changes in food supply by changing their foods, continuous data collection with short intervals is recommended in order to accurately document the energy and protein balances of the monkeys.     

响应曲面法优化鼠尾藻中脂质的提取工艺

根据中心复合旋转设计原理,在单因素试验的基础上,采用三因素五水平的响应曲面分析法,建立了鼠尾藻中脂质提取的二次多项式数学模型,并以脂质的提取率为响应值作响应面和等高线,考察了提取时间、溶剂的量和石油醚乙醚溶剂配比对脂质提取的影响。结果表明：脂质提取的优化工艺条件为：提取时间19．39h,溶剂的量18．90mL,石油醚百分含量46．26％。在此工艺条件下,脂质的提取率为0．924％。     

A new Early Cretaceous lamniform shark (Chondrichthyes,Neoselachii)

Eoptolamna eccentrolopha gen. et sp. nov. (Chondrichthyes, Lamniformes) from the near coastal upper Barremian Artoles Formation (Early Cretaceous) of Castellote (northwestern Spain) is described on the basis of about 50 isolated teeth. This taxon represents one of the earliest lamniform sharks known to date. We hypothesize that most pre‐Aptian lamniforms belong to an ancient group characterized, amongst others, by a very weak gradient monognathic heterodont dental pattern, and by tearing‐type dentition. There is a nutritive groove in the lingual root protuberance in juveniles of Eoptolamna, which persists in adults. A single pair of symphysial and a pair of upper intermediate teeth might have been present. Consequently, a new family, Eoptolamnidae, is introduced to include the new form, as well as Protolamna and probably Leptostyrax. The Eoptolamnidae represent an ancient family within Lamniformes. The origin of lamniform sharks remains, however, ambiguous despite recent advances. The new Spanish taxon is widespread in the Barremian of north‐eastern Spain, and occurs in a wide range of facies from near‐coastal to lake deposits. This lamniform also occurs in the Lower Cretaceous of northern Africa. © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2008, 154 , 278–290.