Applications of biotechnology in eggplant

Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.), an economically important vegetable crop in many countries in Asia and Africa, often has insufficient levels of resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Genetic resources of eggplant have been assessed for resistance against its most serious diseases and pests (bacterial and fungal wilts, nematodes and shoot and fruit borer). Attempts at crossing eggplant with its wild relatives resulted in limited success due to sexual incompatibilities. However, the ability of eggplant to respond well in tissue culture, notably plant regeneration, has allowed the application of biotechnology, particularly the exploitation of somaclonal variation, haploidisation, somatic hybridisation and genetic transformation for gene transfer. Somaclonal variation has been used to obtain lines with increased resistance to salt and little leaf disease. Traits of resistance against bacterial and fungal wilts have successfully been introduced into the cultivated eggplant through somatic hybridisation. However, most somatic hybrids were sterile when the parental lines were distantly related. In contrast, the use of close relatives as fusion partners or highly asymmetric fusion resulted in the production of fertile hybrids with resistance traits and a morphology close to the cultivated eggplant, thus avoiding the series of backcrosses necessary for introgression of desired traits into eggplant. As far as molecular markers and genetic engineering are concerned, the information available for eggplant is very scanty. Two genetic linkage maps have been established by using RAPD and RFLP markers. In order to analyse the genetic relationships between eggplant and its relatives, some studies based on AFLP and ctDNA analyses have also been conducted. So far only resistance against insects, and parthenocarpic fruit development have successfully been developed in eggplant using Agrobacterium tumefasciens transformation. However, some work on genetic engineering of eggplant for other biotic and abiotic stresses has recently been initiated. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

果树核心种质研究进展

近年来,继果树种质资源收集保存和鉴定评价等重大项目相继开展之后,利用现有基本信息、鉴定评价数据构建果树核心种质已成为种质资源领域又一新的研究热点和发展方向。根据核心种质的内涵和果树自身特点,提出了果树核心种质研究的主要特性,阐述了其主要研究内容、方法和步骤等研究现状,并通过分析果树核心种质构建的特殊性,指出存在的主要问题,探讨了果树核心种质研究的重点和发展方向。     

南岳山自然保护区大型真菌资源考察及其生态分布和经济意义分析

经过多年来的采集及最近集中考察,收集南岳山自然保护区大型真菌173种,分别隶属于15目、37科、83属,充分体现了种类方面的多样性．在生态特征方面,分布于常绿阔叶林、针阔叶混交林、竹林、常绿或落叶灌丛、针叶林、高山草甸等环境;其中腐生类型为主,有共生类型和寄生类型．在经济价值方面,有食用菌77种,药用菌43种,毒菌24种,木材腐朽菌93种,树木共生菌32种．另有省内新记录种18种．最后提出了保护和利用南岳山自然保护区大型真菌资源的建议．     

广东省后备土地资源开发利用问题及其对策

广东省人口众多 ,人均土地资源较少 ,后备土地资源紧缺 ,全省后备土地资源约10 0万hm2 ,其中荒山 6 3 52万hm2 ,沿海滩涂 2 0 5万hm2 ,荒地 12万hm2 。开发利用这些土地资源对农、林、牧、渔、盐、旅游等各业的发展和充分合理利用土地资源有重要作用。开发利用要针对各类后备土地资源的障碍因子 ,因地制宜 ,统一规划 ,先易后难 ;要制定有关政策法规 ,调动各方面积极性 ,开发利用要与治理保护相结合 ,使资源可持续利用 ,经济可持续发展。     

The effects of urbanization on pollinators and pollination: A meta-analysis

Urbanization is increasing worldwide, with major impacts on biodiversity, species interactions and ecosystem functioning. Pollination is an ecosystem function vital for terrestrial ecosystems and food security; however, the processes underlying the patterns of pollinator diversity and the ecosystem services they provide in cities have seldom been quantified. Here, we perform a comprehensive meta-analysis of 133 studies examining the effects of urbanization on pollinators and pollination. Our results confirm the widespread negative impacts of urbanization on pollinator richness and abundance, with Lepidoptera being the most affected group. Furthermore, pollinator responses were found to be trait-specific, with below-ground nesting and solitary Hymenoptera, and spring flyers more severely affected by urbanization. Meanwhile, cities promote non-native pollinators, which may exacerbate conservation risks to native species. Surprisingly, despite the negative effects of urbanization on pollinator diversity, pollination service measured as seed set is enhanced in non-tropical cities likely due to abundant generalists and managed pollinators therein. We emphasize that the richness of local flowering plants could mitigate the negative impacts of urbanization on pollinator diversity. Overall, the results demonstrate the varying magnitudes of multiple moderators on urban pollinators and pollination services and could help guide conservation actions for biodiversity and ecosystem function for a sustainable future.     

Characterization of a genetic resource collection for Miscanthus (Saccharinae,Andropogoneae, Poaceae) using AFLP and ISSR PCR

Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) and inter-simple sequence repeat markers were employed to characterize a genetic resource collection of Miscanthus, a grass under trial in Europe as a biomass crop. The 26 polymorphic markers produced by two ISSR fingerprinting primers were able to discriminate taxa and identify putative clones. AFLP fingerprints were fully reproducible and produced a larger number of markers for the three primer pairs tested, of which 998 were polymorphic (representing 79.3% of all bands). AFLP markers distinguished species, infra-specific taxa (varieties and cultivars) and putatively clonal material. They were also used to assess the inter-relationships of the taxa, to investigate the origin of important hybrid plants and to estimate the overall level of genetic variation in the collection. They were useful for assessing the species status of certain taxa such as M. transmorrisonensis, an endemic from Taiwan that was clearly distinct from M. sinensis; whereas other taxa of disputed species status, such as M. condensatus and M. yakushimanum were not genetically distinct from M. sinensis. The AFLP markers detected a high degree of infra-specific variation and allowed subdivisions of the genetic resource collection to be made, particularly within M. sinensis.     

Genetic variants for chick biology research: from breeds to mutants

The availability of the draft sequence of the chicken genome will undoubtedly propel an already important vertebrate research model, the domestic chicken, to a new level. This review describes aspects of chicken natural history and cross-disciplinary biological value. The diversity of extant genetic variants available to researchers is reviewed along with institutional stock locations for North America. An overview of the problem of lack of long-term stability for these resources is presented.     

上海黄浦区社区卫生服务绩效评价与SWOT分析

公立医院规划布局是卫生资源配置极为最重要的一个环节。公立医院的合理配置、优化布局有助于提高医疗资源运行效率,使居民获得最大健康产出。从系统角度出发,要更好地配置公立医院资源,必须更好地发挥公立医院与社区卫生服务机构的协同作用,建立有序的分级诊疗模式。因此,文章结合全民健康覆盖的四个条件,对上海市黄浦区社区卫生服务作绩效评估与SWOT分析,为社区卫生服务的进一步发展提供建议,也为更好地配置公立医院资源提供参考。     

Short- and long-term movements of painted lobster (Panulirus versicolor) on a coral reef at Northwest Island, Australia

Understanding movements of palinurid (spiny) lobsters is important to fisheries management. However, movement data obtained with mark-capture techniques are often influenced by artefacts (e.g., displacement, tag-loss, tag-induced injury). To avoid these problems, a novel approach was employed to investigate the movements of an important coral reef palinurid, the painted lobster (Panulirus versicolor). Eighty adult individuals were captured by hand near Northwest Island, Australia. Each lobster was tagged internally (with elastomer) and externally (with plastic zip-ties) to enable both short- (1–10 days) and long-term (6–24 months) observations. Shortly thereafter, all lobsters were manually returned to their shelters (dens). After 6–24 months, 44 lobsters were recaptured, giving an overall recapture rate of 55%. All of these individuals were recaptured within 500 m of their original den, thus indicating a high level of site-fidelity for this species. Short-term observations revealed that individuals moved frequently to and from nearby dens, and that male lobsters typically moved further than female lobsters. It is hypothesized that male lobsters move about their home range more actively, perhaps to seek mating opportunities or to defend resources. The significance of these observations is discussed with respect to the management of this important fishery resource.